THE GENOME WAR How Craig Venter Tried to Capture the Code of Life and Save the World

Myriad individuals in organizations both public and private cooperated and competed in the race to map the humane genome. The story of their shared discovery is a complex one, on both the scientific and the social level. Author James Shreeve does a fine job bringing scores of meetings and conversations to life, and Grover Gardner's narration is equally skilled at distinguishing among these many voices. Craig Venter is the largest recurring character, and Gardner captures Venter's intelligence and irreverence with a sardonic tone and skilled changes in pace. The only weakness is that there is so much detail that the listener might become confused. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 04]