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Observer: A Novel Hardcover – January 10, 2023
Purchase options and add-ons.
- Print length 368 pages
- Language English
- Publisher The Story Plant
- Publication date January 10, 2023
- Dimensions 6.43 x 1.38 x 9.1 inches
- ISBN-10 1611883431
- ISBN-13 978-1611883435
- See all details
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About the author, product details.
- Publisher : The Story Plant; Reprint edition (January 10, 2023)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1611883431
- ISBN-13 : 978-1611883435
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.43 x 1.38 x 9.1 inches
- #588 in Science Fiction Short Stories
- #1,440 in Science Fiction Crime & Mystery
- #14,825 in Suspense Thrillers
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About the authors
Nancy kress.
Nancy Kress is the author of thirty-four books, including twenty-six novels, four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. Her work has won six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. She writes frequently about genetic engineering; including the acclaimed science-fiction novel Beggars in Spain. Kress’s fiction has been translated into Swedish, Danish, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, Croatian, Chinese, Lithuanian, Romanian, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, Russian, and Klingon, none of which she can read. In addition to writing, Kress often teaches at various venues around the country and abroad, including a visiting lectureship at the University of Leipzig, a 2017 writing class in Beijing, and the annual intensive workshop TaosToolbox. Kress lives in Seattle with her husband, writer Jack Skillingstead, and Pippin, the world’s most spoiled Chihuahua.
Robert Lanza
Robert Lanza is an American scientist and author whose research spans the range of natural science, from biology to theoretical physics. TIME magazine recognized him as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World,” and Prospect magazine named him one of the "Top 50 World Thinkers.”
He has hundreds of scientific publications and over 30 books, including definitive references in the fields of stem cells, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. He is a former Fulbright Scholar, and studied with polio-pioneer Jonas Salk and Nobel laureates Gerald Edelman (known for his work on the biological basis of consciousness) and Rodney Porter. He also worked closely (and co-authored papers in Science on self-awareness and symbolic communication) with noted Harvard psychologist BF Skinner. Dr. Lanza received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was both a University Scholar and Benjamin Franklin Scholar.
Lanza was part of the team that cloned the world’s first human embryo, the first endangered species, and published the first-ever reports of pluripotent stem cell use in humans.
Lanza and his colleagues were also the first to demonstrate that nuclear transplantation could be used to reverse the aging process and to generate immune-compatible tissues, including the first organ tissue-engineered from cloned cells. One of his early achievements was his demonstration that techniques used in preimplantation genetic diagnosis could be used to generate human embryonic stem cells without embryonic destruction.
He and colleagues have also succeeded in differentiating human pluripotent stem cells into retinal cells, and has shown that they provide long-term benefit in animal models of vision loss. Using this technology some forms of blindness may be curable, including macular degeneration and Stargardt disease, a currently untreatable form eye disease that causes blindness in teenagers and young adults. Lanza's company received FDA approval to carry out clinical trials in the US using them to treat degenerative eye diseases, as well approval for the first human pluripotent stem cell trial in Europe. The first patients reported improved vision in the eyes treated with the cells, which The Guardian said "represents a huge scientific achievement."
Dr. Lanza and his colleagues published the first-ever report of human pluripotent stem cells transplanted into human patients. The patients who received the stem cell transplants say their lives have been transformed by the experimental procedure--they report that they can use their computers, thread a needle, or even go to the mall or airport on their own.
Lanza has also been a major player in the scientific revolution that has led to the documentation that nuclear transfer/transcription factors can restore developmental potential in a differentiated cell. One of his successes was showing that it is feasible to generate functional oxygen-carrying red blood cells from human pluripotent stem cells. The blood cells were comparable to normal transfusable blood and could serve as a potentially inexhaustible source of "universal" blood. His team also discovered how to generate functional hemangioblasts - a population of "ambulance" cells - from hES cells. In animals, these cells quickly repaired vascular damage, cutting the death rate after a heart attack in half and restoring the blood flow to ischemic limbs that might otherwise have to be amputated.
Lanza and a team lead by Kwang-Soo Kim at Harvard University have also reported a safe method for generating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Human iPS cells were created from skin cells by direct delivery of proteins, thus eliminating the harmful risks associated with genetic manipulation. The Editors of the prestigious journal Nature selected Lanza and Kim's paper on protein reprogramming as one of five "Research Highlights." Discover magazine stated, "Lanza's single-minded quest to usher in this new age has paid dividends in scientific insights and groundbreaking discoveries." Fortune magazine called him "the standard-bearer for stem cell research.”
Dr. Lanza has received numerous awards, including being named one of TIME Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World"; the 2013 Il Leone di San Marco award in Medicine (The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee, along with Regis Philbin [in Entertainment]); including an NIH Director's Award (2010) for "Translating Basic Science Discoveries into New and Better Treatments"; the 2010 'Movers and Shakers' Who Will Shape Biotech Over the Next 20 Years (BioWorld)(along with Craig Venter and President Barack Obama); the 2007 100 Most Inspiring People in the Life-Sciences Industry (PharmaVOICE, "For his discoveries 'behind the medicines making a significant impact on the pipelines of today and of the future'"; the 2007 Outstanding Contribution in Contemporary Biology Award (Brown University, "For his groundbreaking research and contributions in stem cell science and biology"; the 2006 All-Star Award for Biotechnology (MA High Tech, for "pushing stem cells' future"); the 2005 Rave Award for Medicine (Wired magazine, "For eye-opening work on embryonic stem cells"); and Lanza is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who's Who in Science and Engineering; Who's Who in American Education, and Who's Who in Technology, among others.
Dr. Lanza and his research have been featured in almost every media outlet in the world, including CNN, TIME, Newsweek, People, as well as the front pages of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, among others (his work has also been the cover story of US News & World Report, Wired magazine, and Scientific American).
In 2007, Lanza published a feature article, "A New Theory of the Universe" in The American Scholar, a leading intellectual journal which has previously published works by Albert Einstein, Margaret Mead, and Carl Sagan, among others. His theory places biology above the other sciences in an attempt to solve one of nature's biggest puzzles, the theory of everything that other disciplines have been pursuing for the last century. This new view has become known as Biocentrism. In biocentrism, space and time are forms of animal sense perception, rather than external physical objects. Understanding this more fully yields answers to several major puzzles of mainstream science, and offers a new way of understanding everything from the microworld (for instance, the reason for Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and the double-slit experiment) to the forces, constants, and laws that shape the universe. Nobel laureate E. Donnall Thomas stated "Any short statement does not do justice to such a scholarly work. The work is a scholarly consideration of science and philosophy that brings biology into the central role in unifying the whole."
You can read more about Dr. Robert Lanza's work at:
http://www.robertlanza.com/
http://www.robertlanzabiocentrism.com/
https://beyondbiocentrism.com
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Customers find the story interesting, brilliantly written, and captivating. They also find the book thought-provoking, enlightening, and full of non-mathematical food for thought. Readers describe the characters as interesting and complex. Opinions are mixed on the plot complexity and writing quality, with some finding it plausible and smart, while others say it's clunky and disappointing.
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Customers find the book interesting, intriguing, and captivating. They also say it's smartly written and has a good plot. Readers describe the concept as enticing and intuitively right on. Overall, they describe the book as outstanding and thrilling.
"...Fortunately, it’s presented in such a simple and elegant way , you don’t even realize you’re grasping advanced physics concepts while sipping your tea..." Read more
"The story is original and it does raise some interesting questions...." Read more
"...What should interest potential readers most is that this is an extremely sharp novel about a newly developing area of science that is sincerely..." Read more
"...Lanza’s scientific work into something understandable while building a rich narrative that compels the plot, engages the imagination, and makes you..." Read more
Customers find the book fascinating, educational, and enlightening. They say it's full of non-mathematical food for thought. Readers also appreciate the novel approach that incorporates science.
"...This book is filled with incredible characters, cutting edge science , and a story that takes you on a roller coaster ride to places you never..." Read more
"The story is original and it does raise some interesting questions ...." Read more
"...But the good news is that the book does both: it gives a good amount of detail , yet doesn’t seem to go on so long that you’ve “had enough” with the..." Read more
"...And it doesn't disappoint. It's jam packed with cool science , suspense, and characters who come to life in the pages of the book...." Read more
Customers find the characters interesting and complex.
"...This book is filled with incredible characters , cutting edge science, and a story that takes you on a roller coaster ride to places you never..." Read more
"...this novel is that it really draws you in with a great story with good characters and a clear storyline...." Read more
"...First, the numerous characters were not well developed and none were particularly likable...." Read more
"...In short, he’s not only a genius, but an interesting character who I see reflected in few of his book’s central players...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the plot complexity of the book. Some mention it creates a very believable fact-based concept, while others say the story is at times clunky and distracting.
"...She's smart and tough but the authors manage to show her softer side too...." Read more
"...the story line like a carrot and so far it’s just changing contexts of the same plot point to further the book along. I can’t finish it." Read more
"...This area of quantum physics is not only new and exciting , but it is also tremendously “heady” and it stretches the imagination...." Read more
"...elements required for story-telling—in a formulaic way—but very little of the narrative (plot, characters, or setting) could engage a reader with..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book. Some mention it's smartly written, interesting, and easy to understand and believe. However, others say it lacks smooth and mature story writing. They find the explanations repetitive and the book holds little literary value.
"...Fortunately, it’s presented in such a simple and elegant way, you don’t even realize you’re grasping advanced physics concepts while sipping your tea..." Read more
"...The editing is mostly good , though there are a few obvious issues that hopefully will be addressed in future editions...." Read more
"...Some may find that interesting; but, I found the explainations to be too repetitive ...." Read more
"...and their relationships – some sad, too – but it is all immensely readable and an absolute page turner throughout...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some mention the characters are realistic and believable, while others say it went by too fast.
