To Kill an Eidolon
by W.F. Halsey
Review from:
Inscriptions
Reviewed by: Audrey Snowden
Rating: * * * 1/2 stars
Young research scientist
Susan Danville arrives at her first post-doctoral job and begins work,
not suspecting that she is the real subject of study.
A powerful group
of scientists, the Insiders, has tapped her as a possible addition to
its forces, and while her scientific work is solid, her first year will
test her worthiness as a possible Insider.
The group is made
up of initiates with certain genes who have been given chemicals to
induce the ability to see eidolons. The secret group monitors and attacks
eidolons, which are nebulous parasites that attach to sick humans and
drain their strength. Each disease has a characteristic eidolon, and
Halsey addresses the science of eidolon creation and existence in just
enough detail.
Although the Insiders
work secretly to protect humanity, they are human. They make mistakes.
When one of them "turns" Susan into an Insider soon after her arrival,
carefully-laid plans go awry. And a powerful, invisible eidolon is traveling
across the country, its trajectory indicating a purposeful course. Eidolons
with intelligence?
That's only one
mystery Halsey introduces. An excellent, eerie plot twist ties in the
unnervingly purposeful eidolon with Susan, whose father has had ill-fated
experiences with the beings. Additionally, Halsey has great fun detailing
the politics of the research lab, from the high-ranking Insiders and
their councils to the people doing bench research and their interpersonal
foibles, all of which mesh neatly.
Halsey's prose
is fine, but what makes this book a standout is her excellent plotting
and her attention to character detail. After watching "Men in Black"
and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," it's difficult to conceive of an original
take on the "secret groups are safeguarding humanity" idea, but Halsey
pulls it off with panache and delivers an excellent and spooky read.
Review from: Glodowski's
Bookshelf / Midwest Book Review
Reviewed by: Ms. Glodowski
Speculation Press
is a new publisher specializing in what they call "cross-genre
books, combining elements of science fiction and fantasy with romance,
thrillers, crime fiction, and political satire." Geared towards
science fiction readers who have grown tired of repetitive plots, Speculation
Press offers a brand new look at an already intriguing genre.
The word eidolon
has a number of definitions, ranging from a dripping mass to an image
of an ideal. But in Susan Danville's brand new post-doctorate position
in her native Chicago, the eidolons are parasites who feed off of sick
humans. The scientists Susan is to work with have branded together,
calling themselves "Insiders" to telepathically destroy as
many eidolons as possible.
The scientists believe
that eidolons are hatched when females who carry the correct genetic
code to hatch them get pregnant. Susan Danville possesses two of the
necessary genes, and perhaps the third. She can either join their ranks
and fight the eidolons, or if she gets pregnant, she will be killed
as one of the enemy. The trouble is, Susan has an overpowering urge
to get pregnant, and she has at least one willing suitor, Joe, who would
be willing to oblige. Then there is David, an insider himself, who is
fighting to save Susan's life:
David ran his hand
through his hair again. "All right. Well. To begin with, people
need at least one of the two Sight genes to be able to see eidolons.
These Sight genes are designated Mer1 and Mer2. All cats have the Mer1
gene, by the way, which is kinda neat. But that's not important just
now. Getting back to humans, it is theorized that there is a third Mer
gene which is very, very rare. It is thought to be on the female sex
chromosome. If a woman has this gene as well as the other two Mer genes,
then she can incubate a new breed of eidolons along with the fetus."
W.F. Halsey has
no trouble maintaining reader interest, as she pits character against
character, humans against eidolons, and mixes the brew with some good
old fashioned family secrets and tragedies in this "race against
time" story. No less than the future of mankind is at stake, and
the reader turns pages in a frenzy to keep up with the action.
Review from: Bookbrowser.com
Reviewed by: Harriet
Klausner
Susan Danville accepts a biomedical research position at a Chicago-based
university. At the facility, Susan will conduct post-doctoral research
under the auspices of Nobel Prize winner Dr. Jim Mallard. Even as she
relishes the possibilities of her new assignment, Susan worries over
the vein of insanity that runs throughout her family. Her father resides
in a mental institution after shooting at invisible creatures he calls
Eidolons.
Unbeknownst to
Susan is the fact that Eidolons exist and these energy beings are the
major causes of deadly diseases. Mallard is one of the leading fighters
trying to destroy the enemy. Susan has been brought here so that Mallard
and his staff can watch her as she has the Mer genes that could cause
problems if she becomes pregnant. However, neither Mallard nor his cohorts
realize that a powerful Eidolon is heading towards Chicago with Susan
being the ultimate target of the deadly creature.
TO KILL AN EIDOLON
is an intriguing medical thriller that provides a weird perspective
on deadly diseases like AIDS. The story line is entertaining, but requires
acceptance of the Eidolons since no basis is developed for their existence.
Still, this is a unique, very enjoyable tale.
Review from: CresentBlues.com
Reviewed by: Patricia White
What is an eidolon?
And why would you want to kill one? Any dictionary will provide an answer
to the first question. Things get more complicated when you try to answer
the second -- and thereby hangs the tale of this medical science fiction
novel.
