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Immunity Index
Sue Burke, author of Semiosis and Interference, gives readers a new near-future, hard sf novel. Immunity Index blends Orphan Black with Contagion in a terrifying outbreak scenario.
In a US facing growing food shortages, stark inequality, and a growing fascist government, three perfectly normal young women are about to find out that they share a great deal in common.
Their creator, the gifted geneticist Peng, made them that way—before such things were outlawed.
Rumors of a virus make their way through an unprotected population on the verge of rebellion, only to have it turn deadly.
As the women fight to stay alive and help, Peng races to find a cure—and the cover up behind the virus.
In a US facing growing food shortages, stark inequality, and a growing fascist government, three perfectly normal young women are about to find out that they share a great deal in common.
Their creator, the gifted geneticist Peng, made them that way—before such things were outlawed.
Rumors of a virus make their way through an unprotected population on the verge of rebellion, only to have it turn deadly.
As the women fight to stay alive and help, Peng races to find a cure—and the cover up behind the virus.
8 pages, Audiobook
First published May 4, 2021
About the author
Sue Burke
46 books722 followersI grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, lived briefly in Austin, Texas, y'all, and moved with my husband to Madrid, Spain, in December 1999. Then back to the US, specifically Chicago, in July 2016.
I've worked for fifty years as a journalist, both as a reporter and editor, and I translate from Spanish to English.
I also write poetry, essays, and fiction, especially science fiction.
I've worked for fifty years as a journalist, both as a reporter and editor, and I translate from Spanish to English.
I also write poetry, essays, and fiction, especially science fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
May 10, 2021
There's quite a bit to unpack in this book, but I found it hard to put down.
The four POVs tell a complicated story of a health and political crisis as they collide and unfold into a kind of civil rebellion with predictably fatal results for many people. I think even 10 years ago this might have been read as satire, but given the continued mess we see in American politics, it seems instead predictive of a possible future.
I like Burke's writing style and her detailed characters. The pacing kept the feeling of intensity as the various crises rolled out, and had me engaged to the finish.
The four POVs tell a complicated story of a health and political crisis as they collide and unfold into a kind of civil rebellion with predictably fatal results for many people. I think even 10 years ago this might have been read as satire, but given the continued mess we see in American politics, it seems instead predictive of a possible future.
I like Burke's writing style and her detailed characters. The pacing kept the feeling of intensity as the various crises rolled out, and had me engaged to the finish.
February 14, 2021
This book has the unique distinction of being the first novel since Covid to depict Covid within its pages since we began experiencing the dubious pleasure of this new, crappy world. Not that this should be held against either the author or the book, of course, only that it happens to have that little mark of realism that we've all come to love and enjoy so much. :)
There are a couple of really interesting plot points going on in this novel. One feels like a huge nod to the movie Gattica. Another, about the mutiny, is not quite BLM, but it definitely has the right political feel. Then again, I've always been a fan of people doing the right thing, so this book is pretty much in line with my own feelings. The sense of moral outrage, too, especially when we're tackling the intersection between political a**holes politicizing disease -- or even weaponizing it.
In that respect, this novel hit home.
I really got into the heroism of all the workers that did all they could to save lives no matter what the personal cost. Overall, this was the best part, but the other plot, of the cloning and the social problems surrounding it, was also pretty decent. It is SF, after all. :)
There are a couple of really interesting plot points going on in this novel. One feels like a huge nod to the movie Gattica. Another, about the mutiny, is not quite BLM, but it definitely has the right political feel. Then again, I've always been a fan of people doing the right thing, so this book is pretty much in line with my own feelings. The sense of moral outrage, too, especially when we're tackling the intersection between political a**holes politicizing disease -- or even weaponizing it.
In that respect, this novel hit home.
I really got into the heroism of all the workers that did all they could to save lives no matter what the personal cost. Overall, this was the best part, but the other plot, of the cloning and the social problems surrounding it, was also pretty decent. It is SF, after all. :)
April 27, 2021
Ahoy there mateys! This be an abandon ship! I really loved the author's Semiosis Duology so I was excited to get a copy of this. Sadly, this one didn't float me boat at all. The writing was very stilted and the characters felt unnatural too. It be a shame when the premise felt so great. I am going to consider this one a miss but I would give the author's work another shot given how much I liked their previous books. Arrr!
August 6, 2021
This is a COVID-19 pandemic inspired SF novel, which is a clear allusion to the 2020 in the USA, with equivalents of a deadly virus, movement like BLM and a president, whose abilities to cope with the crisis are of questionable quality. While a lot of SF is an answer / mirror to current problems, I don’t think that this book will get a lot of acclaim – after all most readers read SFF to escape the often unpleasant reality.
This is a near future. Roughly 20 years ago genetic manipulation of human embryos was popular, but now it is banned and people born this way (usually by a human mother) are considered second class citizens, mentally unstable, the usual mix, like with women or blacks, when they were thought inferior. Technology is almost the same as available today, just with more self-driving cars (usually rented, not owned), mobile phones worn as watches, similar minor changes, more in style than the substance. Free speech and peaceful gatherings are almost banned. The president, named ‘Prez’, “when he was twelve years old his parents said they knew he was destined to become president, and they changed his name.” and who was groomed by media, is aware of a new coronavirus epidemics, that started in Siberia, but he insists on calling it the Sino cold and suggests installing a lot of US flags around, hoping that such show of patriotism will help to stop the disease. There are people dissatisfied with attacks of their rights and the current government and a revolution is about to start.
There are four points of view, three by girls, who are twins, but unaware of it and one by a transman, who actively worked with genetic manipulation when it was allowed. The girls were each brought by a different family, and now one works at small private zoo, which has a wooly mammoth, another works in car service company to repay her student debt and the third just entered the university. One note on the audio – the story shifts abruptly between POVs without clear demarcations like chapters, so sometimes it takes time to understand that another character is in play. The scientist is semi-captured by the state to create a fast spreading virus to immunize population before the Sino cold spreads.
One of the pleasures of the book is the wooly mammoth and his interactions with humans. Sadly, it can be the only bright spot, for the president and his clique are near sighted bullies, business doesn’t care for employees, revolutionaries are sometimes bigots and life in general is hard and unfair.