"...What is so great about this novel is that it really draws you in with a great story with good characters and a clear storyline...." Read more
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"...Sadly, the writing was dull, the characters were bland, the pacing was glacial (and not in a good way), and the point was lost...." Read more
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- Book Reviews
Observer by Robert Lanza & Nancy Kress – Book Review
- Author – Robert Lanza & Nancy Kress
- Publisher – Fiction Studio Books
- Release Date – 10th January 2023
- Pages – 395
- ISBN 13 – 978-1611883435
- Format – ebook, paperback
- Star Rating – 5
I received a free copy of this book. This post contains affiliate links.
Caro Soames-Watkins, a talented neurosurgeon whose career has been upended by controversy, is jobless, broke, and the sole supporter of her sister, a single mother with a severely disabled child.
When she receives a strange job offer from Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sam Watkins, a great uncle she barely knows, desperation forces her to take it in spite of serious suspicions.
Watkins has built a mysterious medical facility in the Caribbean to conduct research into the nature of consciousness, reality, and life after death. Helped in his mission by his old friend, eminent physicist George Weigert, and young tech entrepreneur Julian Dey, Sam has gone far beyond curing the body to develop a technology that could solve the riddle of mortality.
Two obstacles stand in their way: someone on the inside is leaking intel and Watkins’ failing body must last long enough for the technology to be ready.
As danger mounts, Caro finds more than she bargained for, including murder, love, and a deeper understanding into the nature of reality.
A mind-expanding journey to the very edges of science, Observer will thrill you, inspire you, and lead you to think about life and the power of the imagination in startling new ways.
Review by Julie
‘Observer’ is a sci-fi novel by American-based co-authors, Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress. It is written in the third person and the past tense with each chapter ending on an intriguing hook. We meet Dr Caroline Soames-Watkins, an up-and-coming neurosurgeon, on track for a glittering career until she is cancelled by a relentless social media campaign rained down on her after she accuses a seemingly untouchable senior colleague of sexual impropriety. It appears that no hospital is willing to offer her a post and with a huge student debt and a niece with significant health issues, she accepts an offer from her great-uncle Nobel laureate, Dr Sam Watkins. She travels to Cayman Brac to join a project with which she is morally and ethically uncomfortable.
I’m not going to pretend I understand the premise of the science behind the plot. Suffice it to say, Sam Watkins’ friend and colleague, eminent physicist George Weigert, has come up with a revolutionary theory challenging the framework of contemporary science. He calls this the ‘Primacy of the Observer’ and it concentrates on the possibility of a ‘multiverse’ rather than a universe.
The plot develops at pace with an event which could affect the efficacy of the project and there is an unexpected love interest for Caro. I was delighted to find the object of her affection wasn’t the archetypal perfect male specimen. I would question the mention of a death of a character about half way through the book when we weren’t supposed to know about it until much later in the story.
This is a very carefully constructed story with an unexpected ending. I thought Caro was strong and multi-dimensional and she was ably assisted by her foils. I think sci-fi fans will very much enjoy this book. The authors have used literary devices well and in spite of the seriousness of the underlying themes, there is a smattering of humour along the way. It kept me engaged from start to finish and I award five stars.
Purchase Online:
- Amazon.co.uk
Robert Lanza & Nancy Kress
Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People,” Robert Lanza is a renowned scientist and author whose ground-breaking research spans many fields, from biology to theoretical physics. He has worked with some of the greatest minds of our time, including Jonas Salk and B.F. Skinner. A U.S. News and World Report cover story called him “the living embodiment of the character played by Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting” and described him as a “genius,” a “renegade thinker,” and likened him to Einstein. He is the father of Biocentrism, the basis of Observer, his first novel.
He has been pondering the larger existential questions since he was a young boy, when for play he took excursions deep into the forests of eastern Massachusetts observing nature (like Emerson and Thoreau, who grew up just a few miles from him). This fascination with the nature of life infused his entire career, leading him to the very frontiers of biology and science.
Author Links:
- www.robertlanza.com
Nancy Kress is the author of thirty-five books, including twenty-seven novels, four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. Her work has won six Nebula Awards, two Hugo Awards, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Her most recent works are a stand-alone novella about genetic engineering, Sea Change (Tachyon, 2020) and a science fiction novel of power and money, The Eleventh Gate (Baen, 2020). Her fiction has been translated into nearly two dozen languages including Klingon. She has taught writing in Leipzig, Beijing, and throughout the U.S. Nancy lives in Seattle with her husband, writer Jack Skillingstead.
The above links are affiliate links. I receive a very small percentage from each item you purchase via these links, which is at no extra cost to you. If you are thinking about purchasing the book, please think about using one of the links. All money received goes back into the blog and helps to keep it running. Thank you.
Tags: Amazon Authors Blackwells Book Book Blog Book Blogger Book Review Book Reviewer ebook Fiction Five Stars Julie Kindle Nancy Kress Paperback Review Robert Lanza Sci-Fi
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