The Immortality Factor

“Bova gets better and better, combining plausible science with increasingly complex fiction.” —Los Angeles Daily News

“Led by the bass tones of Paul Boehmer, the production includes emotional performances from all the members of the cast. The result is lifelike drama that fully engages listeners in the debate.” —AudioFile

“Bova’s cautionary medical thriller, the uncut version of his 1996 novel Brothers, explores the political, social, and religious ramifications of what could be humankind’s greatest medical breakthrough—organ regeneration.” —Publishers Weekly

“[This] novel engages both mind and emotion…Bova masterfully presents the subtleties of all sides of both personal and scientific issues in a movie-like presentation of court testimony interspersed with chapters of backstory. Guaranteed riveting reading.” —Booklist

Given Bova’s extensive catalog of science fiction and nonfiction, there are perhaps few better qualified to address the complex issues surrounding today’s controversial scientific breakthroughs. Toss the convoluted relationship of two brothers into a mix of cutting-edge science versus medicine for the masses, and his new novel engages both mind and emotion. Brilliant corporate researcher Arthur Marshak is on the cusp of an earth-shattering discovery that will cause the regeneration of damaged or severed tissue—organs and even limbs—so that amputees and people with cervical injuries, heart attacks, and strokes may fully recover without surgery. Jesse, Arthur’s younger, humanitarian physician brother, opposes Arthur’s breakthrough, however, because its hefty price tag will preclude using it to treat the poor. When Arthur’s project is evaluated in a “scientific court,” it draws national attention, thanks to an opportunistic evangelist, and pits brother against brother and science against religious ideology. Bova masterfully presents the subtleties of all sides of both personal and scientific issues in a movie-like presentation of court testimony interspersed with chapters of backstory. Guaranteed riveting reading. —Booklist