Genesis Alpha

Josh worships his older brother, Max. They look alike, they talk alike, and they both have the same interests, including their favorite massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Genesis Alpha. But Josh and Max have an even deeper connection. Because Josh was born for a reason. It was Josh’s stem cells, harvested when Josh was newly born, that saved his dying older brother’s life.

Now that same beloved older brother is arrested, accused of the brutal murder of a teenage girl. Josh is bewildered. Is Max really a monster, or is all of this a terrible mistake? And if the worst is true and Max is guilty, does that mean Josh is guilty too? After all, Max wouldn’t exist without him. But this is only the beginning. Before long, Josh will come to a number of searing revelations — revelations that have dire implications not only for Max’s future, but for Josh’s as well.

Rune Michaels explodes onto the teen literature scene with this gripping, chilling debut — a compelling picture of the intersection where science, family, and morality collide.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Genesis Alpha Rocks!
Genesis Alpha, by Rune Michaels, is an extremely exiting thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole read. I thought it had an amazing plot which provoked several interesting thoughts.

This book is one of the best thrillers I have read in years. Anyone interested in the genre should read it, especially if they liked the book House of the Scorpions by Nancy Farmer. Genesis Alpha is about a boy named Josh who finds out some hard truths about his older brother, Max, including the fact that he was accused of murdering a teenage girl. As Josh says, “It couldn’t be true that Max did that. You would have to be evil to do something like that.” This accusation makes Josh think about what good and evil truly mean.

This book has an extremely strong plot that will pull you in and never let go. At the start of the book, Josh finds out that his brother Max has been accused of the murder of a young woman. Then that women’s sister shows up and tells Josh about her side of the story. What really makes him worry is that he is a designer baby and his stem cells saved Max’s life. As all these questions circle around him, his world is turned upside down and he looks inside himself to ask, “Am I responsible?”

After reading this book I couldn’t help but think about the ethical issues that technology poses. Will the world really be like this in ten years’ time? This book presents many issues, including cloning. As Josh says,

“Clones?”

“Twins,” his mom insists. “Twins born a few years apart, with some scientific help. That’s all.”

“That’s not all and you knew it…” responds Josh.

When cloning and genetic engineering come into play, who knows where the line will be drawn? Will people continue to care about good and evil or will the world spiral into darkness? Who knows? But this book certainly gives you a lot to think about. I hope that you find this book as enjoyable as I did. If so, tell your friends about it.

It’s a great book. Over all, one of the best books in the genre. I recommend this book to teens ages 13-16, but anyone should read it.

5 Stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too
There’s a quote on the front of GENESIS ALPHA from author Kenneth Oppel: “Dark, dangerous, and utterly riveting.” I couldn’t agree more. The words “a thriller” are what convinced me to pick up the book; the fact that I was so deeply engrossed in the story and superb writing were what kept me reading for the next few hours as I devoured it in one sitting.

Josh is a typical teen who isn’t actually, well, typical. Although he’s like any number of teen boys in that the better part of his day is spent playing an online computer game named Genesis Alpha, and that he aspires to grow up to be just like his older brother, Max, and even has a pretty normal home life, there’s one thing that sets him apart from everyone else - Josh is a “designer baby.”

Specifically created in the hopes of saving his brother from a deadly form of cancer, Josh was once a small group of cells that were chosen because of their genetic makeup. When he was born, the healing cells from his umbilical cord were transplanted into his brother, and Max eventually became cancer-free. So the bond between these two brothers is stronger than most.

Except now Josh’s world is falling apart. Where he once thought everything about his life was, if not routine than at least normal, now he’s discovering that things are never really what they seem. Max has been accused of a horrible crime - murdering a college girl. His father, a psychologist, and his mother, a biologist, are just as shocked as Josh is when they learn the charges against their oldest child. After all of the years of watching Max fight for life, and the tears and turmoil of waiting to see if Josh would be his cure, now he’s sitting in jail, facing murder charges? The entire family is in shock.

Josh, though, more than any of them, is finding out things that he wishes he had never known. There’s a strange girl hiding out in the cat shed behind their house, and the story she has to tell him is one he at first rejects outright, and later has no choice but to take as fact. And it all revolves around Genesis Alpha, the game that both Josh and Max devoted so much time to. How is it that something that brought Josh so much joy could be the very thing that will show him the horrors of the world - and the deceitful double life of his brother?

Rune Michaels has written a chillingly good thriller with GENESIS ALPHA. With action that never stops, a storyline that is all too believable, and flawless writing, she has managed to write a story that will captivate you from the first page. With Josh and Max, she has created a bond that was created by science and will be tested with pure human compulsion - and the existence of evil. This is a great read for anyone who loves a good thriller. I personally can’t wait to read more stories in this vein from the very talented Ms. Michaels.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka “The Genius”

5 Stars Wonderfully written and gripping
If you enjoy books like Nancy Farmer’s “House of the Scorpion” or Peter Dickinson’s “Eva” — dystopian novels that explore the ethical ramifications of new technology — try Rune Michael’s tense and beautifully underwritten thriller.

The setting is wonderful. It’s hard to figure out exactly where it’s set. The family could live in any affluent suburb of America. A house filled with gadgets. An undercurrent of pressure and problems. The notable lack of nature, of privacy.

A mystery unfolds surrounding the alternate universe of a computer role playing game. The other review here reveals a spoiler about the plot. If you haven’t already, don’t read the other review. Just read the book. The process of discovery is lovely.

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