Darwin's Children (2003)
By Greg Bear
Chaos theory; Epidemics; Evolution; Genetic discrimination; Posthuman; Retrovirus; Speciation; Thriller
As fear and prejudice shape social reactions to a newly evolved generation of children, Stella rejects her parents for her evolved brethren.
In the nine years that have lapsed since the events of Darwin’s Radio, Mitch and Kaye have shielded Stella from the general antagonism towards “virus children” permeating the nation. After an outbreak of “Shiver,” a deadly virus shed by SHEVA mothers for a short period after giving birth, the government enacts strict laws confining SHEVA children to state-run schools. Often, the children are not allowed to see their families once institutionalized, and become objects for experimentation. Though she realizes that her parents are attempting to protect her from this fate, Stella misses contact with SHEVA children and bridles against her parents’ restrains. After she runs away from home and is captured by a bounty hunter, Mitch and Kaye desperately search for her, hoping to find her before the government does. Though they rescue her, Stella hovers near death after contracting a virus specific to SHEVA children. The virus – a version of Coxsackie produced by non-SHEVA humans – becomes a sort of natural bioterrorism between the human species. Just as Stella recovers, she is captured by government agents; while trying to protect her, Mitch is shot and sent to jail. With the family fractured, each must try to survive alone. Stella is sent to a school in Arizona, where she joins “demes” (or family groups) of SHEVA children as a defense against the harsh conditions of institutional life. Kaye returns to lab work, hoping to disprove the myths surrounding SHEVA and thereby eradicate prejudice against the children. Meanwhile, Mitch joins an archaeological dig that unearths evidence indicating that the current mingling of the human species has successfully occurred before, and perhaps could exist again.
The national response to SHEVA and Shiver, spearheaded by the Emergency Action Office, reveals the shortcoming of governmental responses to disease outbreaks. The typical epidemic model is a military response – quarantining the infected through force if necessary – yet when SHEVA becomes an indication of evolutionary transition, the government is unable to shift from prevention mode in order to assuage national anxiety. Because the virus is largely unfamiliar to scientists, researchers are unable to pinpoint direct evidence that undermines the epidemic approach. Citizens, no less ignorant than their scientific counterparts, treat SHEVA like a contagion to be contained, burning 200 children to death in a school in California. Retroviruses are soon viewed as universally detrimental, and billions of research dollars are wasted in trying to remove them from the genetic code – a futile effort as over one-third of the genome is composed of integrated retroviruses. The stubborn adherence to the virus model also has political implications, as both politicians and scientists exploit the general panic of the military state to push personal agendas and accumulate power. The atmosphere drives SHEVA children into hiding, and forces SHEVA communities to form in backwoods regions to ensure survival. The military state seems to be collapsing by the end, unable to sustain national tension indefinitely, and the birth of Stella’s child portends the growth and survival of the SHEVA community.
Evaluation: This is an enjoyable sequel to Bear’s Darwin’s Radio, one that balances the social implications of evolution with its impact on heterogenous family units. This conflict between microcosmic family dynamics and broader social concerns lends support to individual rights over governmental influence.
– Natalie Champ