Subject: __Blood Music__ by Greg Bear Book Review

From: [email-masked] (C. Douglas Baker)
Date: 25 Oct 1993 00:21:11 GMT

__Blood Music__ by Greg Bear
                 Book Review by C. Douglas Baker

     __Blood Music__ starts off with a promising concept and treats
it in a relatively sophisticated manner.  Through the use of
recombinant DNA research Vergil Ulam creates a sentient single
cell organism.  These organisms subsequently begin to build their
society to fit their needs.  This means changing the molecular
structure of living creatures, including human beings, to suit
them.  Thus begins (and ends) __Blood Music__

     The better aspects of __Blood Music__ involve the exploration of
the possibility of intelligent single-cell organisms.  The scenes
where organisms actually "talk" or communicate with Vergil and
later Bernard had great potential.  Unfortunately, most of the
novel reads like a second rate horror flick.  I have not read the
novelette that won a Hugo so I suspect the more carelessly
conceived aspects of the novel were left out.  The "blob" that
takes over New York city and the "ghosts" that appear to convince
Suzy to "join" them is simply dumb.

     Its hard to recommend reading the entire novel.  Only the
first third and second third are worth the effort.  

%T Blood Music
%A Greg Bear
%C New York
%D 1985
%I Ace  $4.99 (pbk)
%G ISBN 0-441-06797-2 (pbk)
%P 246

Doug Baker
[email-masked]
[email-masked]