Wrath

by Sharon Moalem M.D., Ph.D, Daniel Kraus

Overview

New York Times bestselling coauthors Shäron Moalem and Daniel Kraus's terrifying sci-fi horror thriller takes place in a future that is much nearer than you think. It is a world where scientific experimentation is exploited for commercial profit and under-supervised cutting-edge technology creates a menace that threatens the very fabric of our existence.
 
Wrath is the story of Sammy, a lab rat instilled with human genes whose supersized intelligence helps him to engineer his escape into the world outside the lab: a world vastly ill-equipped to deal with the menace he represents. Modified through advances that have boosted his awareness of humankind’s cruelty in the name of science, Sammy has the potential to sire a rodent army capable of viciously overwhelming the human race. The key to Sammy’s capture and humanity’s salvation may be ten-year-old Dallas Underhill, whom Sammy adopts. But while Dallas and Sammy bond, time is running out for humankind: once Sammy sires his progeny, the exponential proliferation of his kind could spell the end of the world.

For fans of dystopian works such as Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, and readers of Neal Stephenson, Michael Crichton, and Blake Crouch. This heart-pounding, science-based thriller takes place in a possibly all-too-soon reality where the hazards and consequences of genetic manipulation will no longer be the stuff of mere fiction.


Hardcover with dust jacket; 320 pages; 9 in H by 6 in W.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454945222
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	216,222
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 5.80(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Sharon Moalem MD, PhD, is an award-winning scientist, physician, and New York Times bestselling author of The Better Half: On the Genetic Superiority of Women, Survival of the Sickest, and numerous other works. He cofounded three biotechnology companies, and his clinical genetics research has led to the discovery of two new rare genetic conditions. He has also been awarded more than 45 patents worldwide for his inventions in human health and biotechnology.

Daniel Kraus is a New York Times–bestselling author. His recent collaboration with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero, The Living Dead, was acclaimed by the New York Times and Washington Post. With Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored Trollhunters (the basis for the Emmy-winning Netflix series) and The Shape of Water, based on the same idea Kraus and del Toro created for the Oscar-winning film. Kraus’s The Death and Life of ZebulonFinch was named one of Entertainment Weekly’s Top 10 Books of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

08/08/2022

Bestsellers Moalem (The Better Half) and Kraus (The Shape of Water) explore the implications of genomic editing and animal rights in this uneven near-future thriller. Charismatic Noah Goff founded EditedPets to enhance the relationship between pets and their owners through specialized companion animals. Using a genetic engineering technique pioneered by geneticist Sienna Aguirre, EditedPets took the world by storm with its bioluminescent fish and exceptionally talkative budgies—but its venture into the horse market failed dramatically. Now Noah and Sienna race against time and a faltering reputation to launch a new product, the Sammy Rat, a rodent encoded with human brain cells. Moalem and Kraus highlight some clever scientific concepts as the narrative details the variety of health problems that plague the Sammy Rats—and the sometimes barbaric methods employed to solve these issues. Then, after one Sammy escapes the EditedPets lab, he seeks vengeance on humans for their cruelty. Sienna and Noah prove ambitious and dynamic as pressure to perform brings out the absolute worst in them. Sammy’s voice, by contrast, lacks a sense of authenticity; he sounds more like a human child than an anthropomorphized animal. Though the human story outshines the animal perspective, there’s still plenty here for sci-fi fans to chew on. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

The first book to really take up Michael Crichton's mantle. . . . Ratatouille meets World War Z in a Big Blockbuster Book that reads like Crichton, only with more eyeball-eating.”—Grady Hendrix, New York Times-bestselling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

“Animals communicating or acting strangely is creepy; rats, in particular, give the book an extra level of sinister vibes. Add in that the rats can talk to humans, and you have an unsettling narrative that will leave you unable to look at rodents the same way again.”—Booklist

"Moalem and Kraus have put the science back in science fiction. Wrath is grounded in very real technologies, making this grisly thriller about genetic engineering gone wrong all the more terrifying."—Bill Sullivan, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, and author of Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces that Make Us Who We Are

“Reading like a cross between a blockbuster movie, a hard sci-fi thriller, and a rumination on the very ethics of animal experimentation. Wrath is a thrill ride from start to finish. It’ll make you laugh, cry, and quiver in fear all in the same chapter. It’s the kind of book that digs into your brain and stays with you long after you’ve read it.”—Geek Vibes Nation

“Möalem and Kraus highlight some clever scientific concepts as the narrative details the variety of health problems that plague the Sammy Rats—and the sometimes barbaric methods employed to solve these issues.”—Publishers Weekly

“Wrath manages to meld a story with elements of horror, philosophy, human psychology, and the realities of animal use in scientific research. . . . A gripping story.”—Lisa Moses, Faculty, Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical School

“Wrath does a good job of painting a picture of scientific advancement getting out of hand.” —GeekDad

From the Publisher