I liked the debut novel by the author, Semiosis, much better. This one I guess won’t age well.
This is a near future. Roughly 20 years ago genetic manipulation of human embryos was popular, but now it is banned and people born this way (usually by a human mother) are considered second class citizens, mentally unstable, the usual mix, like with women or blacks, when they were thought inferior. Technology is almost the same as available today, just with more self-driving cars (usually rented, not owned), mobile phones worn as watches, similar minor changes, more in style than the substance. Free speech and peaceful gatherings are almost banned. The president, named ‘Prez’, “when he was twelve years old his parents said they knew he was destined to become president, and they changed his name.” and who was groomed by media, is aware of a new coronavirus epidemics, that started in Siberia, but he insists on calling it the Sino cold and suggests installing a lot of US flags around, hoping that such show of patriotism will help to stop the disease. There are people dissatisfied with attacks of their rights and the current government and a revolution is about to start.
There are four points of view, three by girls, who are twins, but unaware of it and one by a transman, who actively worked with genetic manipulation when it was allowed. The girls were each brought by a different family, and now one works at small private zoo, which has a wooly mammoth, another works in car service company to repay her student debt and the third just entered the university. One note on the audio – the story shifts abruptly between POVs without clear demarcations like chapters, so sometimes it takes time to understand that another character is in play. The scientist is semi-captured by the state to create a fast spreading virus to immunize population before the Sino cold spreads.
One of the pleasures of the book is the wooly mammoth and his interactions with humans. Sadly, it can be the only bright spot, for the president and his clique are near sighted bullies, business doesn’t care for employees, revolutionaries are sometimes bigots and life in general is hard and unfair.
I liked the debut novel by the author, Semiosis, much better. This one I guess won’t age well.
October 17, 2021
A deeply immersive and impressive look at what it feels like to be right in the middle of the confusion of a pandemic, misinformation, helplessness, and a civil uprising. However, Sue Burke manages to make this into a survivalist story of the power to resist and to do good, even though your means are small and you feel insignificant.
The story switches between four perspectives; those of three young women clones of different age and upbringing who have only recently learned of each other's existence, and that of Dr. Peng, the scientist who created them. It is a unique take on clones and the science that made them. They don't have superpowers, but were created out of love of life and it is pretty clearly also Burke's view on life.
The shifting voices were confusing at first in the audio narration, because there is no chapter breaks to signal a shift, and I almost have up. Don't do this, y'all! I found that I pretty quickly learned who these women were and could identity their story as soon as I recognized their circumstances. It wasn't a problem a few chapters in. Peng is the only one where the narrator changes her voice in tone, so he is easily identified.
And then there is the genetically engineered Mammoth Nimki (sp.?) that Irene, one of the three women, takes care of at a run down farm in a much too small pen. It is both a frightening, wild animal but also hugely intelligent, as we know elephants are. Their relationship is tender and moving without being unrealistic, and one of the best parts of the book.
This is a fast paced story with thriller elements that knows where it's going from the start and I highly recommend it!
The story switches between four perspectives; those of three young women clones of different age and upbringing who have only recently learned of each other's existence, and that of Dr. Peng, the scientist who created them. It is a unique take on clones and the science that made them. They don't have superpowers, but were created out of love of life and it is pretty clearly also Burke's view on life.
The shifting voices were confusing at first in the audio narration, because there is no chapter breaks to signal a shift, and I almost have up. Don't do this, y'all! I found that I pretty quickly learned who these women were and could identity their story as soon as I recognized their circumstances. It wasn't a problem a few chapters in. Peng is the only one where the narrator changes her voice in tone, so he is easily identified.
And then there is the genetically engineered Mammoth Nimki (sp.?) that Irene, one of the three women, takes care of at a run down farm in a much too small pen. It is both a frightening, wild animal but also hugely intelligent, as we know elephants are. Their relationship is tender and moving without being unrealistic, and one of the best parts of the book.
This is a fast paced story with thriller elements that knows where it's going from the start and I highly recommend it!
June 8, 2021
A brilliant near-future SciFi thriller that draws far too much from 2020 for comfort. It would be darkly hilarious if it wasn't such a natural extrapolation of everything we've been going through for the last 18 months.
May 31, 2021
The nitty-gritty: A bleak futuristic pandemic story that felt a little too familiar for comfort and lacked emotion and drive.
I’m sorry to say this book just didn’t work that well for me, which is a shame because I loved Burke’s Semiosis. It took me a solid two weeks to read it, as I picked it up and put it down numerous times before I finally said “Enough!” and ploughed through to the end.
Immunity Index takes place in an undisclosed future and revolves around two main events: a deadly pandemic, and a left wing political group who are trying to unseat the President of the United States. The story alternates chapters and perspectives among four main characters. First, we have three clone “sisters” who don’t know each other yet all look identical. Avril is a college student and lives in Chicago. She’s trying to join the “mutiny,” a group of resistors who promise social change. But Avril is considered a “dupe,” slang for “duplicate,” someone created in a laboratory, and she’s having trouble getting her peers to take her seriously. Berenike is a young girl who works at a car rental company called AutoKar and who is drawn into helping the mutiny movement later in the story. Irene is a college graduate who has found work on a farm, taking care of the family’s woolly mammoth Nimkii, resurrected from ancient DNA and forced to act as a tourist attraction. Finally, Peng is the scientist who bred all three girls in a laboratory and who now does secret government work with viruses and vaccines.
The backdrop for all four of their stories is the emergence of a killer virus that spreads like wildfire, and the reader follows each character on their own personal journey. Eventually the stories merge, but it takes the entire book for that to happen. The current President—or “Prez” as everyone calls him—is mismanaging the country and only those with money and status are considered to be true citizens. (sound familiar?) The story itself doesn’t really offer anything new to the genre, unfortunately, with all the usual elements in place that you would expect.
