DNF wasn’t into it. Started out interestingly enough, but by the time I got halfway through I lost interest. ( )

I really liked the [b:Positive|22547942|Positive|David Wellington|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415836661s/22547942.jpg|41547695], the post-apocalypse zombie novel of the same author, David Wellington. Therefore I decided to read his other books even despite the fact they are in genres I usually avoid (I avoided zombie novels too, presupposing they are primitive trash). This one is weaker but still enjoyable.

This is I guess a techno-thriller. Seven subjects escape a high-security detention facility and are free in the USA. They are superhumanly fast, strong and resilient. The have a kill-list and are virus carriers, they have to be stopped. This is the job of army veteran Jim Chapel. He is 40 years old, he lost his arm in Afghanistan – hardly a gung-ho warrior to match the escapees. He has to fail. Will he?

The story is fast paced; a nice page turner and sometimes it can surprise the reader. To some extent it is a kind of anti-levelup mentality of similar books, where, as the plot progresses, the protagonist becomes better and better.

There two minor flaws for me
1. A mystery unfolds a bit slow, I guessed some answers much earlier than they were revealed. I don’t like books with protagonists playing dumb and not seeing all the evidence
2. The super-prosthetic arm could be much simpler and closer to reality – as described it is unnecessary [for the plot] too high tech. I guess it creates wrong impressions about what real amputees get and will get in near future as well.

A small quote that surprised me:

“Sir, with all due respect—I’m the one running out of time,” Chapel told him. “There’s one other thing I have to say, though. One thing I need to make clear. You have the wrong man because I am not a hit man. I don’t kill people for money.”
“You know how to use a gun, don’t you?” Banks demanded.
“The army taught me that, yes,” Chapel agreed. “But I know you’re a civilian, sir, and you may be operating under a common misconception about soldiers. We aren’t in the business of killing random people. The mission of the armed forces is to extend U.S. policy through force only when necessary, and to use other means whenever it is humanly possible.”
( )

Moved along well. Most of the characters were beievable however, one, who shall remain nameless so as not to spoil your reading pleasure, was frankly too good to be true. I just ignored that one as much as possible and enjoyed the rest of the action filled story. Pure escapist action spy story! ( )

Chimera – an organism with more than one kind of DNA

David Wellington has been compared to Patrick Lee, James Rollins and Michael Crichton. That being said, I knew I would love this story and I wasn’t wrong. A sci-fi government conspiracy that will leave you shaking in your shoes. With all the genetic research being done, do you think that no one has thought about building the ultimate soldier?

Jim Chapel, a Special Forces veteran, is called in to save the day. The only clue – Chimera. The writing is excellent and the dialogue had me smiling and laughing, when I wasn’t pissed off and terrified. A sci-fi thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I knew Jim would accomplish his mission, but how? Secrets, danger, an uncontrollable evil that must be prevented from escaping into civilization. The ending – not what I thought it would be – oh, so much better than I imagined. I had tears in my eyes and a smile on my face.

I won a hardcover, first edition copy from Jessica at Jess Resides Here. YAY! Thank you Jessica and David. It looks beautiful in my collection. ( )

I've been following David Wellington from the days when he posted his novels in serial format on the Internet, and his writing is solid and well-crafted.
This book, his first published by a major publisher, is of a different genre than he has written in the past, almost a Ludlum style. Interesting premise and back stories with a very satisfying ending. I wonder if Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) and Philip K. Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Blade Runner) are his influences; there's a lot of existential concepts especially from the viewpoint of the Chimeras and geneticists. Still, it was a fun read and I'm looking forward to more of the Jim Chapel Missions. ( )