The Champion Maker is a novel about running, that falls within the suspense thriller genre. It was written by Kevin Joseph

Kevin Joseph

Kevin Joseph is a former pitcher who last played professional baseball in 2003. Joseph attended Rice University, which has had many alumni become Major Leaguers....

Plot introduction

The Champion Maker is hybrid of suspense and sports fiction. Set primarily in the Washington, D.C. area, it tells the story of an unorthodox track coach and his young protege's quest for Olympic gold in two disparate events: the 100 meter dash and the 1500 meter run. Along the way, they uncover a dark conspiracy involving genetic engineering.

Characters in "The Champion Maker"

Nick Vance: Former world-class miler who sees Bullet as an opportunity to reverse the downward spiral of his failed coaching career.

Stanley "Bullet" Gardner: Prodigiously talented young runner who becomes Coach Vance's protege.

Harvey Pierce: Unorthodox college professor whose research project attracts the attention of the mysterious Cassandra.

Cassandra: Young woman with ESP abilities that are off the charts.

Torri Lee: Sports lawyer and Nick Vance's eventual love interest.

Terry Frasier: U.S. Senator and Nick Vance's best friend since their days as classmates in the Rhodes Scholar program at Oxford.

Major themes

The novel's major theme, as alluded to by the title, is the question of whether the best in humankind springs from God-given talent, the advances of technology, or the dedication to make the most of one's attributes.

Literary significance & criticism

Midwest Book Review called The Champion Maker "a genuine thriller whose basic concept could well be tomorrow's headlines."

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

The novel contains many references to gene doping

Gene doping

Gene doping is defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency as "the non-therapeutic use of cells, genes, genetic elements, or of the modulation of gene expression, having the capacity to improve athletic performance". A complex ethical and philosophical issue is what defines "gene doping", especially...

 and the science of genetic engineering

Genetic engineering

Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...

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Release details

Paperback Reissue, Copyright 2006, Lulu Press ISBN 1-4116-6879-0

First Edition, Copyright 2005, Unlimited Publishing, LLC, ISBN 1-58832-117-7

Sources, references, external links, quotations

www.kevin-joseph.com