OFF TARGET: COMING SOON
I am delighted to announce that my new speculative thriller, OFF TARGET, will be out in print and audio on 17th February next year, and even earlier (17th December), for those who prefer e-books.
Off Target is set in a near future where genetic engineering has become the norm for humans as well as crops, and parents are prepared to take incalculable risks to ensure that their babies are perfect, altering genes that may cause illness, and more…
And when a one-night stand leads to a long-desired pregnancy, Susan will do anything to ensure her husband won’t find out … including the unthinkable. But when something horrendous is unleashed around the globe, her secret isn’t the only thing that is no longer safe…
As with my first book, The Waiting Rooms, real facts drawn from extensive research have provided the inspiration for this thriller, along with some expert guidance ( thanks to my expert readers!).
The idea came when I learned how genetics will not only revolutionise medicine and agriculture, but also the way we have babies. And how soon this might happen.
In Off Target’s world, genetic technologies influence practically every area of our lives: what we eat and drink, our hospital treatments and homes, the pets we breed and, importantly, how we conceive.
We already use genetic screening to select embryos for implantation during IVF.
In my book, the fertility industry goes one step further, offering "corrections" to embryos should selection alone not suffice.
This world is not as far off as it sounds.
We are approaching a future where, as Jamie Metzl says in his excellent book, Hacking Darwin, we will take active control of our evolutionary process by genetically selecting and altering our offspring. But, when it comes to rewriting our own biological code, even the scientific community is divided.
And the science is moving much faster than regulation or public debate.
“Don’t see the genetics revolution as abstract science.
This is the story of you and your family and your future, and it is unfolding in front of your eyes.”
I’ve been enthralled by the rapid advances in genetics that have enabled us to tackle new viruses like COVID 19, as well as preventing incurable diseases such as Huntington’s.
But I am equally apprehensive about other applications of this technology and the widely-differing opinions and values being deployed to guide those. I am not alone.
History shows we are often ill-equipped to understand the longer term consequences of our scientific ambitions or prevent their malevolent manipulation. The unsavoury history of eugenics is a salutory warning to us all.
In March next year, the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing will take place, bringing together leading scientific experts from across the world to examine the potential risks and benefits of genome editing technologies as well as the significant ethical and societal issues they pose.
This summit, if a consensus is reached, could have major implications for what is considered morally acceptable, how such technologies might be regulated and to what extent the general public: people like us, get to have our say.
Genome editing has the potential to advance or condemn our species and our planet.
Which is why a much broader debate needs to be had that involves not just scientists, but everyone. I am hoping that OFF TARGET may, in some small way contribute to that debate.
As well, of course, as being a thrilling good read.