Hera, or Empathy is the first book of the Herasaga, a three book–cycle about the lives of twelve sisters who are genetically engineered to have increased cognitive abilities. As teenagers, the sisters are forced to flee for their lives from the remote Indonesian village where they were born. Growing in maturity and independence through the experience, Hera, the eldest and acknowledged leader of the sisters, challenges her father’s right to have engineered his children, basing her argument on the Biblical story of creation. Until one day she discovers that the sisters’ genes contain modifications that their father never intended…
A dialogue in the Socratic tradition, a tribute to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Hera, or Empathy will enchant fans of science fiction and science research alike.
Published in English.

William Leiss is a fellow and past president of the Royal Society of Canada, an officer of the Order of Canada, and professor emeritus at the School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University. He is the author of several books, including Mad Cows and Mother’s Milk: The Perils of Poor Risk Communication.

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