Sunday, May 24, 2009

Invasive Procedures (book)

After reading Empire, I was hesitant to read another OSC card so soon. But I'm glad I did. I actually "read" this one in the form of an unabridged audio book. I'm putting that out there but I must acknowledge the possibility that I enjoyed this book so much simply because the reader was excellent (I've noticed that some audio book readers are better than others and enjoyment of the book can, unfortunately, be solely based upon that).

Invasive Procedures took place on our real, present, everyday world, but touched upon unlikely (science fiction) ideas. This is right up my alley. Any of you that know my taste in fiction, know that I really want to be able to believe that what I'm reading (or watching) could, on some level, actually happen. This novel did not take place in a distant future or in an alternate reality. The main character was just as mystified by the fantastical events taking place as you or I would be had we actually experienced what he did in real life. I really like that in story telling.

This novel dealt with advanced medicine, a crazy doctor wanting to change the world, and bio-chemical warfare. Very cool stuff.

I can't say that the story itself was extremely original, but it was mostly original.

Also, I did find a few times in which OSC would leave the reader hanging, as if he didn't want us to know the answer to some of his riddles, but to me they were obvious. Then, when the actual riddle is revealed (hypothetical example: THIS is what he was REALLY doing with the vaccine!!!!), I was like... DUH! Wasn't that obvious?

I've been realizing this more and more lately as I read fiction. I wonder if it's because I'm a writer as well. I can sometimes see right through the writer's plot devices.

Another plus for Invasive Procedures was that it grabbed me from the beginning. That's always a good thing.

My Rating: 4/5
My Recommendation: If you want a good relaxing read, pick it up. Relax out in a hammock under a palm tree. You'll enjoy it.