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speiss_autarr's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
aoc's review against another edition
3.0
I was not at all surprised to find out Hideaki Sena was, in fact, in the medical field because Parasite Eve really is something only someone in the know could write during the '90s when matters of DNA and science in general were left to creative speculations. Adding to that I would say it takes a Japanese writer to come up with the kind of crazy story we have here, though.
Even as we jump from multiple PoVs as the story unfolds our protagonist is firmly established as one as one doctor Toshiaki Nagishima, a biological science researcher spending too much time at work when he should be spending it with his lovely wife Kiyomi. Or rather he should had Kiyomi not just been in a fatal car accident and as it happens she signed up to be a donor upon death. In the middle of a controversy surrounding whether Japan looked at "brain dead" as truly DEAD dead back in the day we have Toshiaki's agenda to have her liver removed and preserved during the process that would extract his wife's kidneys so they can potentially help other people. For what reason? Well, he kinda loses it and decides to use Kiyomi's liver in experiments so he doesn't have to let go. In something I won't spoil these two organs have a role to play in a story too grand in scale to really be contained in a story like this, almost a footnote in what's at hand that have carefully guided everything from people to events to reach this specific outcome.
If there's one thing I got out of Parasite Eve it was the included refresher on biology; idea of mitochondria and organ transplants in particular get extensive coverage as they are vital to the story and multiple characters' professions. Like I mentioned in the opening the author really brings his A-game and goes all-in. Thankfully, there's a glossary provided at the end in case paragraphs' worth explanations and summaries fail to get the point across... which, shockingly enough, I had no issues with. Considering only cursory familiarity with these topics I required no double takes to understand what was being told. This is probably the most worthwhile achievement of the novel all things considered.
This is definitely a kind of story where your doctors/teaching assistants discuss matters at hand rather than go in guns blazing. Even in the finale they only dip their toes in action hero territory. Would I have preferred if these highly professional characters had more humanity to them? Sure, but that could just be different expectations speaking. That's not to say there's no pain over losing your wife or having your daughter be in danger, but don't expect cheap character theatrics to drive the plot here. After all, these are Japanese men from the '90s. Doctors, to boot.
Even as we jump from multiple PoVs as the story unfolds our protagonist is firmly established as one as one doctor Toshiaki Nagishima, a biological science researcher spending too much time at work when he should be spending it with his lovely wife Kiyomi. Or rather he should had Kiyomi not just been in a fatal car accident and as it happens she signed up to be a donor upon death. In the middle of a controversy surrounding whether Japan looked at "brain dead" as truly DEAD dead back in the day we have Toshiaki's agenda to have her liver removed and preserved during the process that would extract his wife's kidneys so they can potentially help other people. For what reason? Well, he kinda loses it and decides to use Kiyomi's liver in experiments so he doesn't have to let go. In something I won't spoil these two organs have a role to play in a story too grand in scale to really be contained in a story like this, almost a footnote in what's at hand that have carefully guided everything from people to events to reach this specific outcome.
If there's one thing I got out of Parasite Eve it was the included refresher on biology; idea of mitochondria and organ transplants in particular get extensive coverage as they are vital to the story and multiple characters' professions. Like I mentioned in the opening the author really brings his A-game and goes all-in. Thankfully, there's a glossary provided at the end in case paragraphs' worth explanations and summaries fail to get the point across... which, shockingly enough, I had no issues with. Considering only cursory familiarity with these topics I required no double takes to understand what was being told. This is probably the most worthwhile achievement of the novel all things considered.
This is definitely a kind of story where your doctors/teaching assistants discuss matters at hand rather than go in guns blazing. Even in the finale they only dip their toes in action hero territory. Would I have preferred if these highly professional characters had more humanity to them? Sure, but that could just be different expectations speaking. That's not to say there's no pain over losing your wife or having your daughter be in danger, but don't expect cheap character theatrics to drive the plot here. After all, these are Japanese men from the '90s. Doctors, to boot.
lit_lady's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
with_the_ranks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
pilarsangga's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It'e everything that you want to look for in japanese horror
lolinyakitty's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.75
alaskazed's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jinny89's review against another edition
4.0
I became interested in this book because I had heard of the video game of the same name. I never played the video game but I had a general idea of what it was about. For those of you who, like me, have also heard of the video game, I’ll just tell you now that the game is based off of the book, but the plots are very, very different. As different as they are, the book is pretty good, in my opinion.
