Amygdala Hijack - A Genetic Engineering Sci-Fi Novel of Impending Dystopia

Book excerpt: 5 Stars***** "Imminent Future, or Imminent Extinction? A fascinating leap into the imminent future...when Genetic Engineering and Genetic Modification have advanced astronomically" (Goodreads Review/The Wasting (prior title)). A platinum-gold obelisk crash-lands on a Saskatchewan farm, warning of imminent alien invasion. Peter Scott, a science podcaster with ratings in decline, considers this a gift from heaven. He plans to reinvigorate the show's slumping popularity by interviewing a cast of edgy experts with brazen proposals to defend Earth from the anticipated invaders. But the planet has bigger issues than space marauders. That's because it's 2037, and DNA is just another programming language. Gene editing has vaulted society toward anarchy as humans rapidly hybridize, modifying their bodies with edited DNA, robotics, and computer interfaces. Add to that the constant existential threats from engineered microbes. Alien invasions, social disruptions, and pandemics are not the only concerns for Peter and team. Shadowy forces will stop at nothing to kill the podcast - or them. SAMPLES FROM A FEW EPISODES: 6 - THE WELCOMER: "I'm getting at the surprise factor and religion and this abundant human flaw called ethnocentrism. At no time did I ever preach that human beings are the exclusive sentient animals in the universe. In fact, I don't know if any of my brethren ever stated that either. If you put your feet in God's shoes, to speak metaphorically, why in heaven's name would you make such a dad-blasted amazing array of planets and galaxies, and not do the same as what you did here?" "It just doesn't make sense to go to all that work if you only wanted one experiment. He could have done that in one solar system and not have gone to the trouble of making the rest." 9 - EUGENIE DRIVER: "No, you're missing my point, Peter, so I'll repeat. What we encounter will be far beyond our mentality. This implies we must move to a new level of thought, of existence, of who and what defines the essential nature of humanity." "I'm arguing that we do as the bacteria did - we rapidly evolve ourselves in a period of severe species threat to enable new defensive capabilities. We should not be reticent or timid, considering the challenge, and we should explore every possibility to advance genetic and cognitive acceleration in human beings, across the board, via these expansive capabilities." 10 - CONTROL FREAK: "It's the perfect foil, son, the perfect foil. Any two-bit history professor in this town will tell you that the one-way road to the heart of being controlled is to hand your faith and fear to someone else, to hope and pray that somebody else will soon resolve your troubles if you'd just give them your mind and treasure." "I honestly can't imagine a better way to do this. In fact, I'm somewhat perturbed that I didn't conceive of the guise myself, then I could be sure to have gotten the word out beforehand that it might happen." "What you see on the streets these days, the anarchy that's bubbling up, we saw that in spades, or at least smaller spades, during those recent populist times. You pour in a mixture of upset and disenfranchisement, victimhood, greed, fear, bombast, entitlement - and a minority group or country or religion you can poke your sword at to chastise and blame such as our varint friends - and now you painted yourself a pretty picture for control." "This is a well-honed model that has proven successful in shredding any decency and progress in human society. It's the nectar of the autocrats, whether they veil their rhetoric behind a fascist flag of order and control or socialist flag of a righteous outcome for everyone."