ISBN: 0-312-87692-0 Order from: Amazon.com
A fast pace, solid foundation of science and generally likable characters overcome the skimpy personal description and iconic plot elements to produce an enjoyable novel in the traditional science fiction mold.
Reviewed by David on November 20, 2004
Genre: Science Fiction (Parallel Worlds)
Synopsis: Buried deep in a Canadian nickel mine, there is a perfect sphere of heavy water. The sphere is the heart of a neutrino detector, well shielded by the miles of earth from other, less penetrating particles. When a routine experiment goes wrong, the scientists are astonished by the cause—somehow a man penetrated the sphere. What's more astonishing is the nearly-drowned man himself: muscular, with a heavy bridge brow and a disappearing jaw. The identification is almost immediate—somehow, there is a living, breathing, speaking Neanderthal. And the world will never be the same.
Full Review: The novel describes action in two parallel worlds, with both human and neandarthal characters. The characters themselves are rather simple, but not quite cartoonish.
There is the time-honored approach of using an outsider to highlight and sometimes castigate the elements of our lives that are usually taken for granted. Some of this comes off as intrusively politically correct, but such elements are generally overcome by the streamlined plot that never strays far from the main characters and their adventure.
The science is appealing, and despite their simplicity, so are several of the characters. The book provides entertainment and some amount of sense-of-wonder, even when lacking on emotional complexity. A good, solid science fiction adventure of the traditional kind, and, while the first of a series, coming to a satisfying intermediate closure.
Copyright: 2002
Series Name: Neanderthal Parallax
Overall: 6; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6;
Tom Doherty Associates (Tor), May 2003, Cloth, 444 pages
ISBN: 0-312-87692-0 Order from: Amazon.com