After reading the penultimate sequel to Ender's Game, I promised myself not to read anything else of Orson Scott CardWhen Nova published the last sequel, I didn't buy it, even though I've bought all the books published in this collection. And it's not that I have anything against Orson Scott Card (I met him personally at the Hispacon in Mataró in 1997 and I've read almost everything Nova from Ediciones B has published). But I was already fed up with Ender sequels and books aimed at an increasingly childish audience and without any kind of grace or orientation towards Science Fiction.
When I saw that Nova published Invasive TreatmentI was tempted not to buy it either, but reading the back cover I saw that it wasn't set in Ender's universe and that maybe I could give OSC another chance. I'm glad I did... although I'm not so sure this book can be attributed to OSC. Let me explain:
As OSC itself indicates and as Miquel Barceló does in his prologue, the book was written by Aaron Johnston based on an OSC story published in Analog in 1976. So although the characters are typical of OSC, the rest of the book is not.
Let's not kid ourselves, the book was written by Aaron Joshnston, not by OSC. Although OSC's hand is evident in the plot and setting.
Is this or is it not a book by OSC? Or is it a book written halfway as indicated on the cover by showing the two authors?… I think not, that it is a novel written by Aaron Joshnton (a scriptwriter friend of OSC), basing the plot on a narration by OSC, supervised by OSC, and using OSC’s name to sell more… but well… that doesn’t mean that the book is not good, although to begin with, in addition to OSC not being the author, it is not a Science Fiction book either even though it is published in the Nova collection by Ediciones B, but rather it is a Biotechnological Thriller, despite Miquel Barceló’s attempts to justify it in the prologue.
The plot tells the story of several characters and some mysterious "healers" who are biologically enhanced. These healers have a virus that adapts to the genetics of the individual for whom it has been created, and can cure any genetic disease in the person to whom it is inoculated. So in theory, they have the cure for a large number of diseases that until now were fatal. The bad thing about this virus is that for a few days, it is fatal for the rest of the humans who are near the sick, which makes it extremely dangerous. And the bad thing about the healers is that they believe in a new religious cult invented by its leader, who promises them a "happy world"and above all, healthier.
It is worth noting that even though there is a clear protagonist, all the characters are treated in depth and acquire the dimension that makes you empathize with some and hate others. This is something that OSC usually does well in its books and in this one, it has surely made sure that it is like that as well.
We also see the role of OSC in the dilemmas that the characters face on topics such as genetic engineering and human evolution. The question is whether viruses that modify our genome are or are not the answer to our problems, or what consequences more research into this field might have for society, in order to modify our species.
Here, as in other things, I disagree with OSC and therefore I have spent most of the book on the side of “the bad guys”. For me there is no doubt that at some point we will have to modify the human genome and adapt it to the environment in which we find ourselves at any given time. Otherwise the colonization of Mars or long stays in space will not be possible… but we already know that OSC’s beliefs prevent it from accepting this, so the book ends by arguing against research in certain fields of genetic engineering and the author puts the viruses that repair DNA in the hands of an unbalanced megalomaniac who wants to conquer the world, thus warning us of the dangers of having this type of technology.
Overall, the book is well written, easy to read, engaging, well paced and ultimately, a book that makes you think. So my verdict, whether it's a book by Orson Scott Card or Aaron Joshnston, is that it is 100% recommended.
