I had three main impressions as I read this book. At first, I couldn't figure out why it was listed as Science Fiction. Then the woman digs up a skull that is neither human nor ape and I had an 'a-ha!' moment. The science fiction is not in the space ships or technology that I'm used to, but rather in the idea that our predecesors, or cousins, did not die out but are alive and well. A fascinating idea. My second impression was that I really liked it. I liked the interactions of the main characters as they found more skeletons, I liked how they portrayed how science was supposed to be revealed to the masses, circumvented by an over-eager reporter who had no idea what he was doing, and I liked that the main character, Barbara, seemed like a strong woman handling difficult circumstances. Then, after they traipse to Africa and find a live person, I got my third impression, which was that the author somehow lost his focus. He had several threads he could have followed--creationism, evolution, the reaction of the public to a strange new world, all kinds of things like that. I felt he dropped the ball. He took Barbara and turned her into a mess. He took the person they found, named Thursday, and did nothing really with her. I thought she was way too docile or way too smart or even way too lazy. The men in the book were rather stereotypical at the end as well. So if you could read this book without finishing it, by all means, but otherwise I'm going to have to not recommend it.
What do You think about Orphan Of Creation (1988)?
I was excited about this book for several reason. I had previously read 'You Shall Know Them' by Jean Vercors which also dealt with finding a living 'missing link' and had been captivated by the idea and welcomed another book on this subject. Unfortunately, the story never really drew me in. I loved the discovery of the long lost diary, the subsequent dig, the search through old newspaers etc, but the characters themselves left me cold. There also seemed to be a lack of suspense. The story just plodded along. I skimmed the ending because by that stage I really didn't care what happened.A great disappointment.
—Jenny
