The Apotheosis

The Apotheosis by Darrell Lee is his second book in the science fiction genre. It is quite a suspenseful story, and can also fall into the crime, mystery, and thriller categories as well, with themes of death, love, lust, espionage, wealth, deceit, and religion all being part of the story. Lee’s novel focuses on John Numen, a multi-billionaire who is arguably the smartest man in the world in the field of genetics and cloning. You learn quickly that he might not be the most ethical scientist, as he is on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, and is allegedly a fledgling serial killer. The story is mostly set in the near future, but it starts out in the fall of 2015 when John loses his father, the founder of a very profitable research company. He then moved in with his aunt and uncle and when he came of age, he continued in the family business and was given a lab in the building that is now, technically, his. After some time, he ends up head-first into a hot and heavy romance that results in a ripple effect throughout the rest of his life. It is interesting to read how a wealthy scientist might spend his money when money isn’t a concern at all. This is not a story to skim through – every page, chapter, and section of the book are full of important information that all come together beautifully in the end.

There is a lot that goes on in this book, and honestly, it all kept me going despite its length. With the story not being too far into the future, it is scary to think whether cloning will be in our actual future or not. It is refreshing to read a story where everything falls into place and the people and places contain secrets in its pages that are revealed throughout the story to its audience. Lee did an excellent job of keeping me reading with a preconceived notion of what is happening but then would get through a couple more chapters and find out it is different than I originally thought. I would recommend this book for no one less than adult-age, as the topic of cloning is fairly advanced in itself, and there are several sexual scenes with adult language included as well. Lee, being a software systems worker in real life, was able to pull his knowledge, and I’m sure lots of research, into an interesting and thought-provoking story.