BOOK REVIEW: KILLER T by Robert Muchamore

BOOK REVIEW: KILLER T by Robert Muchamore

Bonnier
August 2018
Paperback, $19.99
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

Speculative scientific thriller

7/10

 

Robert Muchamore’s futuristic thriller Killer T has a love story at its heart, one that spans ten years and ample tragedy. Along the way he deftly raises serious practical and philosophical questions about genetic modification of humans, and shows us that once we start playing god, the most likely outcome is the destruction of our race.

Harry and Charlie are not-so-normal schoolkids. Harry is recently emigrated from England and creates himself a lucrative job reporting on local Vegas events for an online site, starting with a murder at their school.

Wrong side of the tracks science prodigy Charlie is framed for the killing by her trailer trash sister, and finds it far easier to accept the jail time than fight a losing battle. Whilst inside Harry falls for her, and longs for a romance upon her release, but alas she is blind to his shy affections and their reunion turns sour quickly.

In Charlie’s absence gene editing has become a thing – anyone with basic equipment can change a human’s DNA to be more resistant to diseases, bulk up their muscle or top up their natural tan. It’s also allowed terrorists to release a virus – the titular Killer T – which wipes out a large chunk of the population.

Once released Charlie proves herself adept at gene editing, and as we jump forward in time a few times, Muchamore’s greatest triumph is to show us a potential societal Armageddon which could occur should this sort of thing be allowed to start in the real world.

Killer T is a very cleverly designed story told pretty well, but the time jumping tools employed make it a slightly stop-start read, and Muchamore takes a long time to set up his protagonists before the real story kicks in. Killer T is pitched at a late teen to twenties market, but of appeal to anyone interested in speculative scientific fiction.

Category: Book Reviews