Levandoski, Rob. Fresh eggs, a novel.

Penguin Putnam, Plume. 252p. c2002. 0-45228436-8. $13.00. A

The sight of a "Fresh Eggs" sign at a rural farm might give one pause after reading this unusual story. Unable to support his family on the trickle of customers who visit his farm, Calvin Cassowary accepts the offer of Gallinipper Foods to equip him with high-tech equipment in exchange for buying his eggs. The Leghorns have been genetically engineered to lay a specific number of eggs daily, but many die of suffocation and disease as a result of their cramped quarters. Rhea, Calvin's young daughter, is physically sickened at the sight of the "chicken-catchers" hauling dead chickens away and killing the nonproductive ones.

The worlds of humans and animals merge in this dark exploration of the themes of dehumanization and animal exploitation. Many of the humans, with their animal-like traits, seem like caricatures. Rhea develops bizarre physical characteristics as she identifies more closely with the hens. Her formerly gentle father bends under the stress imposed by demands of the new farming methods and he begins to treat the animals cruelly. He also decides to exploit Rhea's strange disorder in a desperate effort to save the failing farm. Subjected to a form of degradation that becomes increasingly onerous, Rhea manages to escape, and the mystery of her whereabouts provides suspense to the very end.

Criticizing the greed of large corporations, the author asks whether we have sacrificed too much of our humanity to the gods of technology. He warns of the dangers inherent in the troubling world of biotechnology as cloning scientist Sophia Theophaneia ("wise God") seems indifferent to Donna Cassowary's efforts to give birth at the end. This scenario of humans trying to play God in a world they did not create and do not understand will interest mature readers who enjoy serious topics. Phyllis LaMontagne, Spencer, MA