One of those books that makes you race against time.
Julie Pifher (JP) Cawood is an award-winning storyteller working across mediums that include screenplays, books, audio series, and even virtual reality (VR).
She’s developed and sold TV series and pilots to Syfy Network, CW, TLC, A&E, Hulu, Legendary, Universal, and Discovery+, among others.
With this strong resume, JP Cawood adds The Phoenix Gene: Origins of Darkness to the list.
The book is a science fiction novel that blends themes such as control in a dystopian world, biotechnology, and the infinite possibilities of the multiverse.
Early in the book, the reader meets and learns to fear Life Rite, a powerful medical corporation. Jackie works as a cleaner at the company, and at all times, she’s practically invisible, as she was taught to be.
But everything changes when she witnesses one of Life Rite’s questionable experiments. In the wrong place at the wrong time, she’s now being monitored and attracts the director’s attention.
Life Rite has gained immense control over society through its immortality serum, which cures diseases and prolongs life.
It’s the salvation for humanity, but only at first glance, as the truth is much darker.
The serum has consequences so serious that it threatens the stability of the entire multiverse.
Every year, the government summons all citizens to take a mandatory health test and check for the deadly PX virus. If the test comes back positive, you simply disappear.
The tests are conducted, of course, by Life Rite. After witnessing the event, Jackie is summoned for the test, but when she fails her wellness check, she’s left with no option but to flee.
Now Life Rite is after her, and the book’s journey transforms into a larger struggle for survival, revealing surprisingly family secrets, confronting morally ambiguous attitudes, and navigating the dangerous air current between survival and timelines.
One of the most fantastical aspects of the book is the construction of the world.
Cawood creates a society that seems futuristic and frighteningly close to our own, where scientific progress and corporate ambition blur the line between innovation and exploitation.
And that age-old question: does anything go? Thus, the book presents a human reading of greed, inequality, and the risks of technology where the end justifies the means.
Cawood’s writing brings imaginative, vivid descriptions that make scenes of chases, confrontations, and world-changing discoveries intense and engaging. It also brings a pulsating pace throughout the chase and a touch of suspense between the twists and turns.
This reinforces the tension over who can be trusted in a world built on secrets and lies. The story moves quickly, leaving the reader breathless and eager for the next new discovery.
Ultimately, The Phoenix Gene: Origins of Darkness is an addictive blend of high-stakes adventure, moral complexity, and sci-fi. If your best-books list includes titles like The Hunger Games, The Host, or Divergent, this book will be a perfect match.
This book ties in with the VR game Phoenix Gene, read the review on our VirtualRealities column soon.
