Gargoyles
by Alan Nayes
Published by Tor
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Reviewed by Kim Reis
Bright pre-med student, Amoreena Daniels, agrees to be a surrogate mother to raise money for her uninsured mother's cancer treatment. She believes she is carrying a child for adoption, but the other surrogates seem frightened.
Amoreena is warned by a medical intern that she should watch for unusual developments in her pregnancy. He claims the clinic is creating subhuman clones. Then her baby starts to move way too early, and she receives hard evidence that there is definitely something unusual about the babies in the surrogate program. When people around her start dying, Amoreena knows she is in trouble.
Nayes' knowledge of medicine is clearly apparent in this novel. His use of medical terminology that just skimmed over my head reminded me how susceptible I could be by putting all my trust in the guys in the white lab coats.
This medical thriller zips along at a good pace mixing Amoreena's pregnancy with her mother's treatment. This creepy, thought-provoking story is a little too realistic for me to take lightly. I hope we see more of Alan Nayes.
Armchair Interviews says: The questions of ethics and morals in medical research make one wonder whether the ends justify the means in this realistic book.