Still, despite that, the story could have been redeemed by interesting characters, but on that note Immunity Index fell flat as well. I never really bonded or connected with any of the characters, except maybe Irene, whose love of Nimkii was the only real emotional content, believe it or not. Otherwise, the characters felt rather lifeless and wooden, and most of their decisions seemed to be based on reactions to the horror around them, rather than true agency. Even now it’s hard for me to separate the three girls into distinct personalities, and Burke’s deadpan prose didn’t help much either. Peng is the only character who speaks in first person, and his sections were jarringly different from the rest of the book. The author implies that Peng is a trans man, which made him only slightly more interesting than everyone else. The tone of his personal story is rather ominous, as he and his fellow scientists are developing a virus that will be secretly introduced into the population on purpose.
I kept waiting for the moment when Avril, Irene and Berenike would finally meet, hoping it would give the story some life and excitement. But when they do meet, it's at the very end of the story and it's almost an afterthought, tacked on to a rather lackluster ending.
The format—jumping around from character to character—made for a fractured story, and I’ll admit that’s one reason it didn’t hold my interest. Without a clear, driving plot, I was confused for most of the story, and even when the pace finally picked up a bit, it was too late for me. The bottom line is that I didn't hate the book, so much as I just didn't find much to care about.
Sue Burke mentions in her afterward that she started writing Immunity Index before 2020, but finished it in the midst of Covid last year. Because of this odd circumstance, it’s hard to tell whether parts of the story are eerie coincidences, or whether the author included actual references to the situation we’ve been dealing with for the last year and a half. In any case, it was rather uncomfortable reading this because so much of it is familiar: the lockdowns, the mask wearing, the disinformation coming from the White House and the rash of rumors and fear mongering perpetuated by social media, and the sheer panic and hoarding by confused citizens. At this point in time, I’m ready to forget Covid and move on, so in some ways the timing of this book’s release is a bit unfortunate. Also, it doesn’t help that the cover features a huge, looming virus that looks exactly like the Covid-19 virus!
The best thing I can say about the ending is that my favorite character, Nimkii the woolly mammoth, survives everything that happens and even seems to be thriving at the end. Just like our own pandemic recovery, there is never an explosive moment in the story where the good guys win. Rather, all the characters find themselves on the other side of the crisis more or less intact, but without any kind of fanfare or emotion.
With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I’m sorry to say this book just didn’t work that well for me, which is a shame because I loved Burke’s Semiosis. It took me a solid two weeks to read it, as I picked it up and put it down numerous times before I finally said “Enough!” and ploughed through to the end.
Immunity Index takes place in an undisclosed future and revolves around two main events: a deadly pandemic, and a left wing political group who are trying to unseat the President of the United States. The story alternates chapters and perspectives among four main characters. First, we have three clone “sisters” who don’t know each other yet all look identical. Avril is a college student and lives in Chicago. She’s trying to join the “mutiny,” a group of resistors who promise social change. But Avril is considered a “dupe,” slang for “duplicate,” someone created in a laboratory, and she’s having trouble getting her peers to take her seriously. Berenike is a young girl who works at a car rental company called AutoKar and who is drawn into helping the mutiny movement later in the story. Irene is a college graduate who has found work on a farm, taking care of the family’s woolly mammoth Nimkii, resurrected from ancient DNA and forced to act as a tourist attraction. Finally, Peng is the scientist who bred all three girls in a laboratory and who now does secret government work with viruses and vaccines.
The backdrop for all four of their stories is the emergence of a killer virus that spreads like wildfire, and the reader follows each character on their own personal journey. Eventually the stories merge, but it takes the entire book for that to happen. The current President—or “Prez” as everyone calls him—is mismanaging the country and only those with money and status are considered to be true citizens. (sound familiar?) The story itself doesn’t really offer anything new to the genre, unfortunately, with all the usual elements in place that you would expect.
Still, despite that, the story could have been redeemed by interesting characters, but on that note Immunity Index fell flat as well. I never really bonded or connected with any of the characters, except maybe Irene, whose love of Nimkii was the only real emotional content, believe it or not. Otherwise, the characters felt rather lifeless and wooden, and most of their decisions seemed to be based on reactions to the horror around them, rather than true agency. Even now it’s hard for me to separate the three girls into distinct personalities, and Burke’s deadpan prose didn’t help much either. Peng is the only character who speaks in first person, and his sections were jarringly different from the rest of the book. The author implies that Peng is a trans man, which made him only slightly more interesting than everyone else. The tone of his personal story is rather ominous, as he and his fellow scientists are developing a virus that will be secretly introduced into the population on purpose.
I kept waiting for the moment when Avril, Irene and Berenike would finally meet, hoping it would give the story some life and excitement. But when they do meet, it's at the very end of the story and it's almost an afterthought, tacked on to a rather lackluster ending.
The format—jumping around from character to character—made for a fractured story, and I’ll admit that’s one reason it didn’t hold my interest. Without a clear, driving plot, I was confused for most of the story, and even when the pace finally picked up a bit, it was too late for me. The bottom line is that I didn't hate the book, so much as I just didn't find much to care about.
Sue Burke mentions in her afterward that she started writing Immunity Index before 2020, but finished it in the midst of Covid last year. Because of this odd circumstance, it’s hard to tell whether parts of the story are eerie coincidences, or whether the author included actual references to the situation we’ve been dealing with for the last year and a half. In any case, it was rather uncomfortable reading this because so much of it is familiar: the lockdowns, the mask wearing, the disinformation coming from the White House and the rash of rumors and fear mongering perpetuated by social media, and the sheer panic and hoarding by confused citizens. At this point in time, I’m ready to forget Covid and move on, so in some ways the timing of this book’s release is a bit unfortunate. Also, it doesn’t help that the cover features a huge, looming virus that looks exactly like the Covid-19 virus!
The best thing I can say about the ending is that my favorite character, Nimkii the woolly mammoth, survives everything that happens and even seems to be thriving at the end. Just like our own pandemic recovery, there is never an explosive moment in the story where the good guys win. Rather, all the characters find themselves on the other side of the crisis more or less intact, but without any kind of fanfare or emotion.
