| The novel concerns an American pre-med student, Amoreena Daniels who is
in desperate need of money. Her mother is dying of cancer and her
medical insurance no longer covers her treatment. In order to raise the
necessary cash, she agrees to become a surrogate mother. At first,
everything appears above-board, but before long she begins to have
suspicions that something is wrong with her pregnancy. The plot
thickens and people who know parts of the puzzle begin to die.
I read the first two thirds of this book rapidly. The writing was good,
the plot moved well and I was getting drawn into it by tantalising hints
as to what was going on. However, by the time I was into the last
third, I started to lose interest. What had appeared to be tantalising
hints early on turned out to be either random things the writer though
would make the plot more mysterious and had no valid biological reason
for being there (such as the blue light that is seen in various places),
or loose ends that never get tied up (one character dies because he
comes into possession of a vital piece of information, but it is clear
later on that the only person who knew about this - the person who
supplied the information - had not yet been rumbled by the black hats).
Most of what ultimately made the book a failure for me was the biology.
In spite of an early error (doctors always measure a woman's menstrual
cycle from the first day of bleeding, not the last), I had hopes that
the writer had done his research in other areas. I'm not a biologist,
but I read New Scientist and have a general feel for what's happening in
the field. On the evidence of 'Gargoyles', I'd say that Alan Nayes gets
his knowledge of reproductive science from tabloid headlines. I'd call
it speculation, but some of the speculation is based on assumptions that
appear to me to reflect a lack of understanding.
I'm reluctant to say exactly what the errors are, as that would give a
fair chunk of the plot away.
In summary, I'd say that the book is pacey and well written. The
characters lack emotional depth and die like flies, but if you aren't
too much worried about scientific detail and just want a thriller to
enjoy, then this will probably fit the bill. It'll suit you doubly well
if you like to feel paranoid about medical science and the terrible
things it may be doing behind your back.
If you're a scientist with a critical mind, steer well clear.
Judith Proctor
--
Chair - Redemption 2007 http://www.conventions.org.uk/redemption/
Chair - Orbital 2008 http://www.orbital2008.org/
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