The Lazarus Factor

By: Nick Crow

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan

A secret hidden in our genetic code will rewrite history as we know it....

Sara Morin, a brilliant computational biologist, makes a discovery that will fundamentally change our understanding of human evolution. But when she publishes her results, she ignites a firestorm she never expected.

Hunted by a ruthless assassin, Sara finds herself partnered with New York Times reporter Marcus Byron. Together they race across Europe, through Cathar castles, Aegean islands, and beyond. On the run, Sara must decipher a mysterious set of genome sequences.

As they begin to uncover answers, powerful forces turn their sights on Sara. If she can’t decode the sequences in time, she’ll end up dead—and the world will never know the shocking truth about the people who rule it.

©2023 Nick Crow (P)2023 Nick Crow

Too much fluff

I loved the idea of the book. However, I think it could have been a novella or short story instead. It felt like the author had a word count requirement or something and filled the book with a lot of fluff to meet that word count. I found myself skipping/fast forwarding through boring parts that seemed to have nothing to do with the story or contribute to the plot.

Reminded me of the Martian

The Lazarus factor was a ton of fun. I really liked the scientific realism. Great character development

Too absurd

How was the mysterious gene expressed as longevity and healing?? In sum, just too absurd!!

All that makes a story good

“The Lazarus Factor” was an interesting blend of The Davinci Code, Jurassic Park, along with a bit of Indiana Jones wrapped up in a well written action-adventure story that held my attention during the entire journey. The audiobook appears to be the premiere work by author Nick Crow. I could not find anything else by him under the author’s Audible page. The narration was superbly performed by one of my favorite authors and narrators, Nick Sullivan. I’m always willing to listen to something narrated by him. I did want to say up front that this book contains quite a bit of technology lingo and items. However, this makes sense when one peruses the author’s about page. What an impressive set of accomplishments he can be proud of. This story takes one on quite a technologically rich adventure. Additionally, the audiobook’s title does give a hint of the story away for those who know the Biblical character with the same name. I knew something was going to come from the name, it was more of when. I do not want to say too much as I think the book is best listened to without any story spoilers. I can say that I did enjoy it, and I’m sorry it took as long as it had for me to finish it and get the review written. If you enjoy your adventures on the technology heavy side, I recommend you pick up this audiobook and give it a listen.

The audiobook opens with a rather action-packed scene along with a well provided flashback. Both events set the stage for the listener to know what they can expect as the story unfolds. Even though this is a piece of fiction (clearly), the author did a very good job with his research, making the story feel both realistic and believable. What technology book would be any good without including the likes of: GPS, Bitcoin, DNA, and UNIX workstations. Yet, there is also a blending of castles, ancient locations, and protectors of the truth to complete the tale. Roll in a secret that needs to remain that way for the better of humankind, and you have the premise of what this story is about. I liked the writing style, but I could have done with a bit less technology at times. It seemed a bit forced, but I could get past this after a bit of listening. I did enjoy the constant pursuit by an assassin hired to kill our main character and take back what she had uncovered. Her discovery, if released, could have huge ramifications for all of humankind. Can they keep the genie in the bottle, or does this lead to the end of society as we know it today?

The audiobook’s narration is performed masterfully by Nick Sullivan. He is an expert in his ability to bring a book to life. Even though this genre is a bit outside of his typical narration wheelhouse, he performed it expertly and I do not recall any audio artifacts or other issues while listening. What I like most about Mr. Sullivan’s narrations is that you quickly forget you are listening to an audiobook and instead feel a part of the story being told. If you are not a fan of this genre (which I am), you may still enjoy it just because of the wonderful narration.

For parents and younger listeners, this audiobook does have a few places where both profanity and adult themes are used. There is some graphic violence and subject material I would recommend only for more mature audiences. The story is engaging and if you can put these few items listed above behind you, I think the listen is worth it.

In summary, there is a solid story here with plenty of action, plenty of adventure and plenty of technology. For a premiere work by this author, I would have to say that in most places this did not appear to be the case. The story felt well thought out and from a narration perspective it was well delivered. I would be interested to see what comes next by this author, as I’m sure there will be something on the horizon.

Da Vinci Code meets Darwin’s Radio

I very solid mystery adventure with enough hard science to ground the narrative and maintain suspended disbelief. Not too dense with the science to compromise the pacing and story and the characters are well developed if a little archetypal and I was definitely ready to travel with them further. While a standalone story in its own right, there is narrative room for a sequel and I can say I would dive back into the world of the Lazarus Factor again if given a chance.

Entertaining

The narrator was excellent. The plot was well paced and the characters persona was well developed.

It Might Have Been So Much More

The story - for me - had more plot holes than one of my grandmother's doilies. I will endeavor NOT to give the plot away, so I will speak in generalities.

Several famous figures from history have a unique genetic ability. They survive based on secrecy. They are willing to commit atrocities to maintain their secrecy. So far so good.

The book never addresses how they gained their abilities. It never addresses the question of why JUST them. The action sequences suggest, any attempt by science to duplicate their abilities results in only temporary changes to the test subjects.

So again, why the atrocities to protect something exclusive to these people? They've "cornered the market" on it so to speak.

When reading these types of stories - and I do enjoy most of them - one must be willing to suspend disbelief. However, when the journey you're being led on throws plot holes in your path, the resulting questions are so jarring, you're snapped back to reality.

Reminiscent of The DaVinci Code

Fast paced and the science and tech were believable enough to suspend disbelief for the sci-fi. I hate when the science is so lazy that it hurts the story. This is definitely up to par. Not finished yet but so far I’m impressed. Hope this author is planning more like this.

Too many damned Timestamps

By the end of the book, I found great irritation with the constant damn timestamps. Month, day, time, place, character speaking. Same month, day, place, and 5 minutes later, another time stamp. Every scene shifts, another timestamp. All of the characters were irritating, especially Sarah. The way she impulsively and casually made rash decisions, which ended in someone being injured or killed and then blamed someone else, was irritating. Every character was shallow and selfish. There were too many immortals too.

Great story!

The Lazarus Factor was an awesome story. A little bit of sci-fi and almost a bit of historical fiction kept me wanting more! Of course the narrator telling the story definitely helped! Nick Crow is a new author to me, but based on this book I'll definitely be checking out more of his work. Nick Sullivan is not new to me as a narrator or an author. I always enjoy his work!