Enter the lottery and be cured from any disease. Who would chance it? Masterfully written story.
Title: The Ouroboros: Time Cures All Ills
Author: Woody Clark
Genre(s): Science Fiction
Word Count: 80,000
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 8/16/2023
Summary: When the planet’s wealthiest man receives a terminal diagnosis, he faces the ultimate decision: accept his fate, or deploy his nearly limitless fortune in the quest for a cure. Having exhausted every conventional option, Michel Bouchon is left with little choice but to build the one technological marvel he knows will yield a universal panacea. With his future, and that of mankind’s hanging in the balance, Michel begins construction and names his audacious invention “The Ouroboros”.
The world is stunned when the reclusive trillionaire emerges from seclusion and announces that he has discovered a cure for every disease. Although a remarkable achievement that captivates imaginations around the globe, Michel cautions that his remedy comes with a considerable caveat: he can only extend his life-saving elixir to ten others, and those lucky recipients, will be chosen via a lottery.
As lottery fever grips every man, woman, and child, so too does it consume Michel’s business rival, Yan Huen. Driven by greed and his desire to surpass Michel, Yan covertly purchases a lottery spot and enlists the services of master spy, Devlin Archer. Employing the mole to steal the secrets behind the cure, Yan schemes to exploit the remedy for his own profit, and ultimately supplant Michel as the world’s richest man.
In this gripping tale of insatiable avarice, burgeoning technologies, and furtive espionage, the destinies of Michel, Yan, and Devlin become inexorably linked across space and time.
My Review:
What would you do if you were diagnosed with an incurable disease and a trillionaire tycoon known for introducing earth-changing technology offers the cure to all diseases? You enter the lottery. Every person on the planet can enter as many times as they want, but only 10 will be chosen for the opportunity to be cured of whatever ails them. Hope, greed, and espionage propel the 10 to enter the lottery, but will the cost be worth the sacrifice?
Honestly, I cannot speak highly enough about this story. The reader follows several individuals all diagnosed with a terminal disease as they are offered a second chance at life by a billionaire who disappeared from the face of the Earth years earlier. The large, compelling cast of characters are well-developed and so unique that they feel like real people. Among the characters, a few stand out amongst the group.
Charlie is so intriguing that he immediately stole my heart. The way that Author Woody Clark describes Charlie receiving his Parkinson’s diagnosis is
so believable, it is as though the reader is sitting on the examination table
with Charlie, holding his shaking hand. Then there is Devlin Archer, that
sneaky degenerate! Oh, how I love to loathe you! There is so much mystery and swagger about this character that it proves difficult not to be enraptured by him. Each character sucks you into this world.
The world-building is spectacular. Author Clark does his due-diligence within his research in ensuring that each technological advancements feels real. Several things implemented in The Ouroboros: Time Cures All Ill’s are simply clever, like using “Solar Shades” to halt global warming. As the plot progresses, there is an anticipation of “what’s the next big thing,” as the reader follows each character through the lottery process. The payoff is exquisite. Not too much, not too little and the antagonist earns the comeuppance in the most satisfactory way.
The only critique is the romantic element. It feels a little forced but it’s understandable in the context of this story and it does not take away from the satisfaction this story provides. I would definitely recommend adding this book to your TBR. (ARC received from Reedsy)