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The Proteus Cure Kindle Edition
In medical ethics, the line between right and wrong is often blurred. Who is to decide what is for the good of humanity?
Changing the world. One person at a time…
That is the mission statement of Tethys Hospital, run by Dr. Bill Gilchrist and his deformed sister, Abra. VG723, their revolutionary stem-cell-based therapy, appears to be capable of doing just that for the cancer patients who come to Tethys. VG723 is often their last hope. But if they match the protocol, they're virtually guaranteed a cure.
Dr. Sheila Takamura, a young, dedicated oncologist, is proud to be involved in the clinical trials. Once the FDA approves it for widespread use, VG723 will revolutionize cancer therapy. That is why she's alarmed when former patients return with bizarre syndromes. Yes, they're cancer free, but they're experiencing dramatic changes in their hair and skin and general appearance. When she investigates a possible link to the protocol, those patients start dying. As the body count grows, Sheila finds her own life in danger. She comes to suspect there might be a literal meaning behind the Tethys motto – but can she learn the truth in time to save herself and millions of others?
"Wilson is one of the masters of the medical thriller." – Larry King
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateApril 20, 2013
- File size1084 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B00CGJ37MG
- Publisher : Shadowridge Press; First edition (April 20, 2013)
- Publication date : April 20, 2013
- Language : English
- File size : 1084 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 405 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #853,977 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #946 in Medical Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #1,468 in Conspiracy Thrillers (Books)
- #1,472 in Medical Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
I was born toward the end of the Jurassic Period and raised in New Jersey where I misspent my youth playing with matches, poring over Uncle Scrooge and E.C. comics, reading Lovecraft, Matheson, Bradbury, and Heinlein, listening to Chuck Berry and Alan Freed, and watching Soupy Sales and horror movies. I sold my first story in the Cretaceous Period and have been writing ever since. (Even that dinosaur-killer asteroid couldn't stop me.)
I've written in just about every genre - science fiction, fantasy, horror, young adult, a children's Christmas book (with a monster, of course), medical thrillers, political thrillers, even a religious thriller (long before that DaVinci thing). So far I've got about 55 books and 100 or so short stories under my name in 24 languages.
I guess I'm best known for the Repairman Jack series which ran 23 novels. Jack is out to pasture now, but I may bring him back if the right story comes along.
THE KEEP, THE TOMB, HARBINGERS, BY THE SWORD, and NIGHTWORLD all appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers List. WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS won the first Prometheus Award in 1979; THE TOMB received the Porgie Award from The West Coast Review of Books. My novelette "Aftershock" received the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for short fiction. DYDEETOWN WORLD was on the young adult recommended reading lists of the American Library Association and the New York Public Library, among others (God knows why). I received the prestigious Inkpot Award from San Diego ComiCon and the Pioneer Award from the RT Booklovers Convention. I'm listed in the 50th anniversary edition of Who's Who in America. (That plus $3 will buy you a coffee at Starbuck's.)
My novel THE KEEP was made into a visually striking but otherwise incomprehensible movie (screenplay and direction by Michael Mann) from Paramount in 1983. My original teleplay "Glim-Glim" first aired on Monsters. An adaptation of my short story "Menage a Trois" was part of the pilot for The Hunger series that debuted on Showtime in July 1997.
And then there's the epic saga of the Repairman Jack film. After 20 years in development hell with half a dozen writers and at least a dozen scripts, Beacon Films has decided that "Repairman Jack" might be better suited for TV than theatrical films. (We'll see how that works out.)
I've done a few collaborations too: with Steve Spruill on NIGHTKILL, A NECESSARY END with Sarah Pinborough, THE PROTEUS CURE with Tracy Carbone, and the Nocturnia series with Thomas Moneleone. Back in the 1990s, Matthew J. Costello and I did world design, characters, and story arcs for Sci-Fi Channel's FTL NewsFeed, a daily newscast set 150 years in the future. An FTL NewsFeed was the first program broadcast by the new channel when it launched in September 1992. We took over scripting the Newsfeeds (the equivalent of a 4-1/2 hour movie per year) in 1994 and continued until its cancellation in December 1996.
We did script and design for MATHQUEST WITH ALADDIN (Disney Interactive - 1997) with voices by Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters, and the same for The Interactive DARK HALF for Orion Pictures, based on the Stephen King novel, but this project was orphaned when MGM bought Orion. (It's officially vaporware now.) We did two novels together (MIRAGE and DNA WARS) and even wrote a stageplay, "Syzygy," which opened in St. Augustine, Florida, in March, 2000.
