Seizure (Cook novel)

Seizure
Author Robin Cook
Cover artist Digital Vision
Country United States
Language English
Genre Novel
Publisher G. P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date
 2003
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 550 pp
ISBN 0-330-48306-4
OCLC 56756677
Preceded by Shock
Followed by Marker

Seizure is a 2003 novel by American author Robin Cook which explores the concerns raised by advances in therapeutic cloning.[1][2][3] It debuted at Number 6 on The New York Times Best Seller list on August 3, 2003.[4][5] It remained on the best seller list for three weeks.[6] In November 2004 it appeared on the paperback best seller list.[7]

Senator Ashley Butler is a quintessential Southern demagogue whose support of traditional American values includes a knee-jerk reaction against virtually all biotechnologies. When he's called to chair a subcommittee introducing legislation to ban new cloning technology, the senator views his political future in bold relief; and Dr. Daniel Lowell, inventor of the technique that will take stem cell research to the next level, sees a roadblock positioned before his biotech startup.

The two seemingly opposite personalities clash during the senate hearings, but the men have a common desire. Butler's hunger for political power far outstrips his concern for the unborn; and Lowell's pursuit of gargantuan personal wealth and celebrity overrides any considerations for patients' well-being. Further complicating the proceedings is the confidential news that Senator Butler has developed Parkinson's disease, leading the senator and the researcher into a Faustian pact. In a perilous attempt to prematurely harness Lowell's new technology, the therapy leaves the senator with the horrifying effects of temporal lobe epilepsy—seizures of the most bizarre order.

Characters

  • Dr. Daniel Lowell: Scientist inventor of the HTSR and main character
  • Dr. Stephanie D'agonstini: Scientist and Daniel's partner
  • Senator Ashley Butler: Quintessential Southern demagogue politician that is afraid of the impact that his disease(Parkinson) may do with his career.
  • Carol Menning: Butler's assistant that follows him during his travel.

References

  1. ↑ Harris, Michael. , Los Angeles Times, July 13, 2003
  2. ↑ Thomas, Mike. Author writes Rx for public policy, Chicago Sun-Times, July 29, 2003
  3. ↑ Noonan, Erica. COOK'S LATEST MEDICAL THRILLER IS FLAWED BUT FUN, The Boston Globe, August 20, 2003
  4. ↑ BEST SELLERS: August 3, 2003, The New York Times (debut on best seller list at no. 6 on August 3, 2003)
  5. ↑ Politics, science show dark sides in new thriller, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 1, 2003
  6. ↑ BEST SELLERS: August 17, 2003, The New York Times, August 17, 2003 (listed at No. 14, dropped from No. 13 the prior week)
  7. ↑ PAPERBACK BEST SELLERS: November 7, 2004, The New York Times
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