A Conspiracy of Genes

Mark de Castrique
Bella Rosa Books (2008)
ISBN 9781933523354
Reviewed by Dylan James (age 13) for Reader Views (10/09)

In “A Conspiracy of Genes” by Mark de Castrique, 17-year-old Gene is bewildered by the strange events plaguing him.  At the hospital where he works, Jeanne’s (his crush) father is shot by a strange man.  Gunfire is exchanged and before the man dies, he tells Gene “You’re on the list. God’s chosen Gene.”  Treachery and danger follow Gene wherever he goes, and there is no one he can trust.  Gene desperately tries to figure out what the dying man’s sentence means while mysterious people block him at every turn.  Who are his friends, and who are his enemies?  Who will he turn to?

“A Conspiracy of Genes” is one of the weirder books I’ve read and readers need to be prepared for that.  It deals with serious emotions between the main character and several others.  Apprehension is a very large part of the book, and the whole thing is tense.  There is a very easy word to sum this book up with and that word is “thriller.”  There is constant action and many mysteries to uncover.  The end is surprising and interesting.  Readers below age 12 will most likely have difficulty understanding the situations the characters are in.  Boys and girls should like this equally. 

I noticed a few things that could be better about this book.  Sometimes the sentences do not make sense.  There are several different plots in the story, and I would have followed it better had there been only one or two.  For instance, although the interaction between the little girl, Karen, and the main character, Gene, seems to be a strong part of the story at the beginning, it becomes less and less important as the book goes on.  In the beginning, it seems like Gene’s emotions for Jeanne would be a big part of the book, but likewise, it becomes less and less important.  If Gene and Jeanne would have had continued emotions for each other throughout the story, it would have made more sense.  The “Eternals,” the immortal people, would also have made more sense to me if they would have had a specific power.  Only once throughout the whole book is some sort of special power mentioned, and that is when an old man suddenly runs as fast as a teenager.  With only immortality to aid them, it seems highly unlikely that they could survive so long when an enemy group is after them. 

The writing style, however, is really unique and interesting. The story is told in a matter of fact way, with Gene actually commenting every few chapters on what made him do the things he did.  This insight into Gene’s character makes the book all the more interesting. 

There are a few things that could be touched up, and small things that could add to the story, but nothing too striking. For people who enjoy thrillers and mysteries, “A Conspiracy of Genes” by Mark de Castrique is a good read.

Reviewed by Maggie Desmond-O'Brien (14)  for Reader Views (10/09)

Gene Adamson’s life is turned upside-down in the space of a few hours in this page-turning mystery: First, the father of his beautiful history project partner Jeanne is brutally shot and killed right in front of his eyes. If that wasn’t bad enough, now Jeanne is on the run, a wanted fugitive who just might hold the key to the conspiracy in her grasp. And then there’s also the small matter of the little girl in the hospital who will pay with her life if Gene doesn’t figure out who’s on his side.

And then there was the author’s annoying habit of trailing off…into ellipses…and even ending chapters with them…

While the presentation (cover, etc.) of this novel was great, de Castrique’s non-traditional grammatical style got on my nerves. A lot. And I could have done without the melodrama. Gene’s narrative voice is at best annoyingly nostalgic and at worst so grating that it gives you a headache, trying to keep the innumerable plot twists straight while sorting through the long, rambling passages about his regrets and failures. In my experience, the remorseful first person narrative only works when there’s actually something to feel remorseful about—and the author seems to only be using this point of view to ratchet up the suspense and readability instead of telling the story.

That said, it was immensely readable, and provided a measure of instant gratification and adrenaline that almost made up for the poor writing. And it is clear that de Castrique really feels for the children of the hospital that so much of the story centers around. I know I would have enjoyed it more if more of the story had been about them and less about Gene and Jeanne. And as one last count in its favor, the ending is truly inspired and very much unexpected. Despite everything that came before, I was actually left hanging, though I’m not certain if I would brave more ellipses and pointless buildup for the sequel.

I think the most serious problem with this book was its identity crisis—always toeing the line between hi-lo fiction and comic book style sci-fi without really bringing anything fresh or interesting to either of them. Reading this book was less of a “this is so bad” and more of a “why do I care?” And then the endless good-guy-bad-guy switcheroos—that kind of plot twist really only works once; or twice, if you’re Scott Westerfeld (and even it’s pushing the envelope). After that you just get too confused and too lost to pay attention to the story arc anymore—and de Castrique definitely switches sides more than once or twice.

In the end, I can’t say that reading “A Conspiracy of Genes” by Mark de Castrique was a waste of time, as it’s certainly a lot of fun and suspense; but I can’t say that it was time well spent, either. Perhaps fans of hi-lo mystery genre would enjoy it more, but I didn’t.

Make comment on weblog