RATING  ****

Darwin's Radio is a 538 page hard science fiction paperback book by Greg Bear published July, 2000.

Darwin’s Radio is a pleasure for someone who loves hard science fiction, as I do.  Here’s the premise: SHEVA, a retrovirus long-buried in our genes, suddenly awakens and begins to attack pregnant women, forcing them to miscarry after three months.  But that’s just the beginning – after the miscarriage, these same women spontaneously become pregnant again, this time developing a fetus that’s not quite human.  The federal government, led by the science establishment, after first denying the truth, then begins pressing parents to turn over their strange children to the government.

 This premise just blew my mind; it’s creative, believable and terrifying.  The science was complex and I referred to the glossary, included at the back of the book, several times.  As I progressed through the pages, I was reminded of Beggars in Spain, Nancy Kress’s wonderful story.  Both novels explore the rapid evolution of humanity into another species, although Greg Bear, unlike Kress, makes humanity involuntary travelers on the journey.

My major complaint is the slow pace.  Too much time was spent on a romance between the two major characters.  Even more frustrating was the endless politics between and among the scientific community and their patrons.  Although Darwin’s Radio is science fiction and not a techno-thriller, more action – yes, a little violence, too – would have strengthened the brew.

The bottom line: a slightly flawed but thought-provoking tale.