A far-fetched but often fun SF thriller.
A geneticist uncovers a universal, hardwired gene that determines the moment of one’s death in Thomas’ SF novel.
In the high-tech hub of Boston, Helix Innovations is a cutting-edge biomedical giant researching the predictive genetic foundations of dire maladies. One of their young shining-star scientists, Dr. Emily Harper (who has a background in computer hacking), makes a shocking discovery: the “terminal gene,” sometimes called a “kill switch.” It seems every living organism possesses this, a predetermined biological timer that unerringly forecasts exactly when that living thing will die. Such powerful knowledge applied by unscrupulous business interests and authorities is a frightening prospect: “The terminal gene had the potential to redefine medicine, providing insights into deadly diseases, or it might disrupt society, giving governments and corporations the power to exploit mortality...Would the government weaponize it, sorting citizens by their expiration dates?” Straightaway, Emily begins to receive threatening messages warning her to keep quiet and cooperate, or else. The danger seems to originate from a secret group called Chronos, which is already setting itself up to control the terminal gene and actively scheming to find a way to “reset” it. A mysterious person (or persons) known only as “Q” is also involved, though whether they are friend or foe is unknown. Emily’s apartment is ransacked, and the young scientist finds herself locked out of security protocols. This is too much for Emily’s live-in fiancé, Tyler, an ex-soldier with dormant-but-deadly combat skills. He and Emily zero in on unfriendly Helix CEO James Kessler as a likely source of harassment. But as paranoia escalates, it seems nobody can be trusted—not cherished academic mentors, Tyler’s former military associates, or a mysteriously reappearing Boston beat cop. Even worse, carefully concealed terminal-gene data indicates the approach of a mass-extinction event.
Some readers may find the terminal-gene concept to be less like a plot device from one of Michael Crichton’s just-on-the-edge-of-plausible thrillers and more like something bubbled up from the surrealistic imagination of Jorge Luis Borges (or early-1950s horror comic books). The concept is rather akin to a pin-cushioned Voodoo doll or a monkey’s paw that dictates one’s fate paranormally (death will come, no matter what ones does to prepare for or prevent it) rather than scientifically, though quite late in the action is there is some doubletalk about retroviruses and the like. Curiously, the story remains Boston-centric, even as news spreads of the doomsday discovery—the reactions from Washington, D.C., Wall Street, and the world in general feel curiously marginal. Readers able to suspend their disbelief will be left with an agreeable beach (or possibly hospital ward) read. It is only in the home stretch that the author addresses the philosophical conundrum, “Is it possible to reconcile human free will with a universe ruled by deterministic laws of nature?” before getting back to the action-heavy business of skulking through intranet firewalls and sneaking into besieged CRISPR labs (it is amusing how Emily, a celebrity whistleblower, can go unnoticed in a Beantown roiled by anti-Helix protests). One need not be a geneticist to diagnose the likelihood of sequels germinating.
A far-fetched but often fun SF thriller.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2025
ISBN: 9798999838643
Page Count: 311
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Buckle up—fans of page-turning SF may find themselves binge-reading this novel in one butt-numbing marathon session.
Like a truck with no brakes speeding down a steep mountain road, Islington’s latest is an adrenaline-fueled SF thrill ride that follows a biomechanically enhanced assassin as he tries to understand his mysterious origins.
The chaotic opening scene gives readers a clear indication of what they’re in for: Contract killer Azure, attempting to complete a mission, is involved in a life-or-death battle with a multieyed biomachine called an Argos. “The thing’s bipedal but has six gorilla-like arms that end in half-metre-long claws,” he complains. After Azure barely dispatches the monster and kills his target, his AI assistant, Atti, informs him of his next job: protecting an elderly—and incredibly rich—woman living in a sprawling underground bunker in the middle of nowhere. “Old Woman,” as Azure calls her, isn’t forthcoming with personal details; all Azure can suss out is that she may be the target of a powerful organized crime syndicate—the same organization that employs him! Is Azure’s ultimate goal to save her or kill her? Although the worldbuilding could’ve been more comprehensive, Islington’s editing choices are brilliant—he strips away the insignificant narrative content to create a streamlined, action-packed adventure with seemingly one goal: to keep the reader furiously turning pages. The various mysteries—Azure’s murky beginnings, the tragic death of his best friend years earlier, Old Woman’s true identity, etc.—maintain the momentum and intensity. The takeaway here is the narrative potential of the characters as well as the plethora of subjects that could be explored more deeply, like immortality for the rich, cloning, and the potential to create bioengineered nightmares for “security.” Islington leaves the conclusion tantalizingly ambiguous. This novel could be the jumping-off point for a memorable series.
Buckle up—fans of page-turning SF may find themselves binge-reading this novel in one butt-numbing marathon session.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781668239247
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Saga/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
One small step, no giant leaps.
Weir (The Martian, 2014) returns with another off-world tale, this time set on a lunar colony several decades in the future.
Jasmine “Jazz” Bashara is a 20-something deliveryperson, or “porter,” whose welder father brought her up on Artemis, a small multidomed city on Earth’s moon. She has dreams of becoming a member of the Extravehicular Activity Guild so she’ll be able to get better work, such as leading tours on the moon’s surface, and pay off a substantial personal debt. For now, though, she has a thriving side business procuring low-end black-market items to people in the colony. One of her best customers is Trond Landvik, a wealthy businessman who, one day, offers her a lucrative deal to sabotage some of Sanchez Aluminum’s automated lunar-mining equipment. Jazz agrees and comes up with a complicated scheme that involves an extended outing on the lunar surface. Things don’t go as planned, though, and afterward, she finds Landvik murdered. Soon, Jazz is in the middle of a conspiracy involving a Brazilian crime syndicate and revolutionary technology. Only by teaming up with friends and family, including electronics scientist Martin Svoboda, EVA expert Dale Shapiro, and her father, will she be able to finish the job she started. Readers expecting The Martian’s smart math-and-science problem-solving will only find a smattering here, as when Jazz figures out how to ignite an acetylene torch during a moonwalk. Strip away the sci-fi trappings, though, and this is a by-the-numbers caper novel with predictable beats and little suspense. The worldbuilding is mostly bland and unimaginative (Artemis apartments are cramped; everyone uses smartphonelike “Gizmos”), although intriguing elements—such as the fact that space travel is controlled by Kenya instead of the United States or Russia—do show up occasionally. In the acknowledgements, Weir thanks six women, including his publisher and U.K. editor, “for helping me tackle the challenge of writing a female narrator”—as if women were an alien species. Even so, Jazz is given such forced lines as “I giggled like a little girl. Hey, I’m a girl, so I’m allowed.”
One small step, no giant leaps.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-44812-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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