(Sorry for the delay, folks. I wish I had a good reason, but frankly, I was just completely exhausted this past week. The one month hiatus will be particularly welcome...)
Here is May's installment of The Adjusters, “The Craven-Wilford Institute, Revisited”, wherein we learn more about the inner workings of the Institute.
As usual, comments welcome.
I'll also remind you that we have a Speculation Thread available for general discussion. (A thread which I read but do not comment on.)
The Adjusters #51 - The Craven-Wilford Institute, Revisited
Erich Altman, director of the Craven-Wilford Institute for Mental Health, was having a bad day.
Which would not have been such a big deal had it not started out so well. He had met the representatives from the funding agencies that were involved in the annual review of the Institute at their hotel for breakfast, and the food had been excellent—the smoked salmon simply out of this world—and the weather had cooperated so that they could sit on the restaurant terrace overlooking the gorge.
The representatives from governmental agencies—the NIH, the DHHS, the NYSDOH—as well as those from private funding organizations—the National Mental Health Foundation and ADCorp —got along famously, all the chief representatives having moved in the same circles for many years.
Review visits such as the one that day were meant to keep the funding agencies abreast of the life of the Institute, and ensure that the public health arm of the Institute satisfied federal and state requirements on the one hand, and also matched the direction that public health policy emphasized year in year out on the other. The private foundations and the National Institute of Health, for their part, wanted to be kept informed of the latest research developments.
Continue reading...
Next month: No update—I'm taking a month-long hiatus from The Adjusters to recharge batteries. Back in two months with the first installment of Book V (Intermezzi).
From danny123
ReplyDeleteSo now we see the link between the institute and ADCorp. It makes sense that they would be using it as a cover to conduct experiments on the Specials. It also allows them to monitor any new developments that anyone at the institute or any government facility may discover. Not that they were not monitoring through other means, but this raises the least amount of suspicion. We also have a potential bridge on how Daniel’s investigation could lead him to Jenn. He is part of the Investigation and Enforcement Division and has or will have access to information about the institute. This and Jinn’s story should allow him to see that the institute may be the place to investigate.
It would also appear that the Corporation will take an active interest, if it has not done so previously, in Jenn. She has drawn attention to herself by her actions and they know that Jenn is different than the other patients. The Doctor’s observations and any other findings would be recorded and thus discoverable. I would think Dr. MacKenzie would be most interested in Jenn, because here you have someone to compare and contrast to everyone else. What makes Jenn not susceptible to the degeneration suffered by the other women? It is rather poetic that the Specials end up in the same condition as their victims.
So we also know the corporation has “adjusted” women, but not to what degree and what if any side effects they may be or will experience. I still get the feeling that they may not have been as “advanced” as our now deceased doctor was.
Why do I get the feeling that Dr. MacKenzie is going to be an important part of the next book? She also seems to be turned on by the women who are being controlled by the Specials. Could this be a weakness?
I see the institute acts as a “dumping ground” for the experiments being conducted by the Corporation. It also makes sense to use runaways, etc., as subjects as they would not be easily missed.
Rest up and we will hear from you in two months. A rest you well deserve. I find that putting a project down for a period of time allows my subconscious to generate new ideas and insights. Then I can come back to it with “fresh” eyes:.
Thanks for the comments, danny123—as usual, quite on point.
ReplyDeleteAnd just to make sure everyone's on the same page: “What makes Jenn not susceptible to the degeneration suffered by the other women?” — of course, MacKenzie doesn't know why that is, but we do: Jenn wasn't touched by a Special. She was messed with by the tech Cargyle had (presumably including his Serum).
By the end of this book I realized what was troubling me all this time. Book 2 featured quite a bunch of mc cuckold trills and whistles, but for next books this theme blended to background, giving way to general mc and detective topics. And last chapters held very little mc in the main story, only flashbacks. Can we hope to see more of the original things that made me fall in love with this story? :)
ReplyDeleteDomein—that's not an unfounded criticism. It's definitely true that much of the straight-up MC action in the last book was in flashbacks. That's pretty much the only way I could make it work. There are a few story lines that go back to the themes in Book II, with more direct MC aspects that impact our characters. We should see some of them in Book V, if all goes well.
ReplyDeleteAnd I will definitely keep your comments in mind, especially if it is shared by other readers.
I think one of the reasons book 2 was so successful (and hopefully other books will be as well) was the the fact that all of our major characters including the antagonists where interacting.
ReplyDeleteRight now you had Book 3-Daniel's intro to ADcorp and Shawbank and then Book 4- Jenn's intro to Craven-Wilford aka ADCorp cover. Cindy's somewhere in Cali and Serena who know's where. Even though other characters were introduced I don't think Brisceour and the Connelly brother's had the same draw as some of the minor characters in Book's 1 and 2 even though they were evenly fleshed out. I think Book 4 was more successful than 3 mainly because of the ending- it feels like more connections are being made between Daniel's assignment, Jenn's freedom and the future. Any chance of a small spoiler of Book 5?
Thanks for the comments, met19. And they make sense—separating everyone after building up their connections in Book II was risky, and in the end, may not have worked as well as I might have hoped (we'll only know when it's all done). I'll have to ruminate on that as well.
ReplyDeleteI think for the plotline it was needed and worked, otherwise the story is not as effective.
ReplyDelete