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Natural Selection
A shocking biological discovery. A previously unknown predatory species. Evolving just like the dinosaurs. Now. Today. Being forced out of its world and into man's for a violent first encounter.
Weaving science and thriller in a way not seen since Jurassic Park, Natural Selection introduces a phenomenally dangerous new species that is rapidly adapting in a way never before seen
A mystery. A chase. A vast expansive puzzle. A team of marine scientists is on the verge of making the most stunning discovery in the history of man. In their quest for answers, they engage a host of fascinating characters. The world's premier neurology expert. A specialist on animal teeth. Flight simulation wizards, evolution historians, deep sea geologists, and so many more. Along the way, the team of six men and women experience love, friendship, loyalty and betrayal. Together, they set off to exotic locales. Literally to the bottom of the ocean. To a vast and mysterious redwood forest. To an unknown complex of massive caves. When people start dying, the stakes are upped even further. Then the real hunt begins ....
Loaded with astonishing action sequences, Natural Selection is that rare breed of thriller, filled with intricately layered research, real three-dimensional characters, and tornado pacing.
Weaving science and thriller in a way not seen since Jurassic Park, Natural Selection introduces a phenomenally dangerous new species that is rapidly adapting in a way never before seen
A mystery. A chase. A vast expansive puzzle. A team of marine scientists is on the verge of making the most stunning discovery in the history of man. In their quest for answers, they engage a host of fascinating characters. The world's premier neurology expert. A specialist on animal teeth. Flight simulation wizards, evolution historians, deep sea geologists, and so many more. Along the way, the team of six men and women experience love, friendship, loyalty and betrayal. Together, they set off to exotic locales. Literally to the bottom of the ocean. To a vast and mysterious redwood forest. To an unknown complex of massive caves. When people start dying, the stakes