work was much slower than expected yesterday and today and so i had a lot more time to read than i thought i would - still, i flew through this book. it was fun, interesting, and while not great literature, much better than i expected. i liked the science, most of which was simply explained and actually plausible (except, i think, for the rapid evolution of the bonobos, which, even with the chromosomal help, seemed a bit too speeded up). i like that robin cook seems to be one of the only thriller writers that i've read (and i haven't read that many, i suppose) who is completely able to write his books with no sexism, with no gender stereotyping of his characters, with strong, leading, flawed women and equally strong, flawed, and non threatened men. also i really like that what he does with the medical and science stuff is generally make it a moral or ethical issue, wrapped up in the thriller. i last read two of his books probably 15 or 20 years ago (the year of the intern and coma and remember liking them, remember strong women, remember them factoring into my decision (or backing up my decision, i can't remember which) not to go to medical school, but remember thinking they were pretty strong books. in spite of a couple of cheesy parts in this book, and the overuse of the word "quipped," i would be quite happy to read him again.
