Going With Gabriel by Bryan Islip

Synopsis: Are there simply too many of us? Are we trying to grab much, much more from our planet than our planet has to give? Many of us would agree with Gabriel, would know by now that these most acute of problems reach out to threaten every form of life on earth, even our own. But then in all probability we would quickly forget about them. Solutions seem either unavailable or unacceptable.

On the other hand … Dr Gabriel Nicolson has long escaped from the frightening reality of his team’s bio-scientific discovery into the anonymity of the streets; into the world of his first love, that of music.

Going with Gabriel is a powerfully intertwined story about an exceptional talent and a man’s conscience and about freedom and the lack of it, love and no love, celebrity and anonymity. This is a truly thought-provoking literary adventure.

My Thoughts: I really struggled to get into this book. The story idea is really intriguing, and the arguments made by the characters really make you think. But I didn’t like any of the characters; I found them all a bit unrealistic. I also found a lot of the book too political and scientific, so I didn’t always understand what was going on.

I really enjoyed the last part of the book, after Gabriel has moved into Farland 101. I think I would have preferred the book if more of the story had been set in the Farland. I also enjoyed it when Gabriel went ‘outside’ again. It was an eye-opener as it showed how the world could be like in a few years time.