Exogene (n): factor or agent (as a disease-producing organism) from outside the organism or system. Also (slang): classified Russian program to merge protohumanoids with powered armor systems.
Catherine is a soldier. Fast, strong, and lethal, she is the ultimate in military technology. She’s a monster in the body of an eighteen-year-old girl. Bred by scientists, grown in vats, indoctrinated by the government, she and her sisters will win this war—no matter the cost.
And the costs are high. Their lifespan is short; as they age they become unstable and undergo a process called “the spoiling.” On their eighteenth birthday they are discharged. Lined up and shot like cattle.
However, the truth is, Catherine and her sisters may not be strictly human, but they’re not animals. They can twist their genomes and indoctrinate them to follow the principles of Faith and Death, but they can’t shut off the part of them that wants more than war. Catherine may have only known death, but she dreams of life, and she will get it at any cost.
Download and start listening now!
"Very interesting view into these characters. The ideology is very interesting and warped, I wish they went into it some more. The doings of the character at times didn't make much sense or her rationale. I put it down to a twisted upbringing. Great second book, cannot wait for the third."
— Nicholas (5 out of 5 stars)
“Former CIA analyst McCarthy delivers a stark and wrenching sequel to Germline…The conclusion is simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant, and utterly appropriate for the brutal, bloody, and magnificent story.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Catherine, known to her fellow soldiers as Little Murderer, lives to kill, but as the day of her discharge approaches something shifts inside her, a corruption known as “the spoil,” and while her body deteriorates her mind starts to question. She’s a fascinating creation, an inhuman killing machine finding her own humanity. Her perspective is at once childlike and brutal, combining indoctrinated religious fervour with a cold violence, without moral qualms. Exogene is both disorienting and an effective portrayal of a protagonist with a broken mind.”
— Guardian, UK“McCarthy portrays Catherine as a complex mixture of zealotry and skepticism, depicting a mindset that is effectively outside human experience while also very much identifiable. Although the novel takes place in the midst of a war and involves a number of battles, it’s less a war story than a rumination on identity and faith, anchored by a protagonist who brings surprising and moving depths to familiar science-fiction concepts.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)" This book will haunt me into the future. I don't think I've ever gotten so lost in a character. I'm getting the rest of this series as fast as I can. It's got a future with humanity's best and worst on clear display. "
— Falbs, 1/8/2014" An interesting addition to the series. I enjoyed it :) "
— Ryan, 11/29/2013" Exogene is a thoughtful and provoking story from the POV of a short lived cloned female soldier. "
— Natasha, 7/16/2013" This was a great read. If future war is your thing, then you will love this series. T.C. McCarthy is quickly becoming one of my favorite sci-fi authors. "
— Nathan, 6/5/2013" Good read and a nice carry over from Germline. "
— Mark, 12/11/2012" It was a great read. I could hardly put it down. It was the captivating study of the morality of creating clones to fight a war and using religion to motivate them. I highly recommend this book. "
— Bill, 8/28/2012" this is just one you've got to read yourself. good standalone, but I'd suggest reading the entire trilogy. "
— Renee, 4/6/2012T. C. McCarthy is an award–winning and critically acclaimed author and technology development strategist. His short fiction, both literary and genre, has appeared in Per Contra: The International Journal of the Arts, Literature and Ideas, Story Quarterly, Nature, and multiple anthologies. His debut novel Germline won the Compton Crook Award in 2012.
Bahni Turpin, winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and several prestigious Audie Awards for her narrations, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. Publishers Weekly magazine named her Narrator of the Year for 2016. She is an ensemble member of the Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles. She has guest starred in many television series, including NYPD Blue, Law & Order, Six Feet Under, Cold Case, What about Brian, and The Comeback. Film credits include Brokedown Palace, Crossroads, and Daughters of the Dust. She is also a member of the recording cast of The Help, which won numerous awards.