With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
January 7, 2022
On one hand, there’s an interesting social science fiction novel here, imagining a dystopia using the realities of the present day. On the other hand, the story kind of sucks. A far right government releases a flu-like virus in an effort to assert control over the rebelling masses. It proves deadlier than anticipated, resulting in destabilization and a possible civil war. One might say, it’s a little too on-the-nose. China is blamed, essential workers and forced to put their lives in danger, and endless anxiety about flu-like symptoms dominate their lives. There are also a handful of clones, generic engineering and a sad-but-cute wooly mammoth. Sounds ok, but the story is full of characters I didn’t care about and plot points that don’t really go anywhere. It all ends kind of anticlimacticly too. It’s kind of like a tech demo for some good ideas, but without a real story to hang itself on. It is, however, a book distinctly written during the covid pandemic and reflects the anxieties of the time and could possibly survive as a curiosity of such.
September 8, 2023
Three and a half stars
Published in 2021 I understand that the author was concerned (COVID pandemic) and raged (Trump administration), so in consequence she writes this novel with an immediate perspective. The author transports the pandemic situation to a near future, that I would not say dystopian (almost…) but much worse than our present (worse US president, worse economy, etc.).
A main aspect of the plot is what the author calls a mutiny against the USA government, when actually it is clearly a general strike. Things are already bad in the present, that the author cannot call it by its current name...
However, Sue Burke is one of the writers that I value the most in the science fiction genre (I recommend Semiosis if you have not read it yet) and I consider that the reading has been worth it.
Published in 2021 I understand that the author was concerned (COVID pandemic) and raged (Trump administration), so in consequence she writes this novel with an immediate perspective. The author transports the pandemic situation to a near future, that I would not say dystopian (almost…) but much worse than our present (worse US president, worse economy, etc.).
A main aspect of the plot is what the author calls a mutiny against the USA government, when actually it is clearly a general strike. Things are already bad in the present, that the author cannot call it by its current name...
However, Sue Burke is one of the writers that I value the most in the science fiction genre (I recommend Semiosis if you have not read it yet) and I consider that the reading has been worth it.
May 12, 2021
I think I should have read this one instead of listened to it. There were some aspects of the audio that tossed me out of the story. For instance, the transitions from one character to the next were abrupt, sometimes leaving me flailing in the story a minute before I reoriented to the new setting. There were also voices I didn't love.
But otherwise, well thought out if not exactly fun. I've mostly enjoyed the plague and pandemic stories I've read throughout COVID times, but I think this one touched on politics and the idiocy of people way more than the others did. Those aspects were not remotely entertaining for me.
I totally loved the mammoth, though.
But otherwise, well thought out if not exactly fun. I've mostly enjoyed the plague and pandemic stories I've read throughout COVID times, but I think this one touched on politics and the idiocy of people way more than the others did. Those aspects were not remotely entertaining for me.
I totally loved the mammoth, though.
June 11, 2021
Immunity Index is a science fiction novel with themes that are very timely and pertinent. I wanted a little more consistent character development, but the lead figures are very compelling. For a short novel, Immunity Index packs a punch, although it leaves a reader wanting more.
3.5 stars.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
I reviewed an ARC courtesy of Tor Books through Netgalley.
3.5 stars.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
I reviewed an ARC courtesy of Tor Books through Netgalley.
July 7, 2021
Sue Burke's future America is grim, and feels like a natural evolution of so much that has happened over several years. The young women (and four PoVs in this story) are all involved with a coordinated, countrywide rebellion against the extremely precarious economic conditions most people live under.
It's also a story of how people come together, despite a truly terrible president (no allusions to a recent president, I'm sure) and other public officials attempting to hamstring all efforts to combat a fast-moving and highly infectious flu. The story, despite its grimness, is about hope, in spite of concerted efforts by officials and their followers to act with cruelty and self-interest.
It's also a story of how people come together, despite a truly terrible president (no allusions to a recent president, I'm sure) and other public officials attempting to hamstring all efforts to combat a fast-moving and highly infectious flu. The story, despite its grimness, is about hope, in spite of concerted efforts by officials and their followers to act with cruelty and self-interest.
June 19, 2021
I am herewith joining the club of those in awe of "Semiosis" books who feel disappointed with "Immunity index."
April 19, 2023
Mix "1984" with "Orphan Black" with "The Purge" with, I dunno, "Contagion" and throw in a dash of "Jurassic Park," and what do you get? Yeah, that's right - just what it sounds like: a mess. And even moreso because this is the same Sue Burke who brought us the exquisite Semiosis and it's also excellent sequel, Interference. So just what went wrong here?
Well, for one - interchangeable characters with very little differentiation…and okay, maybe that happens with clone stories, but every one of them keeps getting captured or pops in and out of jail until it's impossible to keep them straight. And two, a ripped-from-next-year's-headlines plot that's heavy on blatant "social commentary" (Trumpism, MeToo-ism, BLM activism, etc). And three…well, I could go on for some time.
You should know by now that I remain at heart a New York liberal who loves me some "Never Trump" fash-bashing, but this was just way too clumsy and in-your-face. Not that I disagreed with Burke's principles - I just can't abide bad writing. If you want to read a similar post-COVID take on pandemics, I would recommend instead Jim Shepard's considerably better (and published just two weeks later) Phase Six.
Sue Burke truly soared with her Semiosis duology, letting her imagine run truly wild across the cosmos, and I will continue to be a fan. But stuck here on boring old Earth, she struggles and ultimately fails - although kudos for trying something new. But otherwise…reach for the stars, Sue!
This was NOT an ARC. This was a REAL book I paid REAL money for, because I was hoping it would be great, and it just wasn't. Caveat emptor, my friends. Caveat emptor.
Well, for one - interchangeable characters with very little differentiation…and okay, maybe that happens with clone stories, but every one of them keeps getting captured or pops in and out of jail until it's impossible to keep them straight. And two, a ripped-from-next-year's-headlines plot that's heavy on blatant "social commentary" (Trumpism, MeToo-ism, BLM activism, etc). And three…well, I could go on for some time.