I'm tired of talking about myself, so I'll close by saying that I live and work at the Jersey Shore where I'm usually pounding away on a new novel and haunting eBay for strange clocks and Daddy Warbucks memorabilia. (No, we don't have a cat.)
Tracy L. Carbone lives in Southern California with her animal and human family. She enjoys anything creative: oil painting, writing, playing mountain dulcimer, and the occasional mosaic mural. Inspired by sunshine, the inherent kindness of people, and the beauty of nature, she felt compelled to change course in her writing. After a long writing career immersed in dark fiction and heart-wrenching stories, her most recent book, I Am Water marks a new path for her. This illustrated fable, accompanied by whimsical illustrations, is sure to make the reader smile.
Ms. Carbone’s horror and literary short stories have appeared in dozens of anthologies and magazines in the U.S. and Canada. She was an active member of the Horror Writers Association, and former Co-chair of the New England Horror Writers. She edited their Bram Stoker Award nominated anthology, Epitaphs, a creepy collection of horror stories and poems. To date, she has published six novels and two short story collections, edited or co-edited two anthologies. And more recently, she wrote and illustrated the lighter, happy books: Goodbye Grandma Anna and I Am Water.
New Works:
I Am Water- an illustrated fable about life and connectedness
Goodbye Grandma Anna-an endearing tale of a puppy whose doggy companion passes away but returns as a ghost to ease her sorrow. Includes prints of original oil paintings created for the book by the author.
Novels include:
2017 Rainbox, a time travel mystery.
2016 Missing, formerly released as Hope House in 2013, a mystery and medical thriller
2014 My Name Is Marnie, a ghostly mystery
2013 The Proteus Cure, a medical thriller written with F. Paul Wilson – a cure for all diseases or gene therapy ballooning out of control?
2012 Restitution, a novel of suspense about a man who orchestrates his life and those of others around the plot of a book he’s writing, with sinister intent.
2010 The Soul Collector, originally The Man of Mystery Hill, 2008, now out of print, a middle grade novel about a girl who discovers her quirky father is actually an alien/being from another galaxy, but he doesn’t know it.
Short Story Collections
2017 Just Stories, a collection of cautionary tales spanning many genres but all focusing on the darkness and redemption of humans.
2013 The Collection and Other Dark Tales, which includes eighteen stories of the dark side of humans, alive, and on "the other side"
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers enjoyed the book's plot and found it engaging. They found the writing quality intelligent, well-crafted, and different. The characters were described as wonderful and the villain was portrayed as obvious from the beginning. The book kept readers hooked with its fast-paced story and surprising twists that kept them turning the pages.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the plot of the book. They find it interesting, well-written, and executed. The story is told from multiple points of view, with a believable premise and twists and turns that keep readers hooked. Readers appreciate the overall intent and underlying themes of the book.
"...The Proteus Cure is the perfect medical thriller, guaranteed to have you flipping through the pages long after you should have gone to bed...." Read more
"...As it unfolds, the premise is believable - could all this happen? And the ethical questions are intriguing...." Read more
"...Their DNA has been changed. There are plot twists that make you feel like your on a roller coaster ride. Where would it all end?..." Read more
"...the vast majority of his recent solo writing, this one is straight medical/SF thriller, without so much as a hint of supernatural horror, similar to..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it interesting and engaging, with a great story and characters that keep them hooked until the end. The pacing keeps the story moving smoothly, keeping readers hooked until the end.
"The Proteus Cure is a good read and moves along at a reasonable pace, however it lacks the level of drama and intensity that makes it difficult for..." Read more
"Quite enjoyable and read twice because of the probabilities of this becoming a reality in the future...." Read more
"...I found it a bit slow in places, but overall, quite enjoyable. No science clunkers...." Read more
"...I won't say I was disappointed. As far as medical thrillers go, it was pretty good...." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book. They find the writing intelligent, well-crafted, and original. The characters are well-developed and the book is an easy read for longtime readers.
