DEFROSTED

In LePort’s SF novel, a ragtag group of scientists stands up for what’s right in a future world built on sabotage and blackmail.

The year is 2220. As head of the National Center for Disease Prevention, Dr. Alan Mueller has been tasked with eliminating a mysterious substance threatening to engulf North America. When he identifies the matter as Mitocancer, a type of highly resistant mitochondrial DNA that continually replicates itself, Alan petitions domineering chief medical officer Dr. Ralph Clifford to revive the foremost expert on the topic, Dr. Peter Royce, who was cryonically preserved after suffering a stroke almost 200 years earlier. Despite Royce’s role in protesting government health care—a cause fervently opposed by Dr. Clifford—Alan succeeds in his endeavor and is surprised to meet a man with such a strong moral code. (“Almost two hundred years later, and people still knew about him. He and his friends must’ve had an impact.”) Facing a personal crossroads of his own, Alan welcomes Peter’s guidance as they work together to defeat the Mitocancer, but the team soon uncovers a conspiracy even deeper than they ever could have imagined. LePort delivers a medical/legal thriller that’s sure to keep readers on the edges of their seats. Drawing on philosophical debates, the author renders a deeply flawed near-future world in which politicians maintain power through deceit and manipulation, yet the work still gestures toward a path of moral clarity. The characters ground the narrative with their convictions and personal struggles, and the relationships they maintain provide the story with its emotional center. While the narrative is occasionally longwinded and lacking in clearly defined motivations, the elaborate plotting sustains a strong sense of momentum. The result is an ingeniously crafted thriller that raises compelling questions about governance, responsibility, and scientific power in an increasingly politicized medical landscape.

A thriller that’s part science, part politics, and completely riveting.