Welcome to the next great bio-thriller

Welcome to the next great bio-thriller author, Elliot Garber. The Chimera Sequence is definitely up there with others in this hard hitting genre like those written by Crichton (Andromeda Strain) and Richard Preston (The Hot Zone).

The book follows different characters as it weaves its intricate and incredible story with the main character being Cole McBride. Cole is a U.S. Special Forces veterinarian. It follows him into the jungles of central Africa. While there, he and his team uncover some dead and dying Silverback gorillas, and they’re not sure what they have, but they want to find out more. They have little to no time to do any field-testing on the gorillas because war has been raging within these jungles for years. A close personal and romantic friend of Cole’s comes down with what appears to be the same mysterious illness that is affecting the gorillas. This sends Cole back into the jungles in order to meet up with a group of Special Ops to find the underlying cause of this mysterious illness. There is some other incredibly interesting bits to the story, but to mention them would take away from the mystery and the story arc that Garber has penned so vividly.

The narration, done by Neil Shah was excellent (and I will be looking for other works narrated by him in the future). The audio quality is some of the best work I’ve heard and you can tell that the author, narrator and publisher put a good deal of work into the quality of this audiobook. The narration was done in more of a dramatization instead of a straight narration with Shah using different voices and accents to narrate the different characters. This adds a nice touch to this already great book. Listening to this on audiobook did not in any way take away from the drama and nail-biting mystery that Garber wrote—in fact I believe that it may have added to it.

Overall, the book was excellent, if you are a fan of bio-terror and bio-thrillers – I would pick this book up. Many books will market themselves as a bio-thriller or include the biohazard symbol to draw you in, but once you are into the book, you find that, there isn’t much biological aspects. This book is not like that, Garber, being a veterinarian himself has put a lot of hard science into the book to make it both incredibly well researched and terrifyingly believable. The virus that is contained within the pages of this book (or the cables of the audiobook) is terrifying and I hope that we won’t live in a world like the world that Garber painted so well in his first novel.

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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11 people found this helpful

Fast paced and gripping.

The summary pretty much says it all so I'm getting right to my thoughts on this!

I made a mistake in starting this at night because I ended up listening to it for a long time! It immediately grabbed my attention and I couldn't put it down! Everything about it captivated me and kept me glued to my earbuds.

The plot of this is actually quiet believable! Initially I wasn't sure how Gorillas and virus mix but this worked, and worked well. It was detailed and explained in such a way that I had no qualms about it! It's also extremely fast paced and intense. Once you start, you won't want to put it aside!!

There are quiet a few different characters but all are easily distinguishable and necessary. Cole is the MC as such and I loved him. I know that the author is a Vet himself and it really shows in the book. His detailed descriptions and understanding of things shines through. Cole is tough, brave to a fault when it comes to animals and you can clearly see his love for the mountain gorillas. Each character are well developed and written and the character growth of each was amazing. It's always a pleasure to read a book where you connect to the characters straight away!

In all this is a fantastic and quite chilling read. I think the fact that this echoes what could happen is why it's so scary! It really makes you think, What if???. The fact that the author can do that just goes to prove his amazing writing. It's well researched and thought out and will absolutely fascinate you. I am so glad I listened to this as well because the narration was brilliant.

Neil Shah was amazing. The amount of different accents he did, without making them sound false, was incredible. I was awestruck with it!! He is definitely one narrator I will check out.

*I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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3 people found this helpful

A surprisingly fun techno-thriller

Full disclosure: I got this for free in exchange for a fair review.
The description evokes comparisons to Michael Crichton and James Rollins, and the similarities are obvious. The author obviously knows his stuff and that knowledge comes through in the book. I'd also recommend this to fans of Richard Preston's "The Hot Zone" and Jonathan Maberry's Joe Ledger series because of the emphasis on African infectious disease and the wide cast portrayed fairly and not overly seriously.
The narrator was a pleasant surprise, and he did a good job with the numerous African and Middle Eastern accents required. The only complaint I had was that his pro-rata KD the main character felt a little ridiculous.

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3 people found this helpful

Good narration, average story.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes. If you like thrilling books, this would probably be up your alley. The story is engaging, but not enough so where I feel it's a must read.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The story was plenty enjoyable, but where it fell short is bringing nothing new to a literary genre which is competitive and over-saturated. The story could have stood out to me more. That being said, the story is enjoyable and fun, and the pacing (which some authors tend to struggle with) was excellent.

Which character – as performed by Neil Shah – was your favorite?

Probably Dr. Lars, as I'm a cynic myself.

