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A review by _moth_
Evolution by Stephen Baxter
5.0
A long series of detailed fictional stories about a select few ancestors of modern homo sapiens, set within the frame of our known evolutionary history (or Baxter's pick of the most popular theories). Each of these stories skips forward to an important evolutionary step, either speciation or social divergence, followed by a unique projection into our future as a species.
The afterword perhaps should have been a forward as Baxter expertly blurs known history and his own creations and many reviewers seem to be looking for a level of accuracy that was not intended (nor that currently exists in many cases):
"This is a novel. I have tried to dramatize the grand story of human evolution, not to define it; I hope my story is plausible, but this book should not be read as a textbook. Much of it is based on hypothetical reconstructions of the past by experts in the field. In many cases I have chosen what seems to me the most plausible or exciting idea among competing proposals. But some of it is based on my own wild speculation.
I’m very grateful to Eric Brown, who kindly commented on the manuscript. Professors Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart of Warwick University were very generous with their time in providing expert advice to shore up my layman’s guesswork. I’m also indebted to Simon Spanton, for support above and beyond the call of editorial duty. Any remaining errors are, of course, solely my responsibility.
— Stephen Baxter
Great Missenden, U.K.
May 2002
"
The afterword perhaps should have been a forward as Baxter expertly blurs known history and his own creations and many reviewers seem to be looking for a level of accuracy that was not intended (nor that currently exists in many cases):
Spoiler
"This is a novel. I have tried to dramatize the grand story of human evolution, not to define it; I hope my story is plausible, but this book should not be read as a textbook. Much of it is based on hypothetical reconstructions of the past by experts in the field. In many cases I have chosen what seems to me the most plausible or exciting idea among competing proposals. But some of it is based on my own wild speculation.
I’m very grateful to Eric Brown, who kindly commented on the manuscript. Professors Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart of Warwick University were very generous with their time in providing expert advice to shore up my layman’s guesswork. I’m also indebted to Simon Spanton, for support above and beyond the call of editorial duty. Any remaining errors are, of course, solely my responsibility.
— Stephen Baxter
Great Missenden, U.K.
May 2002
"