cdeane61's review against another edition
4.0
When I first picked this up I thought "no way". A 600 page novel about evolution?
Stephen Baxter pulled it off though. Kept me reading, kept me thinking, kept me interested and kept me entertained. What more can one ask for?
I love that he goes beyond our current time with his tale. So often people mistake modern humans as the "end product" of evolution, or can only imagine that the next step for us will be something better, or glorious. But that is not the way of evolution in life or in this novel. There is no story-line that we are evolving to "the next level" only that we are adapting to the environment around us.
Well done.
Stephen Baxter pulled it off though. Kept me reading, kept me thinking, kept me interested and kept me entertained. What more can one ask for?
I love that he goes beyond our current time with his tale. So often people mistake modern humans as the "end product" of evolution, or can only imagine that the next step for us will be something better, or glorious. But that is not the way of evolution in life or in this novel. There is no story-line that we are evolving to "the next level" only that we are adapting to the environment around us.
Well done.
endquote's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
pasuht's review against another edition
2.0
I really wish this book wouldn't have started so strong. Then I would have been angry, annoyed, and bored enough early enough to dnf this and read something else.
In loosely connected narratives Evolution tells the story of humanity, its evolutionary line that came before and speculations on what comes after.
The first part, about mammals and primates was good. Seriously, if this book would have stopped after 300 pages (it's roughly double that length) with the first biologically modern humans, you'd look at a 4, maybe even 5 star review, if I would have been in a good mood. I know just enough about the science to know some of the stuff wasn't completely on point, but it was entertaining and interesting.
But the part where Baxter tackles history instead of paleontology, his writing is just absolutely terrible. The chapters about the first farming civilizations were mean spirited and, honestly, icky. The Rome part didn't keep me awake successful enough to be icky. The soldiers in the modern chapters were back to being icky.
Still hoping that this interlude of ickiness would be quickly forgotten when Baxter gets to the past human evolution I read on. My wish was granted - and the monkey paw opened.
The middle part at least evoked some emotions in me, even if they weren't the one the author might have hoped for. The undirected speculations of the last part of the book were just so uninteresting to me, I prayed for the icky parts to come back, I kid you not.
Also, a word about penises. I'm pro penises! I think penises are cool and in some cases fun! But the number of penises sticking out, penises becoming "rock hard", penises swinging, penises, penises, PENISES makes me think there was some kind of dare or lost bet on the side of the author in play.
In loosely connected narratives Evolution tells the story of humanity, its evolutionary line that came before and speculations on what comes after.
The first part, about mammals and primates was good. Seriously, if this book would have stopped after 300 pages (it's roughly double that length) with the first biologically modern humans, you'd look at a 4, maybe even 5 star review, if I would have been in a good mood. I know just enough about the science to know some of the stuff wasn't completely on point, but it was entertaining and interesting.
But the part where Baxter tackles history instead of paleontology, his writing is just absolutely terrible. The chapters about the first farming civilizations were mean spirited and, honestly, icky. The Rome part didn't keep me awake successful enough to be icky. The soldiers in the modern chapters were back to being icky.
Still hoping that this interlude of ickiness would be quickly forgotten when Baxter gets to the past human evolution I read on. My wish was granted - and the monkey paw opened.
The middle part at least evoked some emotions in me, even if they weren't the one the author might have hoped for. The undirected speculations of the last part of the book were just so uninteresting to me, I prayed for the icky parts to come back, I kid you not.
Also, a word about penises. I'm pro penises! I think penises are cool and in some cases fun! But the number of penises sticking out, penises becoming "rock hard", penises swinging, penises, penises, PENISES makes me think there was some kind of dare or lost bet on the side of the author in play.
jgolomb's review against another edition
4.0
Fun fictional accounting of our past and future evolution.
pctek's review against another edition
4.0
It is a book about life. A Novel. Not a manual or even sticking to (accepted known) facts.
Starts with dinosaurs...and the first mammals. Ends with artificial beings and what's left of mammals. Don't think it's about humans, some is, but most isn't.
There are inaccuracies - moths don't feel pain? wrong.
But it's a kind of moral lesson also. We as our particular species, were here for 5 minutes, and despite our arrogance in thinking we can control our fate, we won't be here for much long than another 5 minutes....As far as geological timescales go. Of course, being a novel, he might be way off we last maybe 1 minute longer....
Written well enough you care about most of the characters that pop up throughout the long long theoretical history of how it goes.
Starts with dinosaurs...and the first mammals. Ends with artificial beings and what's left of mammals. Don't think it's about humans, some is, but most isn't.
There are inaccuracies - moths don't feel pain? wrong.
But it's a kind of moral lesson also. We as our particular species, were here for 5 minutes, and despite our arrogance in thinking we can control our fate, we won't be here for much long than another 5 minutes....As far as geological timescales go. Of course, being a novel, he might be way off we last maybe 1 minute longer....
Written well enough you care about most of the characters that pop up throughout the long long theoretical history of how it goes.
mulveyr's review against another edition
1.0
I almost never abandon a book before the end. For this one, I'm making an exception. It's essentially a series of vignettes about particular animals over the course of the last 100 million years. The author goes to great lengths to flesh out the lives of the fauna at various stages of evolution.
Unfortunately, he's managed to take a fascinating subject and make it as dry and unengaging as humanly possible. It's likely that the sun will enter its red giant phase before I could force myself to finish it.
Unfortunately, he's managed to take a fascinating subject and make it as dry and unengaging as humanly possible. It's likely that the sun will enter its red giant phase before I could force myself to finish it.
onceandfuturelaura's review against another edition
5.0
Traces that river of DNA out of Eden and into the dry sands. I don't think of myself as a human chauvinist, and yet I mourned when that last individual manifestation of DNA that was recognizably human slipped back into the churning evolutionary waters. A powerful and unsettling meditation on cooperation, competition and change.
Well worth the time.
Well worth the time.
shannonleighd's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
Losing interest ... I hope the next arc is better.
Losing interest ... I hope the next arc is better.