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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.
benjrussell's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ddechenb's review against another edition
3.0
The early chapters, which offered vivid reconstructions of Earth's environment and its inhabitants at various junctures of evolution, were intriguing, even though I was put off by the consistent focus on individual (personally named!) animals within a species. This may be a good storytelling device, but evolution doesn't operate on individuals, and it has no guiding agenda. Evolution happens to populations over many generations based on which sets of genetic traits enhance not just survival but reproduction and the survival of offspring as well. It was when the author reached his reconstructions of hominin evolution that I finally stopped reading. I'm aware of the fact that he was trying to incorporate actual scientific evidence and assessments of the meaning of such evidence, but I was uncomfortable with the direction he took some of it. Anyway...as an anthropologist who hasn't been academically active in a few years, that's my take. "A" for effort.