Did The Chimera Sequence inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

I was given this title free of charge, by the author, for review. It's a well done book, and the narrator was good and easy to listen to. Although The Chimera Sequence doesn't innovate, it possesses a good plot, balanced and interesting characters, and was enjoyable to listen to overall. If you like thrillers, you may want to think about giving the Chimera Sequence a listen.

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2 people found this helpful

Awesome Science Filled Thriller w/ Heart!

This was an amazing book. It was intensely interesting, thrilling, and moving. There were some really touching scenes between gorillas and the people looking out for them. There were some heartfelt scenes between people who were really close to each other in tremendous circumstances. Even with all the smart well written science and action this book had heart. There were some more quiet scenes where doctors and scientists worked on figuring out just what was going on with these sick gorillas. There were also some great action scenes with awesome firefights.

I read this book by listening to the audiobook and I'm really glad I did. The narrator Neil Shah was amazing. His narration of the story alone was great but on top of that he flawlessly pulls of dozens of accents from all over the world. It made the story feel that much more large and exciting and cultured. I don't know how he's mastered so many accents but he uses his immense talent well narrating all the different characters in this book.

If you want to dig into some well written science, with awesome action, and cool well rounded characters you'll love to root for and against then do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I think you'll be as pleased as I was that you did.

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1 person found this helpful

Good story but narration was distracting.

I received a free copy from author/narrator/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I found the book enjoyable with just a few complaints.

The story was exciting and kept my attention but it could stand a little more polish. The way every character in the book seemingly had a relationship with every other character strained credulity but overall the story was very engrossing.

Some of the accents in the book reminded me of the gags in the old Pink Panther movies where Peter Sellers accent would get stronger and stronger until even the other French couldn't understand him. I rejoiced in the death of one character so I wouldn't have to listen to their accent anymore.

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1 person found this helpful

Man's inhumanity to man

Cole McBride makes a chilling discovery while investigating a mysterious disease causing the deaths of endangered mountain gorillas in war-torn central Africa. When a humanitarian aid hospital nearby diagnoses a disturbingly similar human case, the former Special Forces veterinarian knows he must figure out how to stop this outbreak from spreading--before it blows up into a global pandemic. Halfway across the continent, a massive cargo ship moves out of Sudan's largest port. Buried deep within its hold is one container of urgent significance for its buyer in the Persian Gulf. And back in Washington, D.C., the owner of a Lebanese restaurant a stone's throw from the White House finds a cryptic message in the Drafts folder of his e-mail inbox. It's one week before Independence Day, and an unpopular president is preparing to host America's biggest celebration in years. There's just one small problem: he's not the only one with plans for the holiday. With the woman he loves sick and close to death, Cole puts his own life on the line in a race against time to discover the truth behind the outbreak's origin--a truth that will link it to one of humanity's most ancient plagues and threaten the very heart of America. This is how it happened.

This is an extremely intelligent, complicated thriller, which uses, as its main premise the construction and deployment of a lethal chimera virus. In order to make such a complicated premise work as the moving force behind a thriller, the author has to prepare his ground very carefully, indeed. It is essential that the reader understand some complex and (to this lay person, at least) almost arcane medical and biological concepts. I know of very few authors who could pull this off successfully, but this author did, and with style. Not only did his reasoning read as feasible and logical (which, since I do not have the scientific or medical knowledge to evaluate his theories, I must use as a gauge), but his explanations are understandable, succinct, and never detract from the story being told.

This is not, at least at first a fast moving book, and, I don’t think it should be. It builds tension, prepares the reader by making the full extent of the threat entirely comprehensible, and sets the stage so well that, by the time the action *really* begins, the author never has to break his stride for explanations. The reader *knows* what is happening, why, and what will happen if the teams involved aren’t successful. While there is lots of action throughout the book, the last 2 hours or so are full bore, and very nearly left this reader forgetting to breathe.

The writing is straightforward, and the no frills style enhances the story, which really doesn’t *need* any frills. The writing stands on its own strongly, though, and the character development is fairly amazing, especially considering the large cast of important characters. Each of them is unique, and, though this cast is International, the characters don’t seem to all come from the same background, with only different accents to differentiate them. While the author doesn’t spend an inordinate time discussing motivations, those motivations are clear from the bits he does tell us, but even more from the words and actions of the characters, themselves. The author has learned, and learned well, the “show don’t tell” lesson that sets adequate writing apart from truly good writing. The author shows us what is going on whenever possible, even by his meticulous (if disturbing) depictions of the progress of the chimera induced disease.

The narration was of the same extremely high standard as the book being narrated. The narrator understood and was entirely comfortable with his material, more than competent in the skills needed to make narration enjoyable, and was able to easily handle accented (from multiple countries) English and foreign words so naturally that the reader almost isn’t aware of their unfamiliarity.