You should know by now that I remain at heart a New York liberal who loves me some "Never Trump" fash-bashing, but this was just way too clumsy and in-your-face. Not that I disagreed with Burke's principles - I just can't abide bad writing. If you want to read a similar post-COVID take on pandemics, I would recommend instead Jim Shepard's considerably better (and published just two weeks later) Phase Six.
Sue Burke truly soared with her Semiosis duology, letting her imagine run truly wild across the cosmos, and I will continue to be a fan. But stuck here on boring old Earth, she struggles and ultimately fails - although kudos for trying something new. But otherwise…reach for the stars, Sue!
This was NOT an ARC. This was a REAL book I paid REAL money for, because I was hoping it would be great, and it just wasn't. Caveat emptor, my friends. Caveat emptor.
May 24, 2021
I pre-ordered this book. I love pandemic books, I love apocalyptic books. I love sci-fi. I am the type of person who likes to read books that are close to a current situation. When this Pandemic started I read The Stand, I read Frank Herbert's White Plague and others. But this...
Look, I am not a Democrat or Republican. Have you ever wondered about those Christian Movies like God's Not Dead and thought "who would find this entertaining?" This book is a Progressive's equivalent to God's Not Dead. Ever heard of "Trumpy Bear?" The stuffed bear that is made to look like Trump and in the back there is a zipper where you unzip and pull out an American flag?... this is the fiction novel version of Trumpy Bear for left leaning anti-Trump people. If you are on that side of the political spectrum, you will probably enjoy it. It will be comfort food that's there to afirm your beliefs.
It doesn't examine these beliefs and come to a left leaning conclusion, that I could get on board with. This assumes the examination is already done.
The President "The Prez" is a former Reality TV star. He and much of society are against cloning making the people who are clones "illegal." These people need to hide their legal status or be rounded up. A virus breaks out and The Prez denies it. He does however tell people that if they put American flags in their yard it will protect them.
There are protests, and right away the author wants you to know that if the protests turn violent it's not the protesters fault. Again, this isn't examined and then we are led to that conclusion... we are told this.
Other political issues are sprinkled in just because.
Capitalism.
College debt.
Gender fluidity and transgenderism.
Private companies refusing to provide birth control.
And that was just chapter one.
One of my favorite authors is Ben Bova. He and I have very different political views I'm pretty sure. He has passed now but I wouldn't be surprised if he and Sue Burke share political views. But at least Bova takes me through a story that examines these things.
If you share these political views I'm sure you will love this book just like most evangelical Christians I know would eat up God's Not Dead sequels from here to eternity... if you don't share those views or if you share them but prioritize a good story or an examination of those views... there's nothing here for you.
Look, I am not a Democrat or Republican. Have you ever wondered about those Christian Movies like God's Not Dead and thought "who would find this entertaining?" This book is a Progressive's equivalent to God's Not Dead. Ever heard of "Trumpy Bear?" The stuffed bear that is made to look like Trump and in the back there is a zipper where you unzip and pull out an American flag?... this is the fiction novel version of Trumpy Bear for left leaning anti-Trump people. If you are on that side of the political spectrum, you will probably enjoy it. It will be comfort food that's there to afirm your beliefs.
It doesn't examine these beliefs and come to a left leaning conclusion, that I could get on board with. This assumes the examination is already done.
The President "The Prez" is a former Reality TV star. He and much of society are against cloning making the people who are clones "illegal." These people need to hide their legal status or be rounded up. A virus breaks out and The Prez denies it. He does however tell people that if they put American flags in their yard it will protect them.
There are protests, and right away the author wants you to know that if the protests turn violent it's not the protesters fault. Again, this isn't examined and then we are led to that conclusion... we are told this.
Other political issues are sprinkled in just because.
Capitalism.
College debt.
Gender fluidity and transgenderism.
Private companies refusing to provide birth control.
And that was just chapter one.
One of my favorite authors is Ben Bova. He and I have very different political views I'm pretty sure. He has passed now but I wouldn't be surprised if he and Sue Burke share political views. But at least Bova takes me through a story that examines these things.
If you share these political views I'm sure you will love this book just like most evangelical Christians I know would eat up God's Not Dead sequels from here to eternity... if you don't share those views or if you share them but prioritize a good story or an examination of those views... there's nothing here for you.
May 3, 2021
My Review of
IMMUNITY INDEX
By Author Sue Burke
Gifted & Published by @TorBooks
On Sale: 5/4/21 - Purchase Link in my Bio
*****
This book was so entertaining and so realistic to the times we face with the pandemic, COVID-19. This is a science fiction thriller based on a future time when humans have been cloned, extinct Mammoth mammals have been resurrected and the government run by the Prez (think Trump) and all the AI robots police the country. This book is so well researched and written as if I am actually living in the time period of the book today. I had to break out of my intense focus into the storyline to realize this isn’t actually real and it’s horrible to say but it makes me feel better about the reality of today then what is happening in the book.
*****
The plot ends up centering around 3 college students who later find they all have something in common and a geneticist who was responsible for the first human cloning; and it is shocking. Each of their stories reveal a background that lead them to become the people they are today. With the world becoming more harsh and beginning to treat the homeless, the clones and people that are lower class citizens as second rate and receive unfair rights, with freedoms taken away; a mutiny forms.
But as the mutiny plans to revolt and protest, a virus has moved into the country and the geneticist has been taken from his job by the Government to work for them to work anonymously on a vaccine. But instead, something much worse is released than what was intended to be a vaccine to create herd immunity. And now people are dying. Now lies the problem if it can be stopped.
IMMUNITY INDEX
By Author Sue Burke
Gifted & Published by @TorBooks
On Sale: 5/4/21 - Purchase Link in my Bio
*****
This book was so entertaining and so realistic to the times we face with the pandemic, COVID-19. This is a science fiction thriller based on a future time when humans have been cloned, extinct Mammoth mammals have been resurrected and the government run by the Prez (think Trump) and all the AI robots police the country. This book is so well researched and written as if I am actually living in the time period of the book today. I had to break out of my intense focus into the storyline to realize this isn’t actually real and it’s horrible to say but it makes me feel better about the reality of today then what is happening in the book.
