The Methuselah Project ~ Review

The Methuselah Project: A Novel
By Rick Barry

For more than 70 years Roger Greene has been living through the nightmare of World War II.  But it isn't merely memories that he is reliving, he is a POW and has been since 1943.

But Roger Greene is more than a POW shot down over Germany - he is the living, breathing embodiment of an experiment authorized by the Fuhrer himself.  Roger is the only proof that the Methuselah Project was, is a success.  And when the man who designed this procedure becomes a casualty of war Roger becomes even more valuable and more isolated.

Interspersed throughout is a second story which follows Katherine Mueller.  Katherine wants to live outside of her uncles demands and pressures, yet she seeks his approval at the same time.  

While Katherine's story takes place over several months, Roger's takes place over 70 years.  These two seemingly separate stories are on a collision course though they are on different continents and when the collision occurs lives are on the line.  Can Roger convince this stranger that his story, though implausible, is true?  And will she help him search for the answers he seeks - something to prove he is whom he says he is?

It is amazing to see Roger's reaction to the changes that have occurred during his isolation.  It is difficult to imagine facing this type situation - everyone one had known had continued living their life, people have aged, cities have grown, technology had completely changed. 

Eternal youth has been something long sought after throughout history.  Wars have been waged over the possibility of possessing this power.  If such a power could be achieved through scientific manipulation how many would jump at the chance of living for hundreds of years?  What would be the cost?  And what would one hove to give up in exchange for such a gift?  I would love to read a sequel should the author decide to continue Roger and/or Katherine's story,

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher through the Kregel blogger program in exchange for my honest review.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

About the book:

Nazi scientists started many experiments. One never ended.

Roger Greene is a war hero. Raised in an orphanage, the only birthright he knows is the feeling that he was born to fly. Flying against the Axis Powers in World War II is everything he always dreamed--until the day he's shot down and lands in the hands of the enemy.

When Allied bombs destroy both his prison and the mad genius experimenting on POWs, Roger survives. Within hours, his wounds miraculously heal, thanks to those experiments. The Methuselah Project is a success--but this ace is still not free. Seventy years later, Roger hasn't aged a day, but he has nearly gone insane. This isn't Captain America--just a lousy existence only made passable by a new-found faith. The Bible provides the only reliable anchor for Roger's sanity and his soul. When he finally escapes, there's no angelic promise or personal prophecy of deliverance, just confusion. It's 2015--and the world has become an unrecognizable place.

Katherine Mueller--crack shot, genius, and real Southern Belle--offers to help him find his way home. Can he convince her of the truth of his crazy story? Can he continue to trust her when he finds out she works for the very organization he's trying to flee?

Thrown right into pulse-pounding action from the first page, readers will find themselves transported back in time to a believable, full-colored past, and then catapulted into the present once more. The historical back-and-forth adds a constantly moving element of suspense to keep readers on the edge of their seats.