In short, this is an awesome book and an awesome audio production, and I have no reservations in giving both book and narrator 5 stars, and would give more, if I could.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review via the courtesy of AudioBookBlast dot com.

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1 person found this helpful

Man Creates, Man Destroys, Can Man be Saved?

Would you listen to The Chimera Sequence again? Why?

Great thriller! I felt in the moment. I very much enjoyed the feeling of being in Virunga National Park with the gorillas. The book was over 11 hours long. To me, in a good way, it was too short - I did not want it to end. Yes, will listen again.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Lots of twists and turns. Did not know where the story was going. Hard hitting, Elliott Garber did not pull any punches.

Which character – as performed by Neil Shah – was your favorite?

I really liked Marna, the South African helicopter pilot. Very intriguing character. Loved the South African accent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My main feeling was that I was a traveler in the story. I enjoyed the flow of the story line and could relate well with the characters.

Any additional comments?

Disclaimer: "The Chimera Sequence" was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. On other reviews and descriptions of the book, you know it is a thriller based on a renegade virus. With all fiction, there is always an element of truth. In the last year, over 10,000 Africans contracted Ebola. Scary stuff. In 1918 over 50 million people worldwide died from the Spanish flu. We are currently being assaulted by antibiotic resistant bacteria. Will the next pandemic be from a natural source or from a genetic mutation in a lab? The Chimera Sequence explores one of these scenarios. The author has done an exceptional job in writing in such a way as to put the reader in the story. It is real, and it is scary believable. I became so engrossed in the story, I felt out of breath by the time I finished it. Neil Shah, the narrator, did an incredible job with his voice acting. His South African and Central African accents were spot on. How someone can perform a narration and switch between such diverse characters in such a seamless fashion is amazing. It is all about making the story real and believable to the reader. Now my interest is peaked to travel to the Virunga National Park in Rwanda and the Congo and check out the gorillas. If you like a good thriller, you will like "The Chimera Sequence".

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1 person found this helpful

A fantastic adventure!

Any additional comments?

I am a very visual person, so sitting down to read a book is sometimes hard for me to do. And this is why I have gotten into audiobooks. Elliot Garber does a wonderful job of creating an atmosphere, tone, and setting that was fantastic for picturing in my minds eye. It also helped that a large portion of the story took place in Northern Virginia, where I grew up. I used to commute on the Fairfax County Parkway, and even my original hometown, Leesburg Virginia, got a quick mention. I had no problem imagining the characters in these places. I am happy to be able to say that Elliot Garber didn't shy away from a few of the hot button issues in the world today, such as Joseph Kony, the LRA and child soldiers in parts of central Africa.
But honestly, I believe the real star of this audiobook is Neil Shah. This man is beyond amazing at what he does. He is able to perfectly emulate accents, from a twangy southern drawl, to African accents, middle eastern accents, he was even able to do female voices that didn't sound like a caricature or baby talk like I have so many other narrators do. There were even parts of the book when I was genuinely surprised that this wasn't a production done by multiple individuals.
Overall, I am extremely satisfied with this audiobook, and I would recommend it to anyone.

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1 person found this helpful

Typical edge of the seat action

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, especially the last 30%

Any additional comments?

3.75 stars.
*****Contains Spoilers******
I received a free copy from author/narrator/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker for anything that is a typical an edge of the seat action even with the most cliched plot. 60% of the book sort of leaves you surprised between the connection of the characters.

It begins with a disease being diagnosed in mountain gorillas and the research behind it so that it does not turn out into an outbreak of a pandemic like Ebola. Writing anything further than this would give away the plot.

It would have definitely gotten 4 stars but mentioning, With the woman he loves sick and close to death, Cole puts his own life on the line in a race against time to discover the truth behind the outbreak's origin--a truth that will link it to one of humanity's most ancient plagues and threaten the very heart of America. in the summary of the book, Marna's death didn't come to me as a surprise which didn't happen until the 40% of the book. Had this been not hinted, I was quite sure that Marna was the female protagonist and wouldn't die.

The last minute action from Haddad being forced into a terrorist attack and Cole running off from the hospital was certainly fun, I had to finish the last 30% of the book in one sitting.

I've never read a book set in a Africa and something so closely related to diseases and animals, so it was pretty good exposure for me to know how/what the scientists and doctors go through just to prevent any outbreak of disease. Also how much research and resources are invested upon such issues.

The narrator was quite good with the accents and ample of voices for each characters but as compared to other narrators I've heard, the voice wasn't soothing, I mean after about 20 mins, it felt like someone was yelling and I had to keep adjusting the volume, keep it either too low or too high.

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1 person found this helpful