Synopsis:
Our world is about to change in ways we can barely imagine. KILLER T is a novel about growing up in that world. Harry and Charlie are teenagers whose lives are shaped by a society that's shifting around them. He is a lonely Brit in his first term at a Las Vegas high school. She is an unlikely friend, who gets accused of mixing a batch of explosives that blew up a football player. The two of them are drawn together at a time when gene editing technology is starting to explode. With a lab in the garage anyone can beat cancer, enhance their brain to pass exams, or tweak a few genes for that year-round tan and perfect beach body. But in the wrong hands, cheap gene editing is the most deadly weapon in history. Killer T is a synthetic virus with a ninety per-cent mortality rate, and the terrorists who created it want a billion dollars before they'll release a vaccine. Terrifying. Romantic. Huge in scope. A story for our times.
The synopsis for Killer T created a very different image, in my head, that the one I got. I imagined badass teens battling a medical terrorist threat that had some involvement with the government. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Whilst neither are exactly ‘badass’ they do both pull of some pretty daring acts.
Harry and Charlie become acquaintances at the beginning of the novel and their friendship continues to develop throughout, as their relationship is a key theme throughout the narrative Whilst it focuses on the separate lives and plots of Charlie and Harry, their lives often crossover and they some become a little more than just ‘acquainted’, with a few steamy scenes thrown in.
One character that is not developed is that of Charlie’s sister – Fawn. All we know is that she harbours a deep hatred towards Charlie but the reasons behind this are never explained. Aside from her sister, Fawn is happy to use people as pawns for her own gain and is as ruthless as she is spiteful. I would have liked the relationship between the sisters to have been investigated more, as they both played pivotal characters in the novel.
Other plotlines involving Fawn are also not fully explained, such as her relationship between JJ Senior and Junior and if she had any involvement in their deaths. The relationship between Fawn and JJ is turbulent at best but no backstory is provided as to why this is.
The novel has several big time leaps, from a few months to several years, throughout the story and follows Charlie and Harry from their high school years through to adulthood. Whilst the time leaps quicken the pace of the novel and add new layers to their dystopian environment, it does make the story hard to follow.
Another reason why the synopsis lead me astray is that I though the story would centre more on the ‘terrorist’ attack of Killer T and whilst it is frequently mentioned, it is not essential to the plot. The virus could have been replaced with an outbreak of stomach flu and it would have had the same effect. Although the science behind the virus and gene editing was fascinating and one of my favourite parts to read about.
Overall this novel was an entertaining read. The only thing that let down my experience is having read the synopsis before I read the novel, as I feel as though it didn’t provide what the synopsis had described. I wouldn’t have described it as a dystopian novel but more of a coming-of-age story set in a dystopian future. Nevertheless, this novel was incredibly original and I read almost the whole thing in one sitting (with coffee breaks, of course). Whilst I wouldn’t recommend that you run down to your local bookstore and grab a copy, it is still a decent read and a good way to spend an afternoon or two.
Our world is about to change in ways we can barely imagine. KILLER T is a novel about growing up in that world. Harry and Charlie are teenagers whose lives are shaped by a society that's shifting around them. He is a lonely Brit in his first term at a Las Vegas high school. She is an unlikely friend, who gets accused of mixing a batch of explosives that blew up a football player. The two of them are drawn together at a time when gene editing technology is starting to explode. With a lab in the garage anyone can beat cancer, enhance their brain to pass exams, or tweak a few genes for that year-round tan and perfect beach body. But in the wrong hands, cheap gene editing is the most deadly weapon in history. Killer T is a synthetic virus with a ninety per-cent mortality rate, and the terrorists who created it want a billion dollars before they'll release a vaccine. Terrifying. Romantic. Huge in scope. A story for our times.
The synopsis for Killer T created a very different image, in my head, that the one I got. I imagined badass teens battling a medical terrorist threat that had some involvement with the government. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Whilst neither are exactly ‘badass’ they do both pull of some pretty daring acts.
Harry and Charlie become acquaintances at the beginning of the novel and their friendship continues to develop throughout, as their relationship is a key theme throughout the narrative Whilst it focuses on the separate lives and plots of Charlie and Harry, their lives often crossover and they some become a little more than just ‘acquainted’, with a few steamy scenes thrown in.
One character that is not developed is that of Charlie’s sister – Fawn. All we know is that she harbours a deep hatred towards Charlie but the reasons behind this are never explained. Aside from her sister, Fawn is happy to use people as pawns for her own gain and is as ruthless as she is spiteful. I would have liked the relationship between the sisters to have been investigated more, as they both played pivotal characters in the novel.
Other plotlines involving Fawn are also not fully explained, such as her relationship between JJ Senior and Junior and if she had any involvement in their deaths. The relationship between Fawn and JJ is turbulent at best but no backstory is provided as to why this is.
The novel has several big time leaps, from a few months to several years, throughout the story and follows Charlie and Harry from their high school years through to adulthood. Whilst the time leaps quicken the pace of the novel and add new layers to their dystopian environment, it does make the story hard to follow.
Another reason why the synopsis lead me astray is that I though the story would centre more on the ‘terrorist’ attack of Killer T and whilst it is frequently mentioned, it is not essential to the plot. The virus could have been replaced with an outbreak of stomach flu and it would have had the same effect. Although the science behind the virus and gene editing was fascinating and one of my favourite parts to read about.
Overall this novel was an entertaining read. The only thing that let down my experience is having read the synopsis before I read the novel, as I feel as though it didn’t provide what the synopsis had described. I wouldn’t have described it as a dystopian novel but more of a coming-of-age story set in a dystopian future. Nevertheless, this novel was incredibly original and I read almost the whole thing in one sitting (with coffee breaks, of course). Whilst I wouldn’t recommend that you run down to your local bookstore and grab a copy, it is still a decent read and a good way to spend an afternoon or two.