Rashmi bookmarks “Genocide of One”

Kazuaki Takano's story is about a child who is the next step in human evolution, and whose superior intelligence could well pose a threat to all of humanity. This was an undoubtedly brilliant concept. Conducted some years before, the Heisman Report was about research into extinction of the human race. One of the five possible reasons it outlined was a gene modification that would develop a superior human, an intelligent being that would eradicate lower humans, as it saw animals as detrimental to the growth of humanity. With the news of the birth of the life form known as Akili, that prediction appears to have come true, and various key individuals have to react very quickly.

The narrative was also really interesting, as we follow multiple threads, all of them eventually leading to the birthplace of a new civilization (symbolically, in Africa). Acting under presidential orders, Jonathan Yeager leads an international team of hand-picked operatives into a Congolese jungle to destroy the being. In Japan, Kento receives an email from his father, curiously four days after his death - with very explicit instructions for a secret project with a tight schedule. Meanwhile, in Uganda, Sanyu gets an enormous sum of money to transport a van in a war zone in Congo. Nigel Pierce, who lives amongst pygmies in their natural habitat, appears to be the only one who knows what the truth really is. These parallel events make for very exciting reading.

I also liked the social commentary that certain characters and situations throw light on, chief among which was the true intent behind American-led wars - as Yeager, stationed at Baghdad, says at one point, the war was never about the ideology it claimed, it was always about oil. When the story went into the background of young children recruited into war via the cruellest means possible, it was a brutally scathing comment on war.

Unfortunately, at several points along the way, I lost interest mainly because the story was just too long and a lot of details could have been severely edited. I also did not like the fact that the author's voice kept getting manifested in various characters' lament about how greedy this world has become. After the initial few comments on how people have become more "war ready", the tone got too pedantic, and I felt like I was being preached to a lot. And that really broke my concentration.

Overall, however, this was an enjoyable read. Oh, and I thought the title was really awesome!