Comments on: Some kind of monster (book)

Question: Some kind of monster (book)

rbs — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:39:20 -0800

I am trying to find a SciFi book that I read the first couple of chapters of. It involved two companies racing to come up with some kind of genetic cure and in the process creating a monster or something.

If I recall, it was linked to either here or on boingboing (I asked Doctorow and he has no memory of it). Anyway, it was originally released a chapter at a time and people tipped the author and he kept writing and it was available on Amazon.

What was it?

By: djb

djb — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:45:04 -0800

David Wellington's Monster Island?

By: SPrintF

SPrintF — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:21:27 -0800

I don't recall that Monster Island ever explains the origin of the zombies (although, the "dark energy" aspect of the story implies an occult origin). This sounds more akin to Michael Crichton's Prey (although that's a nanotech monster rather than a biologic).

By: spartacusroosevelt

spartacusroosevelt — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:31:33 -0800

Sounds like Ancestor.

By: rbs

rbs — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 06:55:50 -0800

Yep, that's it. Looks like it's out of print. Damn.

By: sevenyearlurk

sevenyearlurk — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:17:12 -0800

I think you're probably thinking of Peter Watts's Blindsight.

The related phony pharma company presentation via boingboing. I think it was also linked on metafilter.

Oh, I see on preview I'm wrong. Oh well, I'll post anyway since Blindsight has some similar elements.

By: spartacusroosevelt

spartacusroosevelt — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:31:26 -0800

Here is the PDF.