Title: Good ideas, but seriously flawed
Product review: Ann Benson began with a fascinating concept, a post-biological-disaster near future in which freedoms have been sacrificed to protect society from potential contagion, and a parallel story of a young Jewish doctor in plague-ridden medieval Europe. Unfortunately, she rapidly lost control of both her plots and her characters. The modern story became a string of bizarre coincidences, while the medieval one brought in mystical or occult elements that never really meshed with the high-tech future. Also, the contemporary, supposedly scientifically-trained characters repeatedly behave as if they are brain-dead. I kept hoping this novel would rise to the promise of its premise, but it disappointed me to its laboriously contrived end.
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