FINDING THE GIFT

A household of fugitive maverick geneticists in the Maine wilderness contend with the fallout from their experiments in Jones’ SF novel.

Set in the 2070s, the author’s follow-up to CRISPR Evolution (2022) continues to chronicle the gene-tampering antics of the Wake family, headed by maverick scientists Howard and Jacqueline Wake. They fled a chilly government institute regulating DNA modification and went rogue in the field; now, they dwell in a secluded Maine safehouse-lab owned by Howard’s brother. The fruits of their unauthorized research include two precocious (very precocious) kids, twins Aurie and Py, age 9, plus two minuscule fishlike creatures who are literally infant gods. Yes, powerful “gods” exist, latent in the genomes of all organisms—entities who can govern planetary environments. One explains, “I’m not one of your mythical gods. Real gods have to contend with reality. We’re limited by the materials and mechanisms of the world in which we awaken.” A god awakened in Aurie, and the experience nearly proved fatal, but it granted the girl exceptional powers before the entity fled Earth. The boy Py also has paranormal talents: amplified perception and the ability to go out-of-body and explore at the molecular level. Scrutinizing a woodland ant colony, Py escalates the insect hive beyond control, gifting them with his “aura” and a drive to multiply, evolve, and literally conquer Earth. The small cast of characters contends with this apocalyptic threat and more as Py himself goes into god-mode. For a sci-fi tale that rarely extends beyond a house and a few square miles of forest, much ensues in this novel as gods debate the worthiness of Homo sapiens to exist and super-ants threaten the domination of an oblivious outside world. Where there are gods there are often Greeks, and Jones cleverly splices the lore of the Minotaur’s labyrinth into the third act (although the open ending portends sequels). Chapters lead off with quotes from the poet Rumi; this is SF on a high intellectual level for readers who enjoy thought experiments and cosmic what-ifs taken to the limits.

Compelling philosophical SF.