Friday, July 19, 2013

BLOG TOUR: The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan

Title: The Curiosity
Author: Stephen P. Kiernan
Genre: Adult Literary Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: July 18/2013
Adquired: Print ARC provided by publisher
Goodreads: ADD

Michael Crichton meets The Time Traveler's Wife in this powerful debut novel in which a man, frozen in the Arctic ice for more than a century, awakens in the present day.

Dr. Kate Philo and her scientific exploration team make a breathtaking discovery in the Arctic: the body of a man buried deep in the ice. As a scientist in a groundbreaking project run by the egocentric and paranoid Erastus Carthage, Kate has brought small creatures-plankton, krill, shrimp-"back to life." Never have the team's methods been attempted on a large life form.

Heedless of the consequences, Carthage orders that the frozen man be brought back to the lab in Boston, and reanimated. As the man begins to regain his memories, the team learns that he was-is-a judge, Jeremiah Rice, and the last thing he remembers is falling overboard into the Arctic Ocean in 1906. When news of the Lazarus Project and Jeremiah Rice breaks, it ignites a media firestorm and massive protests by religious fundamentalists.

Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, Kate and Jeremiah grow closer. But the clock is ticking and Jeremiah's new life is slipping away. With Carthage planning to exploit Jeremiah while he can, Kate must decide how far she is willing to go to protect the man she has come to love.

A gripping, poignant, and thoroughly original thriller, Stephen Kiernan's provocative debut novel raises disturbing questions about the very nature of life and humanity-man as a scientific subject, as a tabloid plaything, as a living being: A curiosity.


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Now THIS is how you write multiple perspectives. I had thought that Jodi Picoult had it down to an art, but then Stephen P. Kiernan came into my life, and spoke to me through different characters in a way that I've never before experienced. I literally FELT the change in character, I would have been able to tell you who was speaking even if it wasn't indicated at the beginning of each chapter. So distinct was each voice, so absolutely STRIKING their thoughts were.

I've never read anything like The Curiosity. The review blurb on the front cover describes it as Michael Crichton meets The Time Traveler's Wife-I've never read a Michael Crichton book, but how I wish they would stop combining literary works in this way. The Curiosity didn't need convincing, once you started reading, you already knew it was going to be a powerful force all on it's own 448 pages. Jeremiah Rice was found frozen solid in an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean. His body is discovered by a team of scientists, who's unorthodox experiments will use him as their newest lab rat. Jeremiah is brought back to life, back to a living, breathing, thinking, functioning state. A hundred years have passed, and it's as if he's awoken from a coma. It's a strange new world for Jeremiah, and as he begins to gain intelligence about his surroundings, he realizes that only a few people can be trusted, and freedom, as he remembers it, will have to be fought for.

My HEART. Guys, my entire, entire HEART. I cried as though Jeremiah's injustice was my own, I felt things that a book hasn't allowed me to feel in a long time. That's not to say I haven't read some spectacular books recently, but as a blogger, sometimes it's hard to remember that reading was something I did for pure pleasure, at random, to pass the time. Now it's deadlines and huge TBR lists, scheduled posts, and late night cramming. The Curiosity reminded me of every.single.thing I love about reading, why reading became such an important presence in my life. Stephen P. Kiernan was majestic, and so versatile, in his writing. There was scientific lingo, and historical facts, and beautiful..oh my god absolutely beautiful emotion. His switch in characters from malicious to kind was breathtaking-I experienced every possible feeling. My fury with Erastus Carthage's character would reach a dangerous boiling point, and then switch to complete empathy and heartbreak when Jeremiah's chapters came around.

The Curiosity was a poignant delve into what it means to be human, how painfully different and hostile our world may seem to someone who is accustomed to a world that was calmer, and less intrusive. 20th Century Fox has already bought the rights to the book, and I can't wait to see these scenes played out in film. These characters deserve a louder voice, to have their personalities molded into 3-D lifeforms. If the movie is anything close to what the book was, I'm going to be an absolute WRECK.

Recommended for Fans of: Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Flowers for Algernon, and The Time Traveler's Wife.


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Stephen Kiernan's first novel, THE CURIOSITY, will be out from William Morrow on July 9.

Stephen's journalism work has won over 40 awards. His first book, LAST RIGHTS, was an expose on the inferior medical care most people receive in the last chapter of their lives, with many suggestions for ways of providing more humane and less painful care. His second book, the Silver Nautilus Award-winning AUTHENTIC PATRIOTISM, describes the potential for national renewal through nonpartisan civic engagement and volunteerism.

THE CURIOSITY is being published in numerous other nations, and 20th Century Fox has purchased the film rights.

He lives in Vermont with his two amazing sons.

Contact Links:

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Thank-you to Trish from TLC Book Tours for hosting this tour, and to Harper Collins for sending me a print ARC to review!
CLICK HERE to follow the rest of the tour

6 comments:

  1. I haven't read any book in the past year that really captured the voices of various characters successfully so I'm excited about that part of your review in particular. Sounds like this was a great read for you, and one that I'd enjoy as well!

    Thanks for being on the tour.

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    1. And thank YOU for allowing me to take part Heather =). The Curiosity was definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far! I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did =).

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  2. Haven't read anything from Kiernan. I think I should read it soon :) thanks for the review

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    1. You definitely should Ratri! This is his first journey into the world of fiction, and I think he did a SPECTACULAR job-almost like he's been doing it forever.

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  3. I also thought the multiple perspective part of the story was done very well (http://manoflabook.com/wp/?p=9108).

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  4. I've grown a bit tired of the multiple perspectives, but I'm really curious to see how this author handles that! Also, I know exactly what you mean about some books reminding you why you love reading. Those books are really very special!

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