📖 Blog Tour ~ The Cure by Eve Smith

Living forever can be lethal... 

Ruth is a law-abiding elder, working out her national service, but she has secrets.

Her tireless research into the disease that killed her young daughter had an unexpected the discovery of a vaccine against old age. Just one jab a year wards off age-related diseases, guaranteeing long, healthy life.

But Ruth' s cure was hijacked by her colleague, Erik Grundleger, and his elderly billionaire backer, who hunger for immortality, and SuperJuve – a premium upgrade – was created, driving human lifespan to a new high. The wealthy elite who take it are the Supers, and the population begins to rocket.

Then, a perilous side-effect of SuperJuve emerges, with catastrophic consequences, and as the planet is threatened, the population rebels, and laws are passed to restore life ends at 120. Supers are tracked down by Omnicide investigators like Mara, and executed.

Mara has her own reasons for hunting Supers, and she forms an unlikely alliance with Ruth to find Grundleger.

But Grundleger has been working on something even more radical and is one step ahead, with a deadly surprise in store for both of them...

📖 My Review…

There are endless possibilities of living for a long time, free from the troubles of old age and illness, and with enough energy to live the life you always wanted but with a cut off point in which you can take your leave of family and friends in meaningful way. Doctor Ruth Hammond is a research scientist determined to discover a cure for the aging illness which killed her daughter however, in doing so she inadvertently discovers a vaccine which allows people to live forever.  

Longevity isn’t without its problems and when this vaccine lands in the research laboratories of the worst kind of people a frightening scenario becomes a reality when an upgraded vaccine allows the super rich to live forever, with disastrous consequences. The intricacies of the plot, the imagined existence of an over populated environment, the gloomy places where AI generated green spaces are the only view of a once verdant planet, all help to create a dystopian world which pulsates with energy. Moving forwards and backwards over time we learn more about Ruth’s background, and also about a strong female character called Mara who, in her role as an Omnicide investigator, is determined to track down those flawed individuals who flaunt the rules by cheating death.

This fascinating story takes us deep into a terrifying world of greed, corruption and raw ambition and is so scarily realistic that days after finishing the story I can’t stop thinking about it and fervently hope that this fictional reality doesn’t actually ever come true.

About the Author

Eve Smith writes speculative thrillers, mainly about the things that scare her. Longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize and described by Waterstones as ‘an exciting new voice in crime fiction’, Eve’s debut novel, The Waiting Rooms, set in the aftermath of an antibiotic resistance crisis, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award and was a Book of the Month in the Guardian, who compared her writing to Michael Crichton’s. It was followed by Off-Target, about a world where genetic engineering of children is routine, and ONE, about survival in a world ravaged by climate change. Eve’s previous job at an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places. She lives in Oxfordshire with her family.

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Review ~ The Peithosian Gift by Cristina Archer

Mèchant Publishing along with Rowanvale Books
August 2018

My thanks to Ben at Cameron Publicity for my copy of this book

The Peithosian Gift is a speculative fiction novel about two warring clans with the power to control the minds of others. 

Since ancient times, the Morgans and the Kanes have violently disputed the right to use their gift. The present-day Morgans are outnumbered and persecuted by the Kanes for using their gift; most are in hiding, while others avenge the slaughter of their kin. The Kanes hunt and assassinate Morgans to prevent a mind-controlled world. While one clan seeks a ‘saviour’ to restore the imbalance, the other fears the birth of a too-gifted child. 

Radha, born of a third, lost clan, has superior powers that she is scarcely able to control. Events lead to a clash of clan leaders and key players, forcing Radha on the run with both sides hunting her.

My thoughts about it..

Mind games and mind control form the basis for this journey into the world of speculative fiction, which, I have to be honest and say, is not one of my go to genres. However, from the opening few chapters which set the scene in the ancient world, through to the bulk of the novel which brings the action into a more recognisable time, there is never a dull moment between the two opposing families who each seek control.

Both the Morgans and the Kanes are decidedly hostile to each other and have been this way for generations. Each have the ability to control the minds of others, and yet, whilst the Morgans think it acceptable to do so, the Kanes feel that people should be free to make up their own minds. It is this concept which allows the author free rein to create a complicated world and where the story has its depth.

There is much to take in, as the book is divided into distinct sections, and there are lots of characters to keep track of, and yet, the author succeeds, in this rather complicated plot, to allow the story to flow quite well, although, there were times when I found things a little confusing, and I had to back track in order to keep both the characters and the complicated plot in my head. 

I am sure that fans of speculative fiction and fantasy will find much to consider in The Peithosian Gift. I’m still not sure that this is ever going to be a comfortable genre for me, but I enjoyed being taken out of my comfort zone and given the chance to read something quite different.

About the Author

CRISTINA ARCHER has long been fascinated by philosophy and psychology and has been writing fiction with these themes in her spare time since she was a teenager. She writes speculative/fantasy fiction as she believes these genres offer the widest scope to explore many a "what if" question that is relevant today. The Peithosian Gift is her fifth novel.

Cristina Archer lives in Melbourne, one of the most inspiring cities in the world. More information about her and her books can be found at cristinaarcher.com.