It's time for another wonderful Orenda blog tour for Eve Smith's latest thriller, Off Target.The paperback is published on February 17th -today! For the chance to win a print copy, follow the details which are at the foot of this post. What if your future was just one modification away?
A longed-for baby
An unthinkable decision
A deadly mistake
In
an all-too-possible near future, when genetic engineering has become
the norm for humans, not just crops, parents are prepared to take
incalculable risks to ensure that their babies are perfect
… altering genes that may cause illness, and more…
Susan has been
trying for a baby for years, and when an impulsive one-night stand
makes her dream come true, she’ll do anything to keep her daughter and
ensure her husband doesn’t find out … including the unthinkable. She
believes her secret is safe. For now.
But as governments embark
on a perilous genetic arms race and children around the globe start
experiencing a host of distressing symptoms – even taking their own
lives – something truly horrendous is unleashed. Because those children
have only one thing in common, and people are starting to ask questions…
My Thoughts
Off Target is the kind of speculative fiction which draws you up short and really makes you think. There are echoes of today's world in the story which makes it seem all the more plausible that in the future, gene engineering might lead to situations like this. There is no question that the future anticipated in this story is chilling and unsettling. The everyday nature of Susan's job and her daughter's school life also gives it an authenticity which means that you can recognise a possible future here.
Susan's quandary raises ethical questions and I could hardly believe that she would make the choices she did. However, rooted in a world where gene engineering is more commonplace, she holds onto it as a way out of a difficult situation. Not everyone's motivation is as straightforward as Susan's. Carmel, her friend and confidant was a surprise to me. You also feel the dead weight of pressure on Susan which her secret exerts. You feel that she is on a knife edge at times. This is such a readable thriller, with pace and energy which goes from its present to some years earlier with ease. Posing some ethical questions, it offers a future we can only hope we can avoid.
In short: Speculative fiction offering a terrifying future.
About the Author
Eve Smith writes speculative fiction, mainly about the
things that scare her. In this world of questionable facts, stats and news, she
believes storytelling is more important than ever to engage people in real life
issues. Set 20 years after an antibiotic crisis, her debut novel The Waiting
Rooms was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award. Her flash
fiction has been shortlisted for the Bath Flash Fiction Award and highly
commended for The Brighton Prize. Eve's previous job as COO of an environmental
charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and
she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung
places.
Ypu can read my review of The Waiting Rooms here.
Thanks to Eve Smith, Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out the rest of the tour!
Giveaway (UK only)
To win a print copy of Off Target, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!
Closing Date is 23rd February 2022
and there is one winner.
*Terms and Conditions – UK only. The winner will be selected at
random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter
and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right
to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with
third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed
to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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