Seizure (Cook novel)

Seizure is a 2003 novel by American author Robin Cook which explores the concerns raised by advances in therapeutic cloning.[1][2][3] It debuted at Number 6 on The New York Times Best Seller list on August 3, 2003.[4][5] It remained on the best seller list for three weeks.[6] In November 2004 it appeared on the paperback best seller list.[7]

Seizure
First edition
AuthorRobin Cook
Cover artistDigital Vision
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
PublisherG. P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date
2003
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages550 pp
ISBN0-330-48306-4
OCLC56756677
Preceded byShock 
Followed byMarker 

Senator Ashley Butler is a quintessential Southern demagogue whose support of traditional American values includes a knee-jerk reaction against virtually all biotechnologies. When he's called to chair a subcommittee introducing legislation to ban new cloning technology, the senator views his political future in bold relief; and Dr. Daniel Lowell, inventor of the technique that will take stem cell research to the next level, sees a roadblock positioned before his biotech startup.

The two seemingly opposite personalities clash during the senate hearings, but the men have a common desire. Butler's hunger for political power far outstrips his concern for the unborn; and Lowell's pursuit of gargantuan personal wealth and celebrity overrides any considerations for patients' well-being. Further complicating the proceedings is the confidential news that Senator Butler has developed Parkinson's disease, leading the senator and the researcher into a Faustian pact. In a perilous attempt to prematurely harness Lowell's new technology, the therapy leaves the senator with the horrifying effects of temporal lobe epilepsy—seizures of the most bizarre order.

Characters
  • Dr. Daniel Lowell: Scientist inventor of the HTSR and main character
  • Dr. Stephanie D'agonstini: Scientist and Daniel's partner
  • Senator Ashley Butler: Quintessential Southern demagogue politician that is afraid of the impact that his disease(Parkinson) may do with his career.
  • Carol Menning: Butler's assistant that follows him during his travel.
gollark: They fly the plane backward.
gollark: You could go there but you'd just end up in China again.
gollark: What do they even gain from refusing to acknowledge Taiwan as separate?
gollark: Normal things can still be somewhat bad, as they say.
gollark: I am in an annoying noncity location and don't like it.

References
  1. Harris, Michael. , Los Angeles Times, July 13, 2003
  2. Thomas, Mike. Author writes Rx for public policy, Chicago Sun-Times, July 29, 2003
  3. Noonan, Erica. COOK'S LATEST MEDICAL THRILLER IS FLAWED BUT FUN, The Boston Globe, August 20, 2003
  4. BEST SELLERS: August 3, 2003, The New York Times (debut on best seller list at no. 6 on August 3, 2003)
  5. Politics, science show dark sides in new thriller, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 1, 2003
  6. BEST SELLERS: August 17, 2003, The New York Times, August 17, 2003 (listed at No. 14, dropped from No. 13 the prior week)
  7. PAPERBACK BEST SELLERS: November 7, 2004, The New York Times
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.