SFF

Extreme Makeover

by Dan Wells
Tor. Nov. 2016. 416p. ISBN 9780765385628. $27.99; pap. ISBN 9780765385635. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780765385642. SF
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In his work for NewYew cosmetics company, Lyle Fontanelle spends most days devising a new formulation for a hand lotion that he hopes might have additional uses that are beyond skin deep. In his efforts to design the product to rebuild cells for burn victims, he inadvertently invents a cream that overwrites DNA and creates clones. When focus group members testing the lotion suddenly start looking like Lyle, he realizes he has made a terrible mistake. His company, however, sees the possibility of enormous profits on the horizon.
VERDICT The pursuit of youth and beauty takes a dark turn in this satirical novel from Wells (I Am Not a Serial Killer). The science is of the hand-waving variety that doesn't bear close scrutiny, but it is an entertaining send-up of corporate greed and societal shallowness.
Reviewed by Megan M. McArdle , Oct 15, 2016
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