Book Review - Change Agent

Author: Daniel Suarez

Suarez always does his homework, the book is filled with what feels like a deep dive into biology and CRISPR. What I enjoy even better is that Suarez is clearly an engineer who always teeters on explaining too much and keeping it high level. At one point the characters debate wether to just fly strait into Marcus’s hideout, and its pointed out that there are autonomous cannons from a previous conflict still active in field. Rather than leaving it at that Suarez explains how the algae they use for fuel makes it self-suffient. It’s this level of detail, science, and futurism that makes his writing so addicting.

He doesn’t approach the personal ramifications of the future with as much detail as the technological ones, which depending on your prefence might leave you feeling unfulfilled. //The dwarf// has a real conflict with the future, but his grievance is more with the politics of the situation, a standard staple of Suarzes’ writing, than the morality of it. He is an example of what happens when laws and rules are written without any wiggle room, some get left out.

I don’t know if I understand how unique Daniel’s dilema is tied to him changing identities, rather he has to finally put his beliefs to the test (deganism, illegal activities, and genetic engineering).

The national politics of it border on a typical dystopian class hellscape combine with a climate that’s collapsing around them which makes everything else that follows even worse - immigration, famine and war. Again i’m not sure what this has to do with genetics.

With all that said, and despite the abrupt ending, if even a fraction of this level of genetic engineering comes to fruition Suarez has highlighted several areas that scientists, ethicists, and politicans need to start considering.