The Ten Commandments written in the genetic code?
The God Gene is as much social satire as it is thriller. It takes
direct aim at the social, religious, and political institutions of our
day in a story that opens with a startling scientific discovery.
At Chicago's prestigious Clearbrook Institute, cancer researcher
Rosalind Evans is heading a project to find a cure for leukemia. As
she is studying the genetic code at the center of the second
chromosome, she finds written there the text of The Ten Commandments.
She is sure her project has been hacked, but her boss thinks that
she's to blame. An investigation ensues, and with millions in research
dollars at stake, time and discretion are of the essence.
Unfortunately, discretion has no meaning for Mick Morrison, a computer
tech who happened to be in the room when Rosalind's discovery was
made. That very night he leaks the story to The Starry Messenger, the
most popular blogger on the planet. As will happen on the Internet,
the story goes viral. The next morning the world wakes up to the news
that there is a message from God in their DNA.
Public reaction is firey and all over the map: Some think it is a
miracle, others think it is a hoax. There are loud denunciations,
hastily-called prayer vigils, and marchers in the streets. With the
media fanning the flames, within 48 hours the God Gene is the top
story around the world. Evangelicals rejoice while the Church of Rome
calls Evans a blasphemer. Politicians scramble to take a stand, unsure
whether to claim or disassociate from the God Gene, but absolutely
sure they can't ignore it.
A bereaved non-believer who has been toiling in obscurity to find a
cure for the disease that took her daughter's life, Rosalind Evans now
finds that a lab error is the least of her problems; she is now the
scapegoat in a massive public controversy over the meaning and
veracity of the God Gene. She is portrayed on every front page and
television screen as the woman who is claiming the greatest discovery
of all time: scientific proof of the existence of God.
The God Gene is the story of Rosalind Evans's struggle against the
most powerful institutions on Earth to regain her scientific
integrity, her freedom and ultimately, her life. In a world mired in
moral ambiguity and confusion, she encounters a cast of characters
that includes the anonymous, God-like Starry Messenger, an
unscrupulous TV reporter known as The Shovel, an ecstatic
televangelist, the congregation of a futuristic church-spa, and a
circle of conspirators from the Vatican to Washington who are
determined to bring criminal charges against her.
"The God Gene is a fast-paced, darkly humorous commentary on American
politics, business, and media. Simmon's novel is cleverly-crafted;
part weird science, part social satire, and totally entertaining." -
Gary W. Moore, author of Playing With the Enemy and Hey Buddy.
"I would highly recommend The God Gene. Fully developed characters.
Interesting plot line. Very relevant to our times and its spiritual
and moral ambiguity." - Jack Hatfield, Chairman of the Board, Chicago
Area Great Books Council
"The humor here runs the gamut from laugh-out-loud to dark." - The Daily Journal