Type of bind: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 208
Printing Date: October 31, 1999
Sale Popularity Level: 994273
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Product Description:
In the twenty-second century, humankind has colonized the solar system. Starflight is possible but hugely expensive, so humankinds efforts are focused on Isis, the one nearby Earth-like world. Every molecule of Isian life is spectacularly toxic to human beings. The entire planet is a permanent Level Four hot zone. Despite that, Isis is the most interesting discovery of the millennium:. Zoe Fisher was born to explore Isis. Literally. Cloned and genetically engineered by a faction within the hothouse politics of Earth, Zoe is optimized to face Isiss terrors.
Amazon.com Review:
In the 22nd century, humanity discovers life on an extrasolar planet, Isis: life that is lush, beautiful--and deadly. The least molecule of Isian biology kills humans painfully and horribly. Zoe Fisher has been born and bred--cloned and genetically engineered--to explore Isis. But Isis has secrets undiscovered by humanity, and Zoe herself contains secrets known only to the political powers that created her. And an act of biomedical sabotage has changed Zoe in unknown ways.
Robert Charles Wilson is the author of Science Fiction Chronicle's Best SF Novel of 1998, bestselling Darwinia, also the Aurora Award winner and Nebula and Hugo Award finalist. With Bios, Wilson has created a hard-SF novel rich in great ideas, strong writing, and the classic sense of wonder, a work that stays true to the implications of its frightful biology. --Cynthia Ward
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Rated by buyers 
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Since reading Spin, I'll buy any book with the name Robert Charles Wilson on the binding. I haven't encountered a book of his that I like better than Spin (though Spin is one of my favorite novels of all time, so that might be unfair) and Bios definitely isn't the exception. It's not a bad read however; it just barely feels like a whole book.
All of RCW's books are captivating in their own way. If nothing else, he is a master of prose. His writing has no repetition and always flows smoothly from one page to the next, allowing all of his books to be quick but satisfying reads. In the case of Bios, the prose I think is the best thing about it. It seems like he had a pretty big idea, which is shown to us at the end in somewhat of a revelation, but not that much story to build around it. The story and the characters are both lacking the depth of a usual RCW novel, and that most surely has to do with the fact that the book barely breaks the 200 page mark.
Though the book is so short, I actually thought if it would have been better even shorter as a short story or maybe a novella. There really isn't enough substance to pack into a novel, so why not shave off some of the excess and give us a quicker story that packs more of a punch? I think I would have enjoyed Bios more in that format than what it is, despite the fact that the result would be roughly the same. One example of a bit that could have been removed was the character Kenyon, the manager of the research station orbiting the planet Isis. He was only concerned about his own survival and his own sucess and sort of came off as the bad guy, but then we had Theo, who was the main character's mentor, and we learn that he has some shifty agendas of his own. Theo was a much more important part of the story and shaving Kenyon's character wouldn't have mattered much to the plot.
While there may not be much character development, the two characters that the story focuses on are Zoe and Tam and the strange almost love story between them. Zoe definitely is an interesting character, having been built and manipulated by Earth politics to explore the deadly planet Isis on which this book takes place. She is an orphan, out of place and distant from all other fellow humans, except for Tam. Their quasi-relationship was definitely interesting. The environment itself was also fascinating and well realized, with lush environments and frightening micro-organisms that kill human beings upon contact.
Bios feels like a book confused with itself. With more of a story to go on, it could have been a grand and epic sci-fi adventure. With some of the unnecessary stuff cut out, it would have been better as a short story.
I recommend this to the Robert Charles Wilson completist, which I am. For those beginning readers of the author, go for Blind Lake or the awe-inspiring Spin.
Rated by buyers 
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I can't disagree with some reviewers who said it felt unfinished or somehow lacking. It did, but it's only slightly longer than 200 pages, so while if I'd read a 600 page book and felt that way, that would be more of a problem.
Overall, I think Wilson had a story in mind, and largely he told it and told it well, as he always does.
If your new to Wilson, this might not be the best book of his to start with. I've read about half of his books so far and Spin is by far my favorite so far.
Still, I enjoyed this book and definately recommend it to anyone that's already read his other books and liked them.
Rated by buyers -
Isis is a planet with a very dynamic biosphere, uniformly deadly to humans. The native microbes are very aggressive and adaptable and any human who comes in contact with any of them is quickly consumed into a pile of grey goo. Despite all of this humans have established a series of research colonies on the planet in an endeavor to understand how that biosphere functions. For reasons that no one understands, the life on Isis is also based on DNA, which is why the native microbes can thrive in a human host.
Zoe Fisher is sent to Isis to test out a new isolation suit that will allow here to explore the surface without being encased in layers of hermetically sealed armor. Unknown to her, she was one of several cloned twin sisters with augmented, yet differing immune systems. They were placed in a brothel staffed by orphans and frequented by poor diseased men. One by one her sisters die, but Zoe's immune system proves capable of defeating all of the diseases.
After passing this test, her "benefactor" "rescues" her and ships her to Isis. Once there, things start to break down. It is as if the planet itself is out to kill all of the humans, the microbes have adapted to the point that they can defeat even the most effective of seals. Several people die as their bio-shields are systematically compromised. At the end, all is revealed to Zoe. She learns the true state of the universe and the relationships between the bio-sphere of Earth to that of the rest of the universe. It turns out that Earth is a special place, but not necessarily in the way that human arrogance would lead you to believe.
This is a book full of ideas, although some of them reminded me of "The Deathworld Trilogy" by Harry Harrison. The conclusion is indeed a unique one, as the true nature of the universe bears some resemblance to the Gaia hypothesis, but there are significant and creative differences.
Rated by buyers -
A new planet has been discovered. Unfortunately it is immediately
deadly to anyone that comes in contact with even a skerrick of it. It
offers large opportunities for wealth, because there is life there. A
consortium goes to the trouble of breeding a girl who can at least
survive there for a while.
A rather bleak story, as money struggles with ethics, at the cost of a girl's humanity and life.
Rated by buyers -
I enjoyed this book for what it is - a short, interesting, and original story. Some criticize the book for being too light on character development, however I disagree. The setting of the story is the main character and the one that is develped most satisfactorily. Had the book been longer (and handled in a more contemporary fashion by its author) I don't think I would have liked it as much. I do not want to spoil the plot here, but if you enjoy medical/lab/biological science fiction along the lines of The Andromeda Strain, you will very likely enjoy this book about an extraterrestrial contaminant running amok in a futuristic, remote lab setting.
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