Most dictionaries
define an eidolon as a phantom or an apparition and cite the H. P. Lovecraft
line: "The putrid, dripping eidolon of unwholesome revelation." W. F.
Halsey's To Kill an Eidolon defines an eidolon as an unseen being that
feeds off the electromagnetic field of humans afflicted with some killer
disease, sapping the victim's strength and making it easier for the
disease to win. Unseen, that is, to all but the Insiders who see, stalk
and kill eidolons using the power of their minds.
Fresh doctorate
in her pocket, her cat in her car, Susan Danville moves from California
to the Midwest to work in a large medical research facility. The Insiders
observe her progress with obsessive interest. The Insiders believe Susan
could give birth a new eidolon if she ever gets pregnant, because she
carries two of the genes that make such an event possible.
To forestall such
a medical catastrophe, the Insiders intend to kill Susan before she
can give birth. Since Susan isn't seeing anyone at her new job, the
question appears moot until one of the Insiders becomes emotionally
involved with her -- and extremely jealous of her attention to a goodlooking
male researcher at the facility.
But the Insiders
aren't the only ones watching Susan. And the other watcher follows an
entirely different agenda -- one that poses grave danger for all mankind.
After the exciting
prologue, too many explanations (only some of them necessary) slow To
Kill an Eidolon to a crawl. In addition, the exposition raises several
plot points, which the book never brings to satisfactory conclusions,
leading me to think Halsey plans a sequel. But the action does pick
up and, ultimately, zooms along.
Like much "classical"
science fiction, science drives the plot of To Kill an Eidolon, with
characterization playing a largely secondary role -- though Susan remains
credible throughout. The book's interesting concept alone makes the
book well worth reading and leaves me eagerly awaiting a sequel.
Patricia White is
the Sapphire Award-winning author of A Wizard Scorned. Her current book,
the western Edwina Parkhurst, Spinster, is available from Hard Shell
Word Factory.
Review from: SF Site.com
Reviewed
by: Lisa DuMond
Your first reaction upon finishing a reading of To Kill An Eidolon may
well be, "What an odd, little book." It was my reaction on reaching
that last page, but that doesn't quite sum it up. This slim volume is,
by turns, fascinating, unsettling, disappointing, and familiar.
Susan Danville
has a lot on her mind. She is starting her post-doc work in molecular
biology. She just moved back to her hometown of Chicago after years
of schooling at Berkley. And, her father is in an institution for the
insane. All that and a possible relationship with another biologist!
So, if she seems a bit on edge at times, she has her reasons.
All these complications,
and that's before she begins to notice that not everything is as it
should be in the halls of higher education. Is it her imagination that
there seems to be a strange elation and tension among some of her co-workers?
It's more than a
bit of stress at the school; even before she arrives, a committee is
debating whether Susan will be allowed to live, or if she too must be
terminated. Though it sounds like a tough decision, it is one the Insiders
have faced many times before. Their unique work in the eradication of
diseases is too important to let anyone interfere -- no less than the
survival of the human race is at stake.
With all of this
on her shoulders, how is a poor Ph.D. to choose between two handsome
suitors? If that sounds like a blurb from the cover of a romance novel,
there's good reason for the similarity. To Kill An Eidolon has its science
and it comes by the classification "science fiction" honestly. The underlying
concept is an intriguing new way to view disease and death. But, for
all the chemistry, biogenetics, and eidolons (you'll have to read the
book to find out what those are), the driving forces in the novel are
the romances forming and shattering between the characters.
Much of the characterizations,
motives, and reactions are much more suited to a contemporary romance
novel than hard, or even soft, science fiction. That's not a negative
comment; SF can often be barren of romance and vulnerable characters
-- space marines "getting their ashes hauled" is not the stuff bonds
are made of. Perhaps, To Kill An Eidolon swings too far into the romance
area, but that stretch may be the very thing that tempts another reader
to give science fiction a try.
If you can't get
enough bacteriological reading in, this would be an interesting diversion
for you. If you like to see a woman-in-peril surrounded by protective
and psychotic hunks, take this chance to venture beyond the "bodice-rippers"
and that teetering stack of Harlequins you checked out of the library.
Either way, this is your chance to stretch without undue mental fatigue,
and you just might enjoy it.
Copyright © 1999
Lisa DuMond
Lisa DuMond writes
science fiction and humour. She co-authored the 45th anniversary issue
cover of MAD Magazine. Previews of her latest, as yet unpublished, novel
are available at Hades Online.
Review from: Midnight Scribe Reviews
Reviewed by: Jewel Dartt
This book is an intriguing and phenomenal read. TO KILL AN EIDOLON
is more a paranormal than a paranormal romance. Nevertheless, the story
line is one I followed with amazement and astonishment. Book lovers
who love anything with a paranormal element will flock to buy TO KILL
AN EIDOLON. (On a 1-5 scale) I rate this book a crystal 5 ****
Review from Affaire
de Coeur
Reviewed by: Rickey Mallory
"In a plot which
could come from the X-Files, Halsey brings medical thriller, romance,
and science fiction together in an exciting mix which affords almost
everything the eclectic reader could want. Unusual and compelling, To
Kill an Eidolon showcases Speculation Press as a unique contributor
to the speculative fiction field."
