Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jul 2013
448 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
The Curiosity, Stephen Kiernan's debut novel, is a gripping, poignant, and thoroughly original thriller that raises disturbing questions about the very nature of life and humanity - man as a scientific subject, as a tabloid plaything, as a living being, as a curiosity.…
Dr. Kate Philo and her scientific exploration team make a breathtaking discovery in the Arctic: the body of a man buried deep in the ice. Remarkably, the frozen man is brought back to the lab and successfully reanimated. As the man begins to regain his memories, the team learns that he was - is - a judge, Jeremiah Rice, and the last thing he remembers is falling overboard into the Arctic Ocean in 1906.
Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, Kate and Jeremiah grow closer. But the clock is ticking and Jeremiah's new life is slipping away...and all too soon, Kate must decide how far she is willing to go to protect the man she has come to love.
"[T]he characters are never much more than mouthpieces for what appear to be the author's pieties. Still, this is a gripping novel with a clever concept." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. [A] smart, heady, and irresistible science thriller...Kiernan gets every element right in this breakneck, entertaining, and thought-provoking tale about time, mortality, the ethics of science, and the meaning of life." - Booklist
"The ending, if not exactly ingenious, is at least fitting and somewhat touching. A derivative but unmistakably engaging debut. " - Kirkus Reviews
"I absolutely loved The Curiosity. It's as thought-provoking and powerful as Flowers for Algneron and the writing is breathtakingly beautiful. And that ending? Poignant, luminescent, and absolutely perfect." - Chris Bohjalian, bestselling author of The Light in the Ruins and Midwives
"The Curiosity is a true page-turner, mixing cutting edge science with an all-too-human love story, while simultaneously taking on the Big Questions. It's one of the most assured debuts in years, a book that will stop your heart and start it again." - Justin Cronin, bestselling author of The Passage
This information about The Curiosity was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Stephen Kiernan is an award winning journalist whose latest book is a novel, The Curiosity. Author of the nonfiction books Last Rights (about how to improve end-of-life medical care) and Authentic Patriotism (about renewing America through volunteerism and philanthropy), he has won more than 40 awards for his work in newspapers. He lives in Vermont with his two amazing sons.
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