Small Miracles

October 12, 2009
This high-concept techno-thriller from a real-life scientist is unfortunately lacking in both tech and thrills. Set less than a decade in the future, a budding nanotechnology firm has developed a lightweight "supersuit" outfit with life-saving technology, including microscopic robots that, in the event of a medical emergency, are released into the bloodstream to battle injury. During a routine sales-oriented ride-along with law enforcement, the nanosuit saves employee Brent Cleary from a catastrophic accident that kills hundreds. Although the nanobots are designed to exit the human body after 24 hours (through an anatomically convenient "escape hatch"), Brent begins to suspect that the machines have not only moved in to stay, but are developing a consciousness of their own. Lerner's intriguing premise fails to gain momentum, training his heavy-handed narrative on Brent's shallow social and mental lives, and the nanobots' apparent influence on them. By the time any tangible consequences take effect, most readers will have already lost interest.