Title: Fighting Time
Author: Oskar Frankfurt
Publisher: Llumina Press
ISBN: 1-59526-514-7
Genre: Science Fiction
Presentation: Soft cover
No. of Pages: 204

Fighting Time by Oskar Frankfurt is a SF novel set forth in contemporary America but spanning into a few thousand years into the future and at a few places, into the past too. The book deals with gene therapy and its application to immortality and cancer treatment. It also deals with all the scientific, ethical, moral dilemmas that go with path-breaking research in any branch of science. There is not much of science in it for the hardcore SF fan. However, the ethical and moral issues of immortality, of premature human trials due to pressures etc. are nicely brought out.

The style is rather pedantic. At places, it reads more like a book on philosophy and ethics. The author uses the technique of dreams and their interpretation to make the characters speak of their sub-conscious thoughts and fears. A book within a book is a novel technique, atleast to me.

The story is not really that strange. It is predictable at many places. However, it is told in sufficiently good style to hold the reader's attention.

The book deserved better editing than what it received.

All in all, a good read if you are of the scientific bent of mind.