The Seventh Son cover art

The Seventh Son

From the Between the Covers TV Book Club

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

The Seventh Son

By: Sebastian Faulks
Narrated by: Miranda Raison
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £12.06

Buy Now for £12.06

Brought to you by Penguin.

A CHILD WILL BE BORN WHO WILL CHANGE EVRYTHING

When a young American academic Talissa Adam offers to carry another woman's child, she has no idea of the life-changing consequences.

Behind the doors of the Parn Institute, a billionaire entrepreneur plans to stretch the boundaries of ethics as never before. Through a series of IVF treatments, which they hope to keep secret, they propose an experiment that will upend the human race as we know it.

Seth, the baby, is delivered to hopeful parents Mary and Alaric, but when his differences start to mark him out from his peers, he begins to attract unwanted attention.

The Seventh Son is a spectacular examination of what it is to be human. It asks the question: just because you can do something, does it mean you should? Sweeping between New York, London, and the Scottish Highlands, this is an extraordinary novel about unrequited love and unearned power.

Praise for Sebastian Faulks:
'Faulks writes with great emotional authority' SUNDAY TIMES
'Faulks is a prodigiously talented writer' NEW YORK TIMES
'The best novelist of his generation' SCOTSMAN
'Faulks is beyond doubt a master' FINANCIAL TIMES

©2023 Sebastian Faulks (P)2023 Penguin Audio

 Fiction Genetic Engineering Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Science Fiction Thought-Provoking Highlander
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

This is a genuinely thought-provoking piece of fiction. You could devour it in a day and be wholly transported into the near future, then set it back down, dazed but enlightened, in the present day where you will see the world anew in all its wonders and frailties
A stunning novel: profoundly moving, deeply unsettling, thought-provoking and prescient but also a wonderful and life-affirming love story too (James Holland)
Once I had started I literally could not stop. It really is his greatest novel yet, and of course beautifully written in that wonderful, understated style (Antony Beevor)
Faulks is one of the most original and compelling writers in the world. This enthralling novel is right up there among his very finest work (Peter James)
A completely fascinating and extraordinary novel. A profound and moving examination of our complex human nature (William Boyd)
A beautifully written novel. On the one hand you have love, kindness, responsibility; on the other monstrous arrogance and indifference to consequences
Brilliant, original and unputdownable. An absolute cracker (Peter Frankopan)
Brilliant (Matthew Parker)
This elegant near-future novel about a daring scientific experiment explores the evolution of consciousness… Faulks is an enviably graceful and economical writer. The early chapters of the book rip along with clarity and elegance. He conjures up the various worlds, brings the central characters vividly to life and keeps the story moving intriguingly forward
A high-concept page-turner… Pitched somewhere between Michael Crichton and Ian McEwan, it’s a timely meditation on the whims of rich tycoon
All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed the majority of this book. It was written so well and was, for the most part, fascinating! I loved how future society was described, and the descriptions of the future political environment and all the scientific advancements were excellent! However, the last chapter or two were so so horrible in just really ruined the whole story for me. The whole Oedipus vibe at the end was not nice!

Very unpleasant ending!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The narrator was outstanding. She was able to replicate a number of accents with ease. The story was interesting and engaging.

Superb narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautifully written and read and compelling. Within a very short while you are completely overtaken by the narrative. Extraordinarily good.

Superb

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve never read one of his books before but I am now a fan. I was hooked from start to finish. A really interesting and thought provoking topic. Thoroughly recommend.

I loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The Seventh Son is a clever concept. A departure from any other books I’ve read by the author. It is beautifully narrated. Without giving too much away, my issue with the story was that I found Talissa Adam difficult to relate to. I wished the story had been from Seth’s point of view, not Talissa’s. The ending was problematic and disappointing.

Clever idea but I did not love it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews