Condition: Book Two - The Curing Begins... by Alec Birri
| Condition: Book Two - The Curing Begins... by Alec Birri | |
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| Category: Science Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Luke Marlowe
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| Summary: The Condition Trilogy takes the reader on a dark, scary journey in Book Two – a compelling conspiracy thriller that'll keep you up at night. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 290 | Date: November 2016 |
| Publisher: Matador | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1785898778 | |
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Discovering an infamous Nazi doctor conducted abortions in Argentina after the Second World War may not come as a surprise, but why was the twisted eugenicist not only allowed to continue his evil experiments but encouraged to do so? And what has that got to do with a respected neurologist in 2027? Surely the invention of a cure for nearly all the world's ailments can't possibly have its roots buried in the horrors of Auschwitz? The unacceptable is about to become the disturbingly bizarre. What has the treatment's 'correction' of paedophiles got to do with the President of the United States, the Pope and even the UK's Green Party?
If you've read Condition: Book One, then continue reading, but those who haven't, I strongly advise you to read it and come back to this afterwards – it's a twisting thriller with secrets that I have to give away in order to write a full review for Book Two! Condition: Book One told the tale of RAF Dan Stewart, waking in 1966 after suffering a terrible plane crash. The reader followed his journey – which involved some fairly shocking twists, one of which was the revelation that Stewart was in fact not in 1966 after all, but suffering from Alzheimer's and taking part in an extremely experimental drug trail…
Condition: Book Two – The Curing Begins follows on from Book One, but author Alec Birri has chosen to use a slightly different style here. Whereas in Book One the reader was in the dark for a large part of the book, here several things are revealed early on – managing to include a jaw dropping moment in one of the first pages! I can't go into too much detail with regards to plot for fear of spoiling things, but suffice to say that Birri has created a compelling conspiracy story with fascinating tendrils that draw the reader into the tangled web he has drawn together. It's testament to the writer that he can show the reader rather unpleasant characters engaged in truly horrific practices, and yet still have enough pull over the reader to keep them turning the pages. Whilst in Condition: Book One the reader was turning the pages eager to find out the true circumstances surrounding Dan, here the reader is sent from the mid 70's to the future and encounters characters who, whilst perhaps not quite as compelling as Dan individually, are strongly written and work as an ensemble to guide the reader through the intricate twists and turns that Birri provides.
The second book in a trilogy can often be a difficult one – expanding on the original and guiding the reader towards a finale: they can often feel like stepping-stones to a climax rather than fully fledged stories in their own right. No such problem here – Birri has told a fascinatingly dark tale that guides the reader to what I'm sure will be a thrilling and disturbing climax in book three.
For further reading I recommend NOS-4R2 by Joe Hill. Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King – and his writing is much like that of early Stephen King – twisting, intriguing and scary, and, as it happens - much like that of Alec Birri.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Condition: Book Two - The Curing Begins... by Alec Birri at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Condition: Book Two - The Curing Begins... by Alec Birri at Amazon.com.
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