How could you say no to a book that claims to be “Michael Crichton meets The Time Traveler’s Wife”? I mean a book that is a “powerful debut novel in which a man, frozen in the Arctic ice for more than a century, awakens in the present day” sounds so amazing that I just had to read it. Find out what I thought about this book below!
The Curiosity
Title: The Curiosity
Author: Stephen P. Kiernan
Publisher: William Morrow
Format: Hardcover, 448 pages
Source: Received from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review
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Synopsis
From Goodreads
Michael Crichton meets The Time Traveler’s Wife in this powerful debut novel in which a man, frozen in the Arctic ice for more than a century, awakens in the present day.
Dr. Kate Philo and her scientific exploration team make a breathtaking discovery in the Arctic: the body of a man buried deep in the ice. As a scientist in a groundbreaking project run by the egocentric and paranoid Erastus Carthage, Kate has brought small creatures-plankton, krill, shrimp-“back to life.” Never have the team’s methods been attempted on a large life form.
Heedless of the consequences, Carthage orders that the frozen man be brought back to the lab in Boston, and reanimated. As the man begins to regain his memories, the team learns that he was-is-a judge, Jeremiah Rice, and the last thing he remembers is falling overboard into the Arctic Ocean in 1906. When news of the Lazarus Project and Jeremiah Rice breaks, it ignites a media firestorm and massive protests by religious fundamentalists.
Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, Kate and Jeremiah grow closer. But the clock is ticking and Jeremiah’s new life is slipping away. With Carthage planning to exploit Jeremiah while he can, Kate must decide how far she is willing to go to protect the man she has come to love.
A gripping, poignant, and thoroughly original thriller, Stephen Kiernan’s provocative debut novel raises disturbing questions about the very nature of life and humanity-man as a scientific subject, as a tabloid plaything, as a living being: A curiosity.
About the Author
From Goodreads
Stephen Kiernan’s first novel, THE CURIOSITY, will be out from William Morrow on July 9.
Stephen’s journalism work has won over 40 awards. His first book, LAST RIGHTS, was an expose on the inferior medical care most people receive in the last chapter of their lives, with many suggestions for ways of providing more humane and less painful care. His second book, the Silver Nautilus Award-winning AUTHENTIC PATRIOTISM, describes the potential for national renewal through nonpartisan civic engagement and volunteerism.
THE CURIOSITY is being published in numerous other nations, and 20th Century Fox has purchased the film rights.
He lives in Vermont with his two amazing sons.
Contact Stephen: Website and Facebook
My Review
I had really high expectations for this book, but not because this is a favourite author (this is his first novel after all), but because I loved The Time Traveller’s Wife and have heard amazing things about Michael Crichton… plus how can you not have high expectations with a cover like the one above?! This book didn’t quite live up to my high expectations, but it definitely came close.
I really enjoyed the characters Stephen created- they were interesting and the entire novel was well written. Jeremiah was a really fun character to get to know, and Kate is a good character as well. I liked the fact that each chapter is written from a different characters perspective. As I’ve said in previous posts, I always love when author’s do this because it gives you a better understanding of the entire story as a whole- you can see what Kate is thinking and feeling but you can also get a sense of what Jeremiah is thinking and feeling.
The fact that this book was a thriller and a love story combined into one made it the perfect novel. It’s a great book for book clubs- it has a lot of discussion points and is a great combo of suspense and love. The book makes you question where the boundaries of science are and whether people should be able to “play” God.
I have to say that Stephen P. Kiernan is a very talented writer and I look forward to reading other books of his in the future!
My Rating
4 out of 5 Hippos
Thank you to
Book Loving Hippo 
I’m always looking for good book club picks, so I’m glad you mentioned this! Thanks for being on the tour!
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