A review by firefly99
Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear

4.0

For me two things stood out about this book. The first was the amazing science. I'm not a geneticist, but I know enough about it to say that for the most part it was pretty accurate. I always appreciate super believable science in my near-future sci-fi. The second part I liked was the social commentary. Good sci-fi is not just about the science, but also about how the science affects us and changes the way we view the world. I think Darwin's Radio, because it centered on the story of a select few, did not delve into the social aspects as much as it could, but it did raise interesting points. Would the human race essentially let itself die out because it's afraid of change? Would corporate CEO's let us die out to make a buck? Would the government really hide so much important information just to prevent what they perceive as widespread panic and protect their own careers? Don't answer the last one.

I do realize that because the author was heavy-handed with the science that most people won't read this, or make it past the first few chapters. I think that's a shame, because the underlying commentary is so interesting.