Publisher's Weekly Review
The discovery of the fountain of youth kick-starts this excellent fantasy thriller from Farnsworth (Blood Oath and two other Nathaniel Cade vampire novels). In 1537, Simón de Oliveras y Seixas and five of his closest soldiers claim the fountain of youth in the Florida swamps after slaughtering the members of the Water Clan of the Uzita, who guard "The Water." Nearly 500 years later, Simon Oliver III, as Simón now calls himself, heads Conquest Biotech, a firm best known for its anti-aging pharmaceuticals, and his fellow Spanish conquistadors run the board. With the fountain's water supply dwindling, Simon hires scientific genius David Robinton to find its secret. Meanwhile, Simon and his cohorts remain locked in a centuries-old war with Shako, the daughter of the Uzita chief and the massacre's only survivor. Each man is obsessed with living forever, yet exhausted from the lies and hiding they've done for centuries and bored by life's pleasures. "To live forever, you have to have something to live for," one of them thinks. The realistic approach is one of this inventive novel's major strengths. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, Linda Chester Literary Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Moving away from his President's Vampire series, Farnsworth (Red, White, and Blood, 2012, etc.) offers a fantastical witch's brew of Spanish conquistadors, biotechnology, and hubris. Legend says Ponce de Len sought the Fountain of Youth in Florida. According to Farnsworth, Simn de Oliveras y Seixas found it there in 1527. Simn, a Spanish soldier, is now known as Simon Oliver III, CEO of Conquest Biotech. Max, Francisco, Pedro, Sebastian, and Aznar, his conquistador Council of the Immortals, share the wealth, using the elixir and "succeeding themselves as father to son for generations." Simon has problems, though, beginning with the revenge-obsessed Shako, daughter of the Uzita Water Clan's chief, who rescued him back in the 16th century before he betrayed her and stole the fountain's secret. Worse, Simon's secreted supply of the fountain water is dwindling, and the source cannot be found. With Conquest marketing a cutting-edge anti-aging drug, ReGenesys, Simon hires double-Ph.D. genius David Robinton to re-engineer the magic Florida spring water. Farnsworth's science is easy reading as David rejiggers DNA so that "all new cells would be rebuilt without junk or cancer or waste." The premise requires buy-in: Simon visualizes his power "to save this miserable, fallen world from itself," but the world 500 years ago mirrors the present. Shifting settings across those five centuries, Farnsworth sometimes stops for social commentary, most effectively when Andrew Jackson engineers mass killings of Native Americans in Florida or when Shako offers a synopsis on female oppression. However, there's more action than philosophy or science, and other than David's evolution out of naivet, only Shako comprehends the vagaries of "souls rotting long before their bodies died." With cinematic pacing and colorful action scenes, Farnsworth blends a unique premise into fun summer reading. Michael Crichton's gone, but Farnsworth entertainingly explores the border where science fantasy meets reality. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Farnsworth's latest asks readers to ponder what the world would be like if the Fountain of Youth really existed. A ruthless Spanish conquistador, Simon de Oliveras, and his men discover the fountain, imbide its waters, and are still living in the present day, but they have been tracked over five centuries by Shako, the daughter of the chief of the Native American tribe Simon slaughtered to reach the fountain. Now the source of the life-giving water has been lost, and a young scientist, David Robinton, is hired to reproduce the fountain's magic and keep the eternal water flowing. David feels he can handle the science, but when he realizes the blood feud is coming to a head, and he is somehow in the middle of the warring factions, he knows he's in way over his head. There's also the matter of the mysterious woman with whom David has fallen in love. Who is she and where does she stand? Farnsworth is an old hand at mixing thrills and the paranormal (see his President's Vampire series), and here he adds plenty of romance to the mix. Fine entertainment for those who like high-concept fantasy thrillers.--Ayers, Jeff Copyright 2015 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In this fascinating tale of greed, lust, and betrayal, a group of Spanish conquistadors, who had discovered the Fountain of Youth and slaughtered the native tribe guarding the water 500 years ago, find that their supply is running low after the fountain is destroyed. They reach out to a young scientific prodigy to create something that will hopefully replicate the water's life-sustaining effects. The young scientist works diligently to find the key, but he soon realizes that there is something not quite right about his employers and the mysterious young woman who is pursuing him. He becomes embroiled in the centuries-old war between the beautiful native girl avenging her tribe and the Spaniards. The book is written in the style of a screenplay, with the action and the story moving at breakneck speed until the novel's middle portion, at which point the author feels compelled to fill in the backstory before coming to the finale. While most of the information shared is necessary to the completed yarn, it is a bit distracting to the pacing. Verdict The author of the "President's Vampire" trilogy has written a delightful blend of historical fiction and cutting-edge science adventure. [See Prepub Alert, 3/2/15.]-Cynde Suite, Bartow Cty. Lib. Syst., Adairsville, GA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