*****
The plot ends up centering around 3 college students who later find they all have something in common and a geneticist who was responsible for the first human cloning; and it is shocking. Each of their stories reveal a background that lead them to become the people they are today. With the world becoming more harsh and beginning to treat the homeless, the clones and people that are lower class citizens as second rate and receive unfair rights, with freedoms taken away; a mutiny forms.
But as the mutiny plans to revolt and protest, a virus has moved into the country and the geneticist has been taken from his job by the Government to work for them to work anonymously on a vaccine. But instead, something much worse is released than what was intended to be a vaccine to create herd immunity. And now people are dying. Now lies the problem if it can be stopped.
July 31, 2021
Held my close attention the entire time, unfolding with an intense action-oriented plot, and I felt connected to the characters. In particular I found the specificity of Nike's experience at her car job oddly satisfying. The novel's premise is, of course, a bit too close for comfort! and of the pandemic books I've read, quite obvious that this one was informed by 2020, but in a way that serves the fictional world and story, not in a cheap way. What knocks down my rating is that it doesn't really seem to come together in a satisfying way in the end, no cathartic climatic revelatory moments in the way it needed & that I was waiting for, tying the various threads together.
March 11, 2021
This book was provided by the publisher at no cost.
The first thing to note here is that I am an Australian, and this book is super American. There may well have been inferences that I missed; and there are definitely bits that I basically understand but just don't GET. In particular, attitudes around patriotism/nationalism, and attitudes towards the President, which are significant to this story. We have patriotism, and we even have what I would call extreme patriotism-shading-to-nationalism; but it's generally a minority and it's certainly not my direct experience.
The second thing is that Burke says in her afterword that she actually started writing this before 2020; this book is therefore one of those weird ones that happens to come out when it seems like an almost spooky coincidence, since it focuses on a virus - a coronavirus, even. I'm pretty sure she must have started it after 2016, though, since even from over here the stuff she includes about the President feels like a reflection on Trump.
The blurb described this as Orphan Black meets Contagion. Orphan Black is one of my favourite tv shows ever, and I didn't mind Contagion, so here we are. Thing is, that's pretty much EXACTLY what this is. There's not much more to it than the big parts of those two. So I was a bit disappointed in the end that it didn't go beyond that initial premise.
Each chapter follows, usually, four different people. Three of them are young women in very different circumstances - at uni, or working in different dead-end jobs. The fourth is a geneticist who apparently "used" to be a woman and is now an old man; honestly I don't know whether this person was trans, or hiding their identity, or what (and this ambiguity made me uncomfortable rather than intrigued, because of the way they referred to their previous identity; if they were meant to be trans, I think this aspect was done badly). As the narrative progresses, things go badly for America - people are getting sick, and "the Prez" - the generally unnamed president (although there's a reference to the idea that his parents changed his name to President when he was 12 because of an oracle of some sort??) is doing nothing about it (yes, so familiar). The Prez is also just generally evil, with people divided into different classes of citizens and awful new laws coming in all the time and flags suggested as a cure to illness.
I didn't love this book, unfortunately, for a number of reasons. I don't mind being thrown into a world and then working out things as I go; however I didn't feel like I ever DID work out how America got to the point that is presented here. All of a sudden there's clones and mammoths and incredibly genetically-altered humans, but... no discussion about how, or over what time span, or even why (even "because we could" isn't really offered). And the President having such power - also not discussed. The book basically opens with people talking about a "mutiny" against the President and the way things are, which makes more sense when it's a bit clearer that freedoms have been seriously curtailed (although, add in here the Australian perspective that America today doesn't look to us like it apparently looks to many Americans!). I know the suggestion that people are going to mutiny is meant to indicate just how bad things have got, but I still felt frustrated at not understanding the society very well. As well, a lot of people seemed to know about the mutiny, and I found it hard to believe the authorities wouldn't have been cracking down faster.
Overall, I found this a fast read, and I did finish it because I wanted to know where it would all end up. If you're after a straightforward narrative that really does take from both Orphan Black and Contagion, this is it.
The first thing to note here is that I am an Australian, and this book is super American. There may well have been inferences that I missed; and there are definitely bits that I basically understand but just don't GET. In particular, attitudes around patriotism/nationalism, and attitudes towards the President, which are significant to this story. We have patriotism, and we even have what I would call extreme patriotism-shading-to-nationalism; but it's generally a minority and it's certainly not my direct experience.
The second thing is that Burke says in her afterword that she actually started writing this before 2020; this book is therefore one of those weird ones that happens to come out when it seems like an almost spooky coincidence, since it focuses on a virus - a coronavirus, even. I'm pretty sure she must have started it after 2016, though, since even from over here the stuff she includes about the President feels like a reflection on Trump.
The blurb described this as Orphan Black meets Contagion. Orphan Black is one of my favourite tv shows ever, and I didn't mind Contagion, so here we are. Thing is, that's pretty much EXACTLY what this is. There's not much more to it than the big parts of those two. So I was a bit disappointed in the end that it didn't go beyond that initial premise.
Each chapter follows, usually, four different people. Three of them are young women in very different circumstances - at uni, or working in different dead-end jobs. The fourth is a geneticist who apparently "used" to be a woman and is now an old man; honestly I don't know whether this person was trans, or hiding their identity, or what (and this ambiguity made me uncomfortable rather than intrigued, because of the way they referred to their previous identity; if they were meant to be trans, I think this aspect was done badly). As the narrative progresses, things go badly for America - people are getting sick, and "the Prez" - the generally unnamed president (although there's a reference to the idea that his parents changed his name to President when he was 12 because of an oracle of some sort??) is doing nothing about it (yes, so familiar). The Prez is also just generally evil, with people divided into different classes of citizens and awful new laws coming in all the time and flags suggested as a cure to illness.
I didn't love this book, unfortunately, for a number of reasons. I don't mind being thrown into a world and then working out things as I go; however I didn't feel like I ever DID work out how America got to the point that is presented here. All of a sudden there's clones and mammoths and incredibly genetically-altered humans, but... no discussion about how, or over what time span, or even why (even "because we could" isn't really offered). And the President having such power - also not discussed. The book basically opens with people talking about a "mutiny" against the President and the way things are, which makes more sense when it's a bit clearer that freedoms have been seriously curtailed (although, add in here the Australian perspective that America today doesn't look to us like it apparently looks to many Americans!). I know the suggestion that people are going to mutiny is meant to indicate just how bad things have got, but I still felt frustrated at not understanding the society very well. As well, a lot of people seemed to know about the mutiny, and I found it hard to believe the authorities wouldn't have been cracking down faster.
