Germline

My rating: 5 of 5 stars (Listen to T.C. on the SF Signal Podcast)

You don't give a book five stars for having a flawless story, you give a book five stars because at the end you want to scream, "This book is awesome!" The book should change you through living in the main character's skin. You pick the book up each time with the same familiarity as if you were sitting down for coffee with your best friend and they are going to tell you a story. You finish the book feeling like you are saying goodbye to a dear friend.I've done this before, having lived in Australia and South Korea for six months each, and I remember the emotional turmoil of being plucked from a place I could have called home, and did, but for the rest of my life. Reading this book was like experiencing one of those times in your life you know you'll never forget, and putting it down finished is like saying goodbye. I'm in the airport back home now, glad to see my family, but still reliving the adventure of this book, and looking forward to finding another adventure to affect me like this one has. T.C. McCarthy has a new fan, and I can't wait to read more of his work.

In short, Germline is a masterpiece and I feel blessed to have had the chance to read it. It didn't win the Compton Crook Award for nothing.

I won't give you anything about plot or character arcs because I don't want to reveal a single aspect of this journey. The main character, Oscar Wendell, is a reporter who goes to the front line to become famous. His journey, likely similar to what it would be like in this atmosphere, is unpredictable and intense. That is exactly how I'd describe the journey of reading this book, because you feel as if you're experiencing it with Oscar.

This morning I finished editing my podcast interview with T.C. McCarthy, which I've submitted to a more popular podcast in hopes of getting him a larger audience. I'll write up a post when that podcast is available. The third book in his Subterrene War trilogy, Chimera, is on a "strict on sale" for July 31, which means if you want to buy it from a bookstore, you should put your preorder in now because it could be sold out when it is released on the 31st (next Tuesday). I'm posting this today because if you haven't read this series, I recommend you go pick up Germline and clear your weekend schedule. (Or it will clear it for you; either way, you'll have a blast.)

I reviewed T.C. McCarthy's excellent short story, "Sunshine," which is set in the Subterrene War universe, but a few hundred years in the future. It's a great teaser to his work, but really, just dive right into Germline.