In Parasite Eve, a woman named Kiyomi dies in an automobile accident. Her husband, a mitochondria researcher, is absolutely devastated by this and in his grief, convinces his surgeon friend to remove Kiyomi’s liver and give it to him, which he then takes to study in his lab. Meanwhile, Kiyomi’s kidneys are donated to a fourteen year old girl in dire need of them. Unbeknownst to everyone, Kiyomi’s mitochondria have their own consciousness, dubbed Eve. Eve has been waiting millenia for the perfect opportunity to take over her host and give birth to the ultimate being.
The plot right there sounds like one of the most interesting and unique things I’ve read in a long time. Having finished the book now, I definitely found it very fun to read although there were some parts where I thought, “Well, that’s a little ridiculous, isn’t it?” Still, it’s very, very good!
When I first began reading this book, I found the first half rather slow-moving. It wasn’t exactly boring — I was obviously intrigued enough to continue — but because it was so “mysterious” in the beginning, I didn’t really understand where the plot was going. Not to mention there is a lot of technical jargon in the book to explain mitochondria and ATP energy and whatnot, so at times it feels like you’re reading a science textbook of some sort. I think having a basic understanding of high school biology is crucial to understanding this book. Without it, the book probably won’t be as enjoyable.
The second half of the book picks up since it becomes more clear how some of the characters are connected, and just who Eve is and what her purpose is. My interest levels definitely perked up much higher reading the second half and I found I couldn’t quite put it down. I don’t normally read horror novels of any kind, but I think Parasite Eve is really enjoyable even for people like me who aren’t huge horror fans. The story isn’t really scary or anything, and it doesn’t try to gross me out — but it is pretty good at successfully creeping me out! Especially the parts where Eve’s consciousness is revealed to the characters and they start flipping out over what is happening. The characters aren’t particularly sharply drawn or anything, they were a bit plain, if that makes any sense, but I think they were all easy to be sympathetic for. I definitely rooted for them to ‘win’.
It was slow to start, but by the end, it was clear to me that Parasite Eve is a wholly unique book and was a great read, although do be warned that it can get into very technical spiels about mitochondria at times. Without some understanding of cell biology, the reader may get completely lost at those parts. Still, the story is very memorable and I definitely recommend it to any whose interest is perked.
Review originally posted at http://skyink.net.
In Parasite Eve, a woman named Kiyomi dies in an automobile accident. Her husband, a mitochondria researcher, is absolutely devastated by this and in his grief, convinces his surgeon friend to remove Kiyomi’s liver and give it to him, which he then takes to study in his lab. Meanwhile, Kiyomi’s kidneys are donated to a fourteen year old girl in dire need of them. Unbeknownst to everyone, Kiyomi’s mitochondria have their own consciousness, dubbed Eve. Eve has been waiting millenia for the perfect opportunity to take over her host and give birth to the ultimate being.
The plot right there sounds like one of the most interesting and unique things I’ve read in a long time. Having finished the book now, I definitely found it very fun to read although there were some parts where I thought, “Well, that’s a little ridiculous, isn’t it?” Still, it’s very, very good!
When I first began reading this book, I found the first half rather slow-moving. It wasn’t exactly boring — I was obviously intrigued enough to continue — but because it was so “mysterious” in the beginning, I didn’t really understand where the plot was going. Not to mention there is a lot of technical jargon in the book to explain mitochondria and ATP energy and whatnot, so at times it feels like you’re reading a science textbook of some sort. I think having a basic understanding of high school biology is crucial to understanding this book. Without it, the book probably won’t be as enjoyable.
The second half of the book picks up since it becomes more clear how some of the characters are connected, and just who Eve is and what her purpose is. My interest levels definitely perked up much higher reading the second half and I found I couldn’t quite put it down. I don’t normally read horror novels of any kind, but I think Parasite Eve is really enjoyable even for people like me who aren’t huge horror fans. The story isn’t really scary or anything, and it doesn’t try to gross me out — but it is pretty good at successfully creeping me out! Especially the parts where Eve’s consciousness is revealed to the characters and they start flipping out over what is happening. The characters aren’t particularly sharply drawn or anything, they were a bit plain, if that makes any sense, but I think they were all easy to be sympathetic for. I definitely rooted for them to ‘win’.
It was slow to start, but by the end, it was clear to me that Parasite Eve is a wholly unique book and was a great read, although do be warned that it can get into very technical spiels about mitochondria at times. Without some understanding of cell biology, the reader may get completely lost at those parts. Still, the story is very memorable and I definitely recommend it to any whose interest is perked.
Review originally posted at http://skyink.net.
strelitzia's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0