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If Pigs Could Cry

If Pigs Could Cry


A After Brad Crenshaw’s daughter, Lani, dies while awaiting a heart transplant, he closes his practice as a pediatric cardiologist and turns to the laboratory, in an attempt to honor Lani’s memory by creating an unlimited source of transplantable hearts, thus ensuring that other parents and patients do not have to face the same agony his family has endured. His plan is to substitute human DNA in the genomes of cloned swine to make their hearts more compatible with human hosts. After thirteen such substitutions, he is near to complete success. But the cloned swine resulting from the fourteenth substitution demonstrate unexpected changes that threaten his research, his family, his Hawaiian community, and ultimately, the future of humanity.

Reviews


Great read. They probably are smarter than most of us anyway. The feral pigs on the Big Island cause enough destruction, one can only imagine what these would do. ★★★★★


I like Hawaii and things Hawaiian, so I enjoyed all "da kine stuff" about the Big Island and the local characters. The book wrestles with some interesting ethical issues in bioengineering, both benefits and unintended consequences. At times the book is quite scary; there's some parts I don't recommend reading just before sleepy time. There are also some violent sex scene descriptions that, while brief, detract from any story, so far as I'm concerned. Gunn writes in a fast-moving, easy-reading style. Be sure to read his other books, "Tale of Two Planets" and "Red Exodus," in that order. ★★★★


This book is amazing! It brings out every emotion you have and makes you want to discuss the ideas with others. The moral and ethical impications are huge and mind boggling. I couldn't put the book down. Every one of Gunn's books has twists and turns which make for excitement. The author makes this all sound so true that you wonder if it is really happening now and where the limits have been put in place. It is hard to write a review about this book without giving away the plot. Just know that it is extremely interesting. I would recommend this book to everyone, and I can hardly wait to read more reviews. ★★★★★


Something between science fiction and medical horror, as I read this book I couldn’t help thinking of Planet of the Apes. The writing is solid and I was immediately drawn into the story of scientists on the Big Island of Hawaii who are genetically engineering pigs so their organs can be used for transplanting into humans. The author is a medical doctor who knows his stuff when it comes to genetics, but lay person will easily understand it. The premise is not far fetched at all. Research in this area has been done for more than a decade. But what happens when human DNA is introduced into pigs? At what point are they still pigs? And at what point do they become too much “like us” to ethically harvest their organs? This is where the story takes off in a “what if?” direction. The author treats us to lovely descriptions of the Big Island. The characters are interesting and well-developed, each with their own issues and conflicts. The plot clips along with frequent point of view changes. We are even given brief glimpses into a pig’s point of view. I would warn readers that the violence is sometimes graphic and there are disturbing descriptions of animal cruelty. This book is not for the squeamish. But if you enjoy a really good thriller, you’ll definitely love this one. ★★★★★


While extreme in its view it does pose some very interesting scenarios. Food for thought. Be careful what you wish for...... ★★★★


A gripping read with incredible pig attributes. The villain gets his due. ★★★★★


Terrific book -- it kept me turning the pages. I couldn't wait to find out what happened at the end!!!! Loved it! ★★★★★


This a fascinating story of unintentional consequences of scientific experiment gone awry. The science is believable. The milieu is on an outer Hawaiian island with a peek into present day local culture along with a helpful glossary to explain the meaning of the many local words. ★★★★★


This book combines a medical research story with an aggressive psychological drama, a love story and a fanciful original premise about humans and pigs. The careful research is believable, the settings are authentic, the characters well developed and the overall story is delightful. Make no mistake, this is not a children's tale, rather an r-rated semi-horror story. I was entranced and repelled at the same time. ★★★★


Alain Gunn brings Animal Farm into the 21st century with If Pigs Could Cry, using better science than Orwell but with the same graphic imagination. In an effort to breed pigs to provide better matches for human organ transplants, a university research team patches human DNA into pig embryos inadvertently creating a strain of supersmart pigs. There are well developed characters with heroes and villains in both species, all set vividly in the sense and scent of Hawaii. Interesting at the start, the pace quickly becomes compelling, and in the end … well, you need to read it. ★★★★★


Great concept, taking the current medical work with pigs and expanding into one potential future. I still like bacon but will sure think twice about it. I know animals are smart, we seem to be the dumb species! Great story, good read! ★★★★★


Research initiated to extend the longevity of human life with successful heart transplants takes an unexpected turn . . . when the heart donors rebel. Pigs of the domestic variety are considered highly social and intelligent animals. In this novel, pigs are genetically modified to supply medical science with acceptable organs for transplant in humans. This is, in fact, medically feasible reality, not science fiction. Internet searches for “pig heart saves human life” and “first human heart transplant” reveal that something is impossible only until it becomes possible. In fiction, though, something can and usually does go wrong. In the case of IF PIGS COULD CRY, author Alain Gunn weaves an intriguing story without venturing into the plot dynamics of Animal Farm. With each new literary building block, Gunn further immerses the reader in a world of possibilities increasingly more difficult to dispute. But what can happen when human DNA is injected into an animal whose scientifically proven DNA is closely matched to that of a human? It could lead to murder. This tale does raise several arguments pertaining to moral, ethical, and religious practices. After reading the well-researched novel, it is easy to see the importance of such research. What is more difficult to determine is where medical research should draw the line. ★★★★★

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