Overall, I found this a fast read, and I did finish it because I wanted to know where it would all end up. If you're after a straightforward narrative that really does take from both Orphan Black and Contagion, this is it.
March 24, 2021
Timing is everything. Lawrence Wright’s The End of October, about a global pandemic, was released as Covid restrictions were starting to bite. As the pandemic in that novel was much more deadly, it put our current crisis into perspective. Last year also saw Carol Stivers’ The Mother Code in which the world pretty much ended due to a man-made pandemic. There are probably plenty of others. And now, coming at the tail end of Covid-19 is Sue Burke’s Immunity Index. Mainly written pre-Covid but centring, at least in its early going, around a deadly, fast moving covid-style disease which may not, as it turns out, be completely natural. And there are clones.
Immunity Index is a five minutes in the future book which imagines an ongoing Trump-like presidency. The hyper-nationalist leader is called “The Prez” throughout and comes up with the concept of putting up a flag to combat the spread of what he calls the Sino-Cold. Now, if this was written before the first half of 2020, Burke has shown some world class prescience as to how a Trump-led government would respond to a growing Covid threat. But her premise goes further, into dangerous territory of the President ordering the creation and release of an airborne vaccine, a move that does not go well.
But the plot actually focusses on three young women who, it turns out very early in the piece, are clones of each other. In this new United States, genetically modified humans, including clones, are second class citizens and known by the derogatory term “dupes”. They are second class because the ruling religious right believes that clones cannot have souls. All three are involved in a coming wave of protests against the current government known as the “mutiny”, a movement that is put back on its heels as the new strain of Covid starts to bite. There is a fourth POV character – Peng, a geneticist who created the clones and is now working to try and stop the current outbreak.
There is a lot going on in Immunity Index. Actually too much. And reader’s patience may depend on how much they are interested in even reading pandemic-related thrillers at the moment. Much of the first half of the novel is concerned with set-up of character and situation. So that while there appears to be some plot, most is taken up really pushing exposition and the rest is polemic dressed up as action as the “mutiny” gains momentum, aimed at an even more extreme form of Trumpian autocracy (although one that was not hard to imagine). Burke does not do enough to make readers care about side characters as they start dying from the pandemic. Or even to really care too much about the protagonists as they navigate finding out that they were not who they thought they were and a world that is swiftly going to hell. Which made Immunity Index occasionally interesting but never really engaging.
Immunity Index is a five minutes in the future book which imagines an ongoing Trump-like presidency. The hyper-nationalist leader is called “The Prez” throughout and comes up with the concept of putting up a flag to combat the spread of what he calls the Sino-Cold. Now, if this was written before the first half of 2020, Burke has shown some world class prescience as to how a Trump-led government would respond to a growing Covid threat. But her premise goes further, into dangerous territory of the President ordering the creation and release of an airborne vaccine, a move that does not go well.
But the plot actually focusses on three young women who, it turns out very early in the piece, are clones of each other. In this new United States, genetically modified humans, including clones, are second class citizens and known by the derogatory term “dupes”. They are second class because the ruling religious right believes that clones cannot have souls. All three are involved in a coming wave of protests against the current government known as the “mutiny”, a movement that is put back on its heels as the new strain of Covid starts to bite. There is a fourth POV character – Peng, a geneticist who created the clones and is now working to try and stop the current outbreak.
There is a lot going on in Immunity Index. Actually too much. And reader’s patience may depend on how much they are interested in even reading pandemic-related thrillers at the moment. Much of the first half of the novel is concerned with set-up of character and situation. So that while there appears to be some plot, most is taken up really pushing exposition and the rest is polemic dressed up as action as the “mutiny” gains momentum, aimed at an even more extreme form of Trumpian autocracy (although one that was not hard to imagine). Burke does not do enough to make readers care about side characters as they start dying from the pandemic. Or even to really care too much about the protagonists as they navigate finding out that they were not who they thought they were and a world that is swiftly going to hell. Which made Immunity Index occasionally interesting but never really engaging.
May 14, 2021
Told by the point of view of three clones and their creator, a virus outbreak begins along with a mutiny and all hell breaks loose. Being a clone is trying enough since cloning was outlawed due to crazy Frankenstein scientists taking it too far and creating abominations. Clones are 2nd class citizens (dupes/clunts) and are advised to have a caretaker to keep them safe but some try to hide their birth records and try to blend in. Everything is terrible and there’s food shortages and everything is super expensive and controlled. A mutiny is being planned to gain fair rights and freedom to the second class. Robotic police centaurs are exactly as terrifying as they sound.
A mutiny and super virus happening at the same time is a huge disaster but somehow all blends smoothly together and works. The back and forth with the pov’s keep the story fast paced and interesting. Another great book by an amazing writer of science fiction who gave us the Semiosis duology.
A mutiny and super virus happening at the same time is a huge disaster but somehow all blends smoothly together and works. The back and forth with the pov’s keep the story fast paced and interesting. Another great book by an amazing writer of science fiction who gave us the Semiosis duology.
May 21, 2021
I'm giving it 3 stars because I was interested enough to finish it, didn't hate it, and it was technically competent. But the best phrase I can give is 'lukewarm.'
Maybe the 'pandemic flavor' was part of the problem. There was also a little too much unrealistic "this is what America could become." The stretch to "America will codify a class society in the future" is an immersion breaking bridge too far for me. The girls were interesting enough I guess but I think I would have preferred Peng to have way more screentime. I imagine it's not surprising that my favorite character was the scientist considering why I enjoyed Burke's first series so much. So I appreciate the challenge of Burke changing tacks from Semiosis/Interference but that was a MUCH more enjoyable story for me personally and I'd like to see her come back to something like that next time. Or maybe do some more stories with just Peng.
