Darwin's ChildrenGreg Bear’s Nebula Award–winning novel,Darwin’s Radio, painted a chilling portrait of humankind on the threshold of a radical leap in evolution—one that would alter our species forever. Now Bear continues his provocative tale of the human race confronted by an uncertain future, where “survival of the fittest” takes on astonishing and controversial new dimensions. DARWIN’S CHILDREN Eleven years have passed since SHEVA, an ancient retrovirus, was discovered in human DNA—a retrovirus that caused mutations in the human genome and heralded the arrival of a new wave of genetically enhanced humans. Now these changed children have reached adolescence . . . and face a world that is outraged about their very existence. For these special youths, possessed of remarkable, advanced traits that mark a major turning point in human development, are also ticking time bombs harboring hosts of viruses that could exterminate the “old” human race. Fear and hatred of the virus children have made them a persecuted underclass, quarantined by the government in special “schools,” targeted by federally sanctioned bounty hunters, and demonized by hysterical segments of the population. But pockets of resistance have sprung up among those opposed to treating the children like dangerous diseases—and who fear the worst if the government’s draconian measures are carried to their extreme. Scientists Kaye Lang and Mitch Rafelson are part of this small but determined minority. Once at the forefront of the discovery and study of the SHEVA outbreak, they now live as virtual exiles in the Virginia suburbs with their daughter, Stella—a bright, inquisitive virus child who is quickly maturing, straining to break free of the protective world her parents have built around her, and eager to seek out others of her kind. But for all their precautions, Kaye, Mitch, and Stella have not slipped below the government’s radar. The agencies fanatically devoted to segregating and controlling the new-breed children monitor their every move—watching and waiting for the opportunity to strike the next blow in their escalating war to preserve “humankind” at any cost. |
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Americol arms Augustine Bloch boys Browning called Celia cells chair cheeks Cross Darwin's Radio daughter deme DeWitt Dicken disease door Eileen EMAC Emergency Action endogenous retrovirus eyes face feel felt fingers Freedman genes genome Gianelli girl going gray Greg Bear hair hand Homo erectus human Jackson Joanie Jurie Kaye asked Kaye's kids knew lahar LaShawna leaned lips Maggie Flynn Merton Middleton Miss Kantor Miss Kinney Mitch asked mother never Nilson nodded nose pheromones Pine-Sol plastic Presky proteins pulled pushed Rafelson Retrotransposon retroviruses Rhine scent Senator SHEVA children Shevites shook his head shoulder sick side smell smiled someone SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY stared Stella asked stood talk tell There's thing thought Toby told took touched transposons Trask Trinket truck turned Turner viral virus viruses voice vomeronasal organ walked watched window woman Xenotransplants