The Seventh Son: From the Between the Covers TV Book Club
£10.40
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘A genuinely thought-provoking piece of fiction’ THE TIMES
‘Extraordinary’ WILLIAM BOYD
‘Profoundly moving . . . a wonderful and life-affirming love story’ JAMES HOLLAND
‘His greatest novel yet’ ANTONY BEEVOR
‘Original and enthralling’ PETER JAMES
‘A beautifully written novel. On the one hand you have love, kindness, responsibility; on the other monstrous arrogance and indifference to consequences’ SCOTSMAN
A CHILD WILL BE BORN WHO WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING
When a young American academic Talissa Adam offers to carry another woman’s child, she has no idea of the life-changing consequences.
Behind the doors of the Parn Institute, a billionaire entrepreneur plans to stretch the boundaries of ethics as never before. Through a series of IVF treatments, which they hope to keep secret, they propose an experiment that will upend the human race as we know it.
Seth, the baby, is delivered to hopeful parents Mary and Alaric, but when his differences start to mark him out from his peers, he begins to attract unwanted attention.
The Seventh Son is a spectacular examination of what it is to be human. It asks the question: just because you can do something, does it mean you should? Sweeping between New York, London, and the Scottish Highlands, this is an extraordinary novel about unrequited love and unearned power.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Penguin (7 Sept. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 4193 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 353 pages |
by Ralph Blumenau
The book is awash with genomic science, whose technicalities are largely beyond me and probably beyond the great majority of its readers. That is not the book’s only problem: there are aspects of the story – “the Vector Group” and a car that talks, to name just two among quite a few others which are never properly explained. Hence my low rating of the book.
Talissa Adam was offered a post-doctoral research project in genomics by an Institute in Boston which specialized in the distant human past; but she would have to fund the first year herself. She did not have the money for this, so she responded when she read that the Parn Institute in London wanted to find out why IVF success rate was so low. Was there a genetic reason for this? Talissa offered to be a surrogate mother for which she was paid.
Alaric Pederson’s wife Mary had had uterine cancer and had had her womb removed, and he was about to donate his sperm for his first child. His sperm was implanted in Talissa, and in due course, in 2031, Talissa gave birth to a boy whom she handed over to Alaric and Mary. They called him Seth.
(There is a mythology that Adam had four sons by his first wife, Lilith, then three sons – Cain, Able and Seth by his second wife Eve, so Seth was his seventh son.)
The trouble was that Lukas Parn, the head of the Parn Institute, was interested in hybrids, and had arranged for a switch of sperms to produce a hybrid child. The switched sperm was that of a Neanderthal. (There is no explanation how the Neanderthal sperm was obtained). DNA analysis later showed that Seth was 51.5% Neanderthal and only 43.5% homo sapiens. This made him slightly, but not strikingly, different from other humans; he was no freak. Despite attempts to keep his condition secret, the news leaked out, so that everyone, Seth included, became aware of it. Lukas Parn and his associates were put on trial and found guilty of having deliberately switched the sperms. There was intense and intrusive interest in Seth by the press and by the Vector group, which he vainly tried to escape so that he could live a normal life. Finally, in his mid-twenties, he made the decision which ends the book.
by Rui
The Seventh Son by Sebastian Faulks is a literary gem that left me captivated and deeply moved. The latter half of the novel is an emotional rollercoaster, culminating in a tragic ending that felt not just inevitable but also profoundly poignant. It evoked memories of the 52-hertz whale, the last of its kind, a symbol of solitude, emitting calls that no other whale could comprehend. In the end, it died alone.
One of the novel’s standout features is its thought-provoking exploration of future green and sustainable technologies. It raises vital questions about the dual nature of technology, as a double-edged sword whose impact on humanity depends on how it is wielded. Additionally, the portrayal of some ludicrous future policy scenarios serves as a stark reminder of the need for rational governance in a rapidly changing world.
His writing is a delightful blend of humor and vivid imagery. Lines like “The birds fly upside down so they don’t have to look” had me laughing out loud, showcasing the author’s wit and skill in crafting memorable moments.
Moreover, The Seventh Son seamlessly integrates anthropological themes into its narrative, making it a must-read for enthusiasts of the field. The novel serves as a testament to the power of storytelling, not only to entertain but also to provoke contemplation about our future and the choices we make.
The Seventh Son is an enthralling and thought-provoking masterpiece that masterfully combines emotion, humor, and futuristic exploration. It’s a book that lingers in your thoughts long after you’ve turned the final page, reminding us of the enduring impact of storytelling.
by Justin O’Connell
Another wonderful book by Sebastian Faulks, who has written some of my favourite novels of all time, including the very well-known Birdsong and Charlotte Gray but also the extraordinary Human Traces and Where My Heart Used to Beat which has uncanny personal resonance for me. This novel is right up there among the greats. There is a heavy scientific content but characters are still well developed, not least the protagonist Talissa and the Neanderthal child she bears by surrogate, Seth. Of particular interest are the references to what life might be like in the middle of the 21st century: personal restrictions on long-haul flying, a points-based system to level up an individual’s disadvantage in society, self-driving (and talking) cars the norm, a train commute from Boston to New York’s “Obama airport” at 550mph in some kind of pod where the weight is balanced out among passengers. All fascinating. A curious twist at the end of the novel on what is presumably Shetland or the Orkneys. I agree with some reviews here which suggest the ending could have been better developed, but still worth every penny.
by Cl Warburton
I really loved this book which I read as a result of seeing it reviewed on BBC 1 – Between the Covers with Sara Cox.
It sets a real moral concern …just because science has found a way to undertake something unthinkable, doesn’t mean it should happen!! It is really fascinating to see the plot unfold and all the developments predicted over the next few years. The let down is the end ..so much potential to develop the story further and perhaps to a second book. It is almost as if the author got fed up and looked for a way to end the book quickly!!
Having said that, please do read this book…4/5th of are great and very interesting…