Not sorry I read it, but it just didn't do much for me at all.
Maybe the 'pandemic flavor' was part of the problem. There was also a little too much unrealistic "this is what America could become." The stretch to "America will codify a class society in the future" is an immersion breaking bridge too far for me. The girls were interesting enough I guess but I think I would have preferred Peng to have way more screentime. I imagine it's not surprising that my favorite character was the scientist considering why I enjoyed Burke's first series so much. So I appreciate the challenge of Burke changing tacks from Semiosis/Interference but that was a MUCH more enjoyable story for me personally and I'd like to see her come back to something like that next time. Or maybe do some more stories with just Peng.
Not sorry I read it, but it just didn't do much for me at all.
February 3, 2022
This is a novel that is very timely, about a pandemic and political shenanigans. The four viewpoint characters are three clones who, at the start of the story, don't know they're clones, and their creator, Peng. The three clones - Avril, Berenike, and Irene - become aware that they're clones about the same time as one or maybe more malevolent viruses are unleashed on the United States. Each clone seeks to resist the corrupt government and help those around them, including fellow employees at AutoKar, fellow college students, and a woolly mammoth brought back from extinction named Nimkii.
I'd read Burke's book "Semiosis" in 2019 and it was a 5-star book for me. This one was more of a 3.5 or a 4 for me. The writing was a bit clunky in places, and the plot reeked strongly of wish fulfillment (wishing to kill off a corrupt dictator who allows people to suffer and die and who may have had something to do with why they're dying). On the plus side, I came to care about the characters and I really loved the mammoth, and there were little futuristic touches that were just there for verisimilitude that I appreciated. It's also a book that is just ripe for this moment in time. Recommended.
I'd read Burke's book "Semiosis" in 2019 and it was a 5-star book for me. This one was more of a 3.5 or a 4 for me. The writing was a bit clunky in places, and the plot reeked strongly of wish fulfillment (wishing to kill off a corrupt dictator who allows people to suffer and die and who may have had something to do with why they're dying). On the plus side, I came to care about the characters and I really loved the mammoth, and there were little futuristic touches that were just there for verisimilitude that I appreciated. It's also a book that is just ripe for this moment in time. Recommended.
July 25, 2021
DNF after the first chapter.
I read the first book in the Semiosis duology and wasn't impressed. After this debacle, I think me and this author will be parting ways permanently.
I don't like political stories or stories that try to make a buck exploiting current and recent political events and putting a decidedly one-party rethoric to them. If this had been mentioned in the preview, I wouldn't have picked it up.
I came for a pandemic story, not political satire, or whatever this is supposed to be. As it goes, there isn't even a mention of a virus or pandemic in the little bit I read. Just the disjointed points of view of 4 unrelated characters and a buttload of political agenda.
Speaking of those characters, none of them are the least bit interesting. Their voices are stilled and lack personality. I couldn't bring myself to care for any of them enough to continue reading.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an advanced copy, but I'm out.
I read the first book in the Semiosis duology and wasn't impressed. After this debacle, I think me and this author will be parting ways permanently.
I don't like political stories or stories that try to make a buck exploiting current and recent political events and putting a decidedly one-party rethoric to them. If this had been mentioned in the preview, I wouldn't have picked it up.
I came for a pandemic story, not political satire, or whatever this is supposed to be. As it goes, there isn't even a mention of a virus or pandemic in the little bit I read. Just the disjointed points of view of 4 unrelated characters and a buttload of political agenda.
Speaking of those characters, none of them are the least bit interesting. Their voices are stilled and lack personality. I couldn't bring myself to care for any of them enough to continue reading.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an advanced copy, but I'm out.
June 27, 2021
I enjoyed this book and it had a lot of interesting plot lines but it was a little disjointed as well. We have several MCs and the POV changes with each one so that always tends to confuse me for a portion of a novel until I get into the groove of it. But I did enjoy reading a novel about a pandemic knowing it was mostly written during a pandemic. How much of the much is speculation versus reality is hard to tell but sadly very relatable. I didn't realize she also wrote Semiosis which I own but haven't read yet. Although fans of that duology seemed not to like this one as much, I enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading those books as well.
May 8, 2021
In the book Immunity Index, author Sue Burke follows three seemingly random normal young women through a virus outbreak. What makes these three so different? Why are they not getting sick? And who is really behind the virus? Could the governmental leaders really be trying to exterminate their political opposition?
This was a fascinating well thought-out story. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fascinating well thought-out story. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 8, 2021
This is the foundation for what could have been a series. While I am grateful to have come across this book, I felt that it had been rushed given its relevance to global pandemic. Had it been slowed down and broken up into a series I believe the multiple causes (individual liberty, climate, genetics, pandemics, etc.) could have been tackled masterfully.
September 19, 2021
Not so much a dystopia as just a lousy place to live, this novel takes place in a US ruled by a strongman. You may not find such a setting compelling. If not, don't bother picking this one up.
Otherwise, it's about some young women, whose connection with each other is not initially apparent. Oh, and a geneticist too.
Otherwise, it's about some young women, whose connection with each other is not initially apparent. Oh, and a geneticist too.
July 4, 2022
This is yet another pandemic book, with a couple of original twists. It explores some possible results of introducing, and then controlling, epidemics, for political reasons. It is set in a dystopian future in the USA, and has some other quirks which are best discovered by the reader. Sue Burke made me care about the characters. At 226 pages, a short, decent read.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
June 20, 2022DNF @ 14% Leaving unrated
I just don't know what to think. I have tried twice to read this; I got as far as 7% when I took a break the first time. This just isn't interesting, and it SHOULD be. We have all the ingredients for a killer story, and it's written by the author of an all time favorite series. But it's just not working for me. The audio narrator is quite good too. Bummer.
I just don't know what to think. I have tried twice to read this; I got as far as 7% when I took a break the first time. This just isn't interesting, and it SHOULD be. We have all the ingredients for a killer story, and it's written by the author of an all time favorite series. But it's just not working for me. The audio narrator is quite good too. Bummer.
December 1, 2021
Great first half.....meh second half.
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