- Hardcover: 512 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; First Edition edition (3 Jan 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0743208595
- ISBN-13: 978-0743208598
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 4.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 985,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Gene
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More About the Author
Product Description
Emerald City
"SF that Greg Bear might have written."
SFX Magazine
"The world needs a Dan Brown who can write and we reckon Pavlou might just be that man."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The author of the sterling first novel, Decipher, is back with a new concept that meshes ancient worlds with modern day New York.
A fight through the aeons has recommenced in downtown New York and the hunt is on.
Gene is the story of Detective James North whose investigation and subsequent chase across midtown of the New York Museum wrecking Gene leads to an explosive story of an ill-fated battle that has raged across our time, originating in the first battle between the Trojan Warrior Cyclades and the Babylonian Magi Athanatos after the latter caused the Trojan War and the death of Cyclades' wife.
After the opening chase where a thousand questions are raised and North finds himself on the receiving end of a needle with an unknown drug Pavlou weaves our story through New York in an attempt to understand who Gene and North really are and how Athanatos is seeking to discover the genetic reasons behind Cyclades reincarnation. Whilst Athanatos has developed an elixir to ensure his memories are passed to his children thus perpetuating himself it is prone to loss of knowledge through imperfect memory experience. Threading through the story are lots of flashbacks to Cyclades' run-ins with Athanatos through the ages, usually with the magus getting the upper hand and a substory of William Porter whose realisation that memory is passed from generation to generation through the male gives rise to a kind of reincarnation. His small assistance of North leads to an explosive showdown between Gene and North as the latter realises that the many other descendants of Cyclades are being murdered as Athanatos seeks to eliminate his enemy and retain only Gene to steal his secret of eternal life.
Coming after the superb `Decipher' this was not as complete a novel, primarily because the plot thread is harder to follow and little emotive explanation is given for the action until late in the novel. The genetic concepts behind the plot are not as fully formed as they could be and you get the impression the author was letting the characters direct the plot rather than the other way round.
It's good, not as good as Decipher, but Stel Pavlou has taken the techno-thriller and given it a dark twist against a vast timeline in a manner that is riveting. The fight between Athantos and Cyclades steps through the novel at a higher level than the individual battles and the race for Gene and North to understand which is Athanatos and which is Cyclades takes us to a nail biting finish. Pavlou's an excellent addition to the techno-thriller genre and this one doesn't fail to deliver.
A fight through the aeons has recommenced in downtown New York and the hunt is on.
Gene is the story of Detective James North whose investigation and subsequent chase across midtown of the New York Museum wrecking Gene leads to an explosive story of an ill-fated battle that has raged across our time, originating in the first battle between the Trojan Warrior Cyclades and the Babylonian Magi Athanatos after the latter caused the Trojan War and the death of Cyclades' wife.
After the opening chase where a thousand questions are raised and North finds himself on the receiving end of a needle with an unknown drug Pavlou weaves our story through New York in an attempt to understand who Gene and North really are and how Athanatos is seeking to discover the genetic reasons behind Cyclades reincarnation. Whilst Athanatos has developed an elixir to ensure his memories are passed to his children thus perpetuating himself it is prone to loss of knowledge through imperfect memory experience. Threading through the story are lots of flashbacks to Cyclades' run-ins with Athanatos through the ages, usually with the magus getting the upper hand and a substory of William Porter whose realisation that memory is passed from generation to generation through the male gives rise to a kind of reincarnation. His small assistance of North leads to an explosive showdown between Gene and North as the latter realises that the many other descendants of Cyclades are being murdered as Athanatos seeks to eliminate his enemy and retain only Gene to steal his secret of eternal life.
Coming after the superb `Decipher' this was not as complete a novel, primarily because the plot thread is harder to follow and little emotive explanation is given for the action until late in the novel. The genetic concepts behind the plot are not as fully formed as they could be and you get the impression the author was letting the characters direct the plot rather than the other way round.
It's good, not as good as Decipher, but Stel Pavlou has taken the techno-thriller and given it a dark twist against a vast timeline in a manner that is riveting. The fight between Athantos and Cyclades steps through the novel at a higher level than the individual battles and the race for Gene and North to understand which is Athanatos and which is Cyclades takes us to a nail biting finish. Pavlou's an excellent addition to the techno-thriller genre and this one doesn't fail to deliver.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read and enjoyed Decipher, I had to give Gene a try. I was not disappointed. As with Decipher, Stel Pavlou has written an exciting and complex tale that works both as Sci Fi and an action/adventure story. It is not necessary to know the history to enjoy the book and, as long as you read carefully, the turning and twisting tale is easy enough to follow. Perhaps not the easiest read going, but a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining one. I look forward to his third book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Whilst the storyline of Gene is different to that of Decipher, all of our family thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is well written, the author has you going from present day back to Ancient Greece and then back again smoothly and without any confusion. It is obvious from the details that Stel has certainly done a lot of research.
It is one of those books that you just can't put down until you finish it as you just have to know what happens next!
We shall certainly be recommending it to family and friends.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gene
Although published by a major publisher in the UK, Gene "scared off a lot of editors in the US." After reading it, the reasons are clear. Read more
Published 3 months ago by BigAl
A truly dire read, dont buy it
My wife gave this to me after she had read it and normally an avid reader this book took me ages to finish. Am i a glutton for punishment? Read more
Published 15 months ago by John Ringo
Awful
It was hard work all the way through and took me a month of 'hard work' to complete it. Even when completed, it didnt end properly. I can't recommend it.
Published 15 months ago by Gem
Frustrating, confusing and over-complicated
I almost gave up reading this book on about five occasions, it starts very promising and is an original concept but quickly lost me with strange references to the past which seem... Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2008 by Martin Belcher
Confused and confusing
This book started well, with an intriguing idea, but by about the half-way point it had become both very confused and extremely confusing, the author switching between first- and... Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2008 by Peter Smith
A complete contrast to decipher
Having read and loved Decipher I was straight on Amazon to buy another of Stel Pavlous book, however I was disappointed. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2008 by C. Parry
Awesome
And I don't mean that in the modern 'really good' sense, but in the older sense; this book is worthy of awe. Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2007 by The Big Onion
It promised more than it delivered
The plot looked good initially but it has not been well developed. The author tests your knowledge of biochemistry, mithology and ancient history, a mixture that although was... Read more
Published on 11 July 2007 by Zobari
Uninspiring
I chose this book purely on the basis of his excellent first book "Decipher" which I thoroughly enjoyed. This one however, was a huge disappointment in every respect. Read more
Published on 4 May 2007 by P. Zardoshti
Leaves You Wanting More
This is another new author to me. Is it me, or are the publishing houses giving more opportunities to new authors. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2006 by J. Chippindale
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