HUGEOrange Publication Review
Restoration
by Daniel C. McWhorter
I read a lot of books. A lot. Very few make me rave. Restoration by Daniel C. McWhorter does and makes me feel like grabbing people and shoving it into their hand. I felt invested in the plight of Evan Feldman, a likable, intelligent man who had a vision long ago of a world without hunger, war or disease. There’s a unique plot, action scenes so good they stay with you, and twists that I guarantee you won’t see coming.
The year is 2075 and Dr. Evan Feldman, who died in 2023, has been restored into a new body from cryogenic suspension. He’ll have a lot of adjusting to do, including learning all the events, innovations and crises of the last fifty years through videos, as well as getting used to his new, youthful body and face. To his astonishment, man has established permanent colonies on the Moon “Luna” and Mars because conditions on Earth have deteriorated to the detriment of health and growth. People are getting sick and food sources are not steady.
The ethics of restoring the dead are no longer deemed acceptable as the original purpose of helping mankind has not stayed on point. When he founded Telogene Life Sciences, his dream was to make mankind better and save people from life-changing illness and permanent death. Now, he’ll get the chance to see if he came close to achieving that. He finds his granddaughter, Aubrey, a toddler when he died, is now a grown woman and runs Telogene, today, a multi-trillion-dollar company.
To his sorrow, he learns his wife, Christina, was not successfully restored and his daughter, Lily, died a year before his restoration. Evan has some problems adjusting to everything, both psychologically and physically, but everyone expects he’ll overcome everything after a short time of adjustment. But, they have a bigger problem.
The world government, the Global Federation of Nations (GFN), condemned full body replacements 30 years ago, so bringing back Evan was illegal. If discovered, Aubrey and Telogene, and all those who work for it are finished. The GFN would make an example out of the top scientists and staff and hard labor for their enhanced lifespans would be just part of the punishment.
When the GFN discovers a full body replacement has occurred, Evan and family must make a run for it to Mars, the only place GFN has no legal power. They say that getting there is half the fun, but not for Evan and crew. While Evan is trying to come to terms with being brought back from the dead and getting his head around all the new technology and world, a desperate flight from Earth to Mars takes place. GFN is not going to let them go easily and people’s reputations are on the line there to get them back.
This book was one I read until I had to stop for something silly like work or food. Every chance I got to pick it up, even for only 5 to 10 minutes, I took. The story is unique and written beautifully. The technology that would be used is believable and I had some aha moments thinking how logical some of it is (why don’t we have injectable nanites that fix health problems, and clothing that monitors and regulates body functions and temperatures? I want those!).
The action is addicting with its novel weapons and unexpected turns. The descriptions of space travel are so well described you feel you are there. There is an AI personality that raises more questions about life and ethics and that feels like a book in the making to me (hint, hint to the author). The characters, both government, and Telogene, are believable and mostly likable. I felt I had been on a wild ride when this book ended and hope there’s going to be a sequel from this author. Even if you’re an on the fence action/thriller/sci-fi fan, buy it, you won’t be sorry.
