Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Primeval by David Goleman

Being the fanatic that I am, I cannot, in good conscience, tell you the whole plot. However, the book opens some 22,000 years ago, in a flashback to the crossing of man from Russia to America via a long flooded land bridge. The mysterious They Who Follow are ever present throughout the trek. These intriguing creatures then settle in a valley, the valley of the They Who Follow, throughout the book, these beasts preserve their secrecy. We then launch forwards, thousands of years, to 1918, in the last days of the Romanov dynasty, a conspiracy is afoot. The They Who Follow make another appearance to return the silence of their presence. We then leap forth in time once again, to 1962, where the United States has authorized a nuclear strike on Communist Russia, the pilot crashes in a valley, yes, the valley of the They Who Follow claims another victim.

I was struck at the beginning of the book, if only because of the hunters of old stalking their prey. I first decided to read this book because of the Sasquatch-esque creatures, but as the book progressed, the multiple flashbacks gave me a little trouble. It was difficult to keep track of what was going on. I found the writing style to be rather history book-ish, and therefore difficult to stay on track. The multiple characters were all decently put together and the action was well coordinated. It was difficult, at first, to discern the outcome/direction of the story. Personally, I did not adore this book, but it was not pointless, either.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Loves Park, IL United States of America