Matthew Tully

The Chimera Seed by Matthew Tully is an exciting action/adventure science fiction thriller that is set in the present day. In The Chimera Seed, Michael Tiernan is the current CEO of Oisín Pharmaceuticals, a company founded by his father, Richard. Michael discovers after his father's death that Richard, along with his research partner Ivan Falters, were collaborating on a secret project in Sardinia involving the Niamh grapes. The grapes are unpalatable, but one small dose of the purple wine-like liquid produced from them is called Dionysinol, and it apparently not only stops aging, it reverses it.

Michael wants to sell the Dionysinol and the vineyard and make a fortune, while Falters wants to destroy it. Michael's father also did not feel there was enough research to safely release the drug. There is a whole lot of other intrigue, espionage, deceit, greed, and scheming whirling around, and everyone has their own agenda. It soon becomes apparent that there is more to the Dionysinol than meets the eye.

The Chimera Seed really does have elements of science fiction, a medical thriller, and an action/adventure novel all wrapped up together. Tully nicely blends several ethical questions into the plot without getting too heavy handed or preachy. The whole cast of characters he has created are memorable and very well developed. Tully's plot really keeps moving along at a break-neck speed right to the end and will hold the attention of just about any reader. There will be a sequel: The Chimera Spawn.
I very highly recommend The Chimera Seed. http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
… (lisätietoja)

Nominated for the USA Book News Best Books 2009 Award, The Chimera Seed is a novel of intrigue and suspense. Michael Tiernan follows a mysterious trail set by his deceased father, a path on the hunt of an anti-aging drug. Forced to keep on the run, while attempting to prove himself worthy of his father’s secrets, Tiernan must work with his father’s lab partner to hunt down the lost vials of Dionysinol before they reach the hands of the enemies. Surrounded by pharmaceutical espionage, enemies become co-conspirators, and the good guys become the bad in Matthew Tully’s debut novel.

A host of characters and information are packed into the 387 pages of this novel. From scientists, to spies, to hired drivers, each character has a place in the story which is more than the search for the drug, it’s about these people’s lives before the drug, and the reasons they seek revenge on each other. There are several plot lines, all of which kept me interested, along with a helping of scientifical mumbo-jumbo to make the Dionysinal sound legitimate to skeptical readers like myself.

Perhaps it’s Tully’s advanced degrees in philosophy, education, and mathematics that make the writing flow so well, but I was impressed with the skill of the words on each page. This is not an amateur writer who decided to make a “political” thriller for the heck of it, this is an intelligent author with the necessary skills to make the reader understand without feeling overwhelmed, or worse, having it dumbed down to be made to feel like an idiot. From a writers point of view, I also appreciate the realistic voice for each of Tully’s characters. Ranging from geriatric scientist, to middle-aged love-sick employee, to southern belle with an edge, each of the characters is completely believable.

If you like stories with twists and turns, with gruesome death scenes (the kind that almost made me sick which NEVER happens), with heros and villains who may or may not die and then may or may not come back to life, you will relish this novel. You don’t know who will live or die, who will be brought to justice or escape, who will end up happy or alone with nothing. But it’s best that way, don’t you think?… (lisätietoja)