Doctor Anna creates some literary gems

They are two strands of humanity who inhabit a thought-provoking new dystopian science fiction novel called Genepool written by Shropshire doctor Anna Price which is designed to appeal to both young adults and adults.

Anna, who lives near Wem, says: "It’s a dystopia surrounding an imagined society where your worth is solely based on your genes. Society has split into two separate groups, called Gems and Nomods.

"Gems are humans whose genes are modified before they are born, meaning they are all strong, fast, intelligent and good looking. Nomods haven’t had their genes altered at all and are seen as the inferior species. In fact, they are barely seen as human.

"However, life isn’t easy for the Gems either. To prove their worth and cement their position in society, Gems have to undergo something called the Trials. The Trials test Gems on the seven most valued societal characteristics – strength, courage, beauty, ingenuity, resilience, ambition and knowledge."

Anna added: "It’s difficult to say exactly where the idea came from. I’d always been fascinated by genetic technology and its increasing importance within the medical field.

"Some medical professionals think that genetically individualised therapies may well be the future of medicine, but we have to be aware that technologies have the potential to make things worse for society as well as better. I think Genepool covers both aspects.

"Writing has always been a passion of mine, and I’ve especially always loved science fiction and fantasy.

"Growing up, I always said I would write a book if I came up with an idea. Genepool was a story I wanted to write. I also think that there are few stories with female scientist protagonists. I wanted to address that, and this is something that some reviewers have appreciated.

"Genepool is supposed to be fun, thrilling, and perhaps, like many dystopias, make you think about what it really means to be human."

Anna worked as a doctor in hospitals and general practices around Shropshire from 2016 to early this year and is now training to be a public health medicine consultant.

Her current placement is in Stoke-on-Trent but she says she will be rotating around Shropshire and Staffordshire over the next five years.

Genepool is available on Amazon and Anna says feedback has been positive.

"It’s currently on the reader recommended list for science fiction fantasy on the UK and US versions of Netgalley, which is a reviewer website used by publishers to gain feedback on books. It also has a 4.75 out of 5 rating on Goodreads and is still sitting at 5 stars on Amazon."