The story revolves around the relationship between technological and scientific advancements and humanity and moral values. The conflict put forth by the author, fictional and futuristic though it might seem, is deeply rooted in the constant clash between advancements in the sciences (and most specifically biology) and the moral standards of most first-world countries.
It follows an old couple who undergo an obscure and para-legal procedure to enhance their body (the upgrade cell project). This experiment goes sour and the result is that two new creatures are created with the same memories as the originals but with different and more capable bodies while they are left weaker and less rejuvenated than when they first appeared. Because they have to remain close to each other to avoid mental problems, conflict ensues as the original and the clone can’t both survive in the long run.
The rest of the cast also follows the atypical trend set by the main protagonists, with them being more diverse (both age and body wise) than the average character. For example, there was a woman with craniopagus parasiticus (an extremely rare disease where one person is born with two heads that are attached to each other) as well as various middle-aged characters.
Ezra Clayton Miller’s art was also unlike anything I’ve ever seen, with very warm palette and scratchy pencils, although greens were predominant in the later parts of the story. What I most appreciated about it was how it was not perfectionist (with every character being a model) and retained a very realistic feel without being overly detailed. His portrayal of violence was also very interesting, focusing more on the pain and the damage than the action or the spectacle.
All in all, while I liked the premise and the art grew on me, I wasn’t a fan of the ending or the way things progressed but I would still recommend this novel to those who are interested in the cience vs morality conflict or are looking for something different within the medium.
Spoiler Commentary:
While I enjoy the premise of the clone versus original that the author put forth, I would have rather explored the ubermensch approach of the project going right. Moreover, while the very selfish nature of the characters (except maybe Manuela) was very realistic, the fact that Hank was so different than Henry (at least from the outside) was quite jarring. That aside, I did liked how the story progressed and how it culminated in violence derived from survivalist tendencies, though the final act felt a bit rushed and didn’t get as much attention as I otherwise would have liked.
An aspect I wasn’t so keen on was the backstories and side plots of the secondary characters (like Kenton and his assistants or the Slane novels Henry wanted to make into a movie). These, while not bad in any way, distracted from the main story and the focus of the story; the conflict between science and morality.
The conclusion; with Molly and Henry ending worse than they started due to their “greed for youth” and the way in which the clones progressed as characters felt like a criticism of scientific progress and the defense of morality above improvement. This was further exemplified in the death of Henry’s brother without any agency and as a collateral to the actions of other, strongly putting forth the idea that the experiment meant to improve their lives has caused harm to those close to them and being very judgmental on their decision.
Overall, I did appreciate the story; though I would have liked it to be a bit longer and better develop the final act. That said, some of its elements (especially towards the end) did feel a bit preachy and the final resolution came out as a bit too little.
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