"...The characters are few and fairly well developed. They carry the story along well...." Read more
"...FPW has a unique writing style that is very recognizable to longtime readers. The same is true of his characters and their actions...." Read more
"...n't quite a "I can't put it down." I don't know why--it's well crafter, well-written & plotted, but I guess it's not quite Michael Crichton." Read more
"...There were a lot of editing errors, but the writing was good enough that I found myself able to ignore them...." Read more
Customers enjoy the character development. They find the characters wonderful and the story has tension throughout. However, some readers feel the villain's motivations are unclear from the beginning.
"...The characters in the novel are complex and fully fleshed out with sympathetic back stories that blur the line between good and evil...." Read more
"...And the ethical questions are intriguing. The characters are few and fairly well developed. They carry the story along well...." Read more
"...Her writing is somehow softer and less angular than FPW's. The characters were OK, not flat, but not as fully fleshed out as they might have been,..." Read more
"...It did not have the feel of an f paul wilson book. The characters were weak and the plot was just not interesting...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's engaging story with unexpected twists that keep them turning the pages.
"...It certainly was fast paced and a page turner in my opinion." Read more
"I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a true page-turner...." Read more
"...It was a good read and had a great number of plots and turns to keep you guessing throughout the whole book. Loved it...." Read more
"...Completely different with a fast paced story guaranteed to be a page turner. Hated to see it end...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's pacing. They find it fast-paced and engaging, keeping the story moving along well.
"...The characters are few and fairly well developed. They carry the story along well...." Read more
"...I could not go to sleep until I knew the conclusion. It certainly was fast paced and a page turner in my opinion." Read more
"The Proteus Cure is a good read and moves along at a reasonable pace, however it lacks the level of drama and intensity that makes it difficult for..." Read more
"Enjoyable medical thriller. Fast and easy read. I am a big fan of the Keep and other F. Paul Wilson books...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2013Writing a review of "The Proteus Cure" by F. Paul Wilson and Tracy L. Carbone is proving to be quite the daunting task, as to say too much about this medical thriller would be to give away some of the great plot twists that fill the pages.
The premise of Proteus is that a hospital is on the precipice of something huge; a miracle drug that cures patients of every type of cancer. The clinical trials are proving a near 100% success rate, but not every client is a match.
Dr. Bill Gilchrist heads Tethys Hospital with his deformed sister, Abra. Together, the siblings spearhead the clinical trials of the miracle stem-cell based therapy VG723. All they need is the FDA to approve it for widespread use for their dream to become a reality.
Sheila Takamura is a dedicated doctor in the employ of Bill and Abra. Her history with the clinical trials makes her a foremost authority on the drug. When she begins to suspect that VG723 may cause some alarming side-effects, someone decides that she has to be silenced.
Soon, Dr. Takamura finds herself racing against time to uncover the horrifying truth about the alleged miracle cure and the ultimate nefarious reasons why the drug is so important to the hospital.
F. Paul Wilson is no stranger to medical thrillers, having penned his fair share: The Select, Deep as the Marrow, Implant, and Legacies among them. With The Proteus Cure Wilson is in top form, peppering the story with a sense of foreboding and palpable dread. His signature "Trust No One" paranoia-inducing style is fresh and tightly constructed.
Tracy L. Carbone is the mastermind behind the story, having approached Wilson at a reader/writer convention with the idea. Over time, many emails were exchanged until the two authors drafted The Proteus Cure.
The fact that Wilson's portions and Carbone's portions are indistinguishable from each other speaks volumes to the level of talent Tracy Carbone has.
Tracy Carbone's narrative is tense and suspenseful with a creeping sense of horror added to the mix. The idea that something of this magnitude could very well happen places a sense of urgency within the story, leading the reader to believe not only is it possible, but it is only a matter of time.
The characters in the novel are complex and fully fleshed out with sympathetic back stories that blur the line between good and evil.
The Proteus Cure is the perfect medical thriller, guaranteed to have you flipping through the pages long after you should have gone to bed. It also does for doctors what Psycho did for showers!
- Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2014This novel is a lot of fun - not in a comedic sense but in a solid sci-fi-ish thriller kind of way. You've read something like it possibly, but this take on the "something sinister going on behind the scenes at a hospital" has much well-researched background on stem cell possibilities. As it unfolds, the premise is believable - could all this happen? And the ethical questions are intriguing. The characters are few and fairly well developed. They carry the story along well. If you like a light novel with questions that will challenge you, give The Proteus Cure a try.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2013The premise of this not only good but eerily plausible. A cure for cancer is in a trial study in humans. It works but what is the price to be paid? People receiving the treatment is having startling side effects. Their DNA has been changed. There are plot twists that make you feel like your on a roller coaster ride. Where would it all end? I read this book in 2 days and stayed up to the wee hours in the morning to finish it. I could not go to sleep until I knew the conclusion. It certainly was fast paced and a page turner in my opinion.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2013"The Proteus Cure" by F Paul Wilson and Tracy Carbone came about from a series of conversations between Ms. Carbone and FPW that morphed into a collaborative writing effort. In contrast to the vast majority of his recent solo writing, this one is straight medical/SF thriller, without so much as a hint of supernatural horror, similar to some of his early work. The plot is relatively original, and the ending is probably not what one would have predicted. Some recipients of an experimental miracle cure for cancer start showing some very unexpected side effects that are noticed by one oncologist employed by the Tethys Hospital. Sheila Takamura begins to investigate, and things rapidly go south from there.
The science in the science fiction is pretty shaky in places. Viruses are millions or billions of times smaller than cells, and they do not get stuck in the cell membrane. They enter the cell and normally hijack the protein synthetic machinery in the nucleus of the cell to make more viruses. Viral vectors such as the ones described in the novel can indeed be used to insert small gene sequences into a cell's genome, but cannot do what they are described as doing. which is crucial for the plot to make sense. Stem cells can indeed do close to what is claimed, but the problem is that you'd first have to get rid of the all the original cells. That's the main reason why the horrible chemotherapy that kills off all a patient's own blood generating cells in the bone marrow is necessary for stem cell (bone marrow) transplants to work for cancer. But I guess maybe only biologists or science geeks would be bothered by this.
FPW has a unique writing style that is very recognizable to longtime readers. The same is true of his characters and their actions. In many places, I was (correctly or not) acutely aware that I was reading FPW's writing, and in others, the writing of someone else, i.e. Ms. Carbone. Nothing wrong with the way she writes, but she's just not FPW. Her writing is somehow softer and less angular than FPW's. The characters were OK, not flat, but not as fully fleshed out as they might have been, and many of them, particularly Sheila, behaved in a rather unrealistic and credulous manner. Note that I am not so lukewarm about all of FPW's collaborative efforts: "Draculas" was a complete hoot of a bloody vampire tale, and it was written by 3 or 4 authors, including Blake Crouch (who has since become another of my favorite authors).
In summary, the novel was OK, I'm glad I read it, but I usually prefer my FPW straight.
J.M. Tepper
Top reviews from other countries
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Giancarlo MarchesiniReviewed in Italy on April 6, 2016
4.0 out of 5 stars È uno dei miei autori preferiti
Ottimo, come tutte le opere di Paul Wilson, Ragazzi, perché mi costringete a scrivere in modo prolisso? Mi piacciono i giudizi concisi
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regisReviewed in Germany on December 10, 2013
4.0 out of 5 stars The Proteus Cure F. Paul Wilson
Mir gefiel er!
Ein Kritiker ist ein Mensch, der keine schöpferischen Anlagen besitzt und sich daher befähigt fühlt, das Werk von schöpferischen Menschen zu beurteilen. Darin steckt eine gewisse Logik; er ist unparteiisch - er haßt alle schöpferischen Menschen gleich.
- Paul W RamplinReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars This is how thrillers SHOULD be written.
I have been an avid F Paul Wilson reader for many years now so I was always going to buy this book. I have to say though, if I hadn't already been an avid reader, this book would have started me off.
It's a medical thriller, but if you're non-medical, please don't let that put you off. I don't have a medical bone in my body and thanks to Wilson and Carbone's in-depth but easy-to-understand explanations of the medical areas, I was never left in the dark.
I can't emphasise enough how good this book is: it had me hooked from the start - I was reading it at any given opportunity. It ticks all the boxes: excellent and believable characters, superb story, fast paced, 'oh wow' moments, 'oh no' moments; it's all there. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
I said I'd been an avid F Paul Wilson reader, and that will certainly continue, but on the strength of this book, I have now become an avid Tracy L Carbone reader too.
- sventReviewed in Australia on June 19, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Clear and utter brillant
- Iain SibbringReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2013
4.0 out of 5 stars Kept me involved to the end
The story flows nicely and the characters were well written and made you care for them. The suspense built quite nicely to the end, although in places the plot was a little predictable. Overall an interesting read