Part Ape, Part Human?
Written: Jul 03 '02 (Updated Jul 03 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Takes you out of your comfort zone.
Cons: For a girl of thirteen, Brett appeared way too advanced in her thinking and behavior.
The Bottom Line: Perhaps the escapism of Dark Inheritance will grab you and keep you reading into the wee hours. It is science fiction at its best.
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| blimbach's Full Review: Elaine Feinstein - Dark Inheritance |
Ok, I admit that I enjoy reading weird books. If they are well written and take me places I can't even imagine, I am hooked. Dark Inheritance, by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear is such a book.
Characters:
Dr. Jim Dutton, a teacher of anthropology at Colorado State University, was picked to raise a young ape with remarkable intelligence.
Valerie Radin is a well-known television reporter, mother of a thirteen year old girl, Brett, who she gave up at birth to Jim Dutton, the father.
Brett Dutton, a girl grown up beyond her thirteen years.
She feels like a sister to Umber, the ape that lives with her and her father.
Umber, a bonobo ape, has been genetically altered so that she developed a human brain. She is capable of understanding English speech, does sign language, types, and has human emotions. She ponders abstract ideas.
Geoffrey Smyth-Archer, a dreamer and deranged scientist, believed in the ape project, wanting to give the apes something in return for the terrible treatment they were usually given in scientific laboratories. He wanted them to become equal to human beings so all could live together
in society.
The Plot:
A huge pharmaceutical company developed ways of breeding apes with human brains. Investors created huge sums of money for research. Umber lived with the Duttons for 11 years, becoming a real member of the family. When the scientists insisted on her returning to Africa to a compound in the rain forest, Jim and Brett Dutton insisted on accompanying her. This led to their nearly losing their lives at the hand of other apes and people with much money at stake.
Jim, Brett, Umber, and Valerie were united in Africa for different reasons. Their experiences brought their family back together after so many years. They risked their lives for each other, being chased through the rainforest by man and beast.
The authors brought the setting to life. I could hear the animals and insects, the dripping of raindrops, and soggy footsteps in the red earth. I could smell the rotting logs, the damp earth, the decaying bodies. I felt the thick foliage clawing at my body as people broke trails through the forest. I pictured the canopy of green trees that looked like a lumpy carpet from above. I feared the large snakes, the eyes looking out from the darkness, and the leeches in the streams.
I felt the love Brett, Jim, and Valerie had for Umber and the fear that she might have to stay in Africa to be re-introduced to the wild. Because some of the altered apes had become aggressive, there was fear that the project might be made public. Valerie made sure that it was through her reporting. The story ends happily, but I was really sitting on the edge of my chair until the end.
The authors qualifications allow them to write about genetic engineering of the strangest kind. W. Michael Gear is a physical anthropologist with studies in human and primate evolution. His wife is the former historian and archaeologist for the U.S. Department of the Interior. That is just the beginning of their credentials.
This book reminded me of Jurassic Park because of the genetic component. Both had exotic settings and fearful scenes. If you enjoy unusual but somewhat believable plots, you would enjoy this book, too. The 519 pages flew by.
Recommended:
Yes
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blimbach
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Location: Illinois, near the Wisconsin border
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Grandmother of 4 (so far), married to the same great guy since 1961, retired teacher.
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