Review: Transference by Ian Patterson

The Book:

Nicholas Fiveboroughs is a Sicko, someone that takes on others' illnesses. In a city where diseases can be transferred, the rich buy longer lives without pain, and the poor get a short life of constant sickness. Maybe it was fate, or maybe someone is looking out for him, but after Nicholas barely survives his latest affliction, he gets the chance to try and change things. To finally stop the whole disease transfer network.

Tensions escalate as Nicholas infiltrates a higher society he doesn’t understand, and starts to fall for the very person he needs to manipulate to be successful. And between run-ins with a talking animal and genetically modified humans, the world around him just keeps getting stranger. Can Nicholas tear down the disease transfer architecture? And can he do it without losing his own humanity along the way?

My Thoughts:

This is a quality piece of science fiction, innovative and original. We find ourselves embroiled in a divided future society where the rich pay people to take on their illnesses so that they can live their lives with the privilege of good health.

Nicholas is one of these ‘sickos’ and following a close brush with death he sets out to infiltrate the higher reaches of their society, intent to bring it down. However nothing is quite so simple and soon Nicholas finds his assumed identity brings along with it a new set of problems and inner conflicts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There are some wonderful ideas swilling around and a very well conceived flawed future society which is quite original. There are plenty of surprises along the way to keep the reader on his/her toes.

At the time of writing this Transference has reached the Quarter Finals of the Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4) and I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes all the way.

Definitely one to read and a strong recommendation.