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Index Interviews: Evan Marshall John Saul Do It Yourself Music Publishing -- Part IV Writing Life Stories For the Inspirational or Religious Markets Upcoming Events Calendar Return to This Issue's Index Return to Homepage Subscribe
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Horror/Fantasy/SF Book ReviewsPage One of FourDarwin's Radio by Greg BearDel Ray, September 1999.Hardcover, 496 pages. ISBN: 034542333X. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
Mitch Rafelson, a archaeologist known
for his wild theories, makes a striking discovery
on an expedition in the Alps. He discovers
three frozen corpses in a cave high
in the mountains -- a Neanderthal couple
with a modern human baby (Homo sapiens
sapiens). However, Mitch's
discoveries and beliefs are not readily accepted
by the scientific community. Meanwhile,
Kaye Lang, a renowned virologist, is called in
to investigate a grave of mass murders in
the Republic of Georgia. Here she finds
the bodies of pregnant mothers that were
murdered in an incident
that she determines must have occurred only
a few years ago. However, the local government shuts
down the investigation before very much can
be learned.
Back in the U.S., Lang is complimented for her
research on HERV (human endogenous retrovirus)
and she becomes a national celebrity, especially
within in the scientific
community and she is considered in the running
for the Nobel Prize.
However, things quickly turn on her, as her husband
commits suicide and she begins to be cursed for
bringing her theories to the surface just as the
outbreak of Sheva is beginning. Sheva is considered
to be an infectious HERV, and Kaye Lang is
caught up an unfortunate bought of "blame the messenger"
by the media.
Sheva affects pregnant women and mothers
lose their initial fetus and then begin developing
a second one. It even seems to occur in some
women who claim they have not had a sexual partner.
Sheva also has additional effects, including
the development of a strange
facial mask which begins to form on both the male
and female during the second pregnancy.
As society, religious groups and the government
begin to panic and fight amongst themselves
as Sheva numbers rise, Kaye Lang and Mitch are
determined to stick to their radical theories to
determine what is happening to the human race --
no matter what the risk.
Greg Bear combines his talent for creating realistic characters with his knack for writing winning hard science fiction to offer this well-written and exciting SF tale. Bear pulls cutting edge developments in biology and virology into the novel and includes a short biological primer and scientific glossary in the back of the book, so readers can look up concepts such as HERV, phage, retrovirus and sequencing. Darwin's Radio is a wonderful human interest story and biological thriller that illustrates how little we really now about evolution and how vulnerable we are to nature's predetermined paths. Highly recommended. --Greg Knollenberg The Haunt by J.N. WilliamsonLeisure Books, June, 1999.Paperback, 363 pages. ISBN: 0843945435. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
The Kidd family lives a life of ease. Everything is
provided for the two surviving members of the family, brothers
Ray and Jack: a house, enough money to live, everything they
want -- except freedom. A mysterious presence haunts the
Kidd family and has for several generations. So long as the
family members don't do anything to enrage the presence,
they exist in perfect health. But Ray and Jack crave
freedom to come and go as they wish and to date whom
they please. When Jack falls in love with Rachel, a divorced
mom, he realizes he has to do something about the
force that controls the Kidd family -- he cannot allow anything
to happen to Rachel or her child should they displease
the presence which so loves to discipline those that
disobey.
The Haunt is an edge of your seat horror story with an interesting premise. The presence in the house is genuinely terrifying, as well as being pretty mysterious for most of the book. Is it a ghost? A demon? It's certainly vindictive, at any rate. With strong characters and a well-developed storyline, this is one story that will have you reading way into the night -- with the lights on. Fantasy/SF Reviews Page One | Page Two | Page Three | Page Four Return to Book Reviews Index ** To visit the archives of fantasy/sf books reviewed in The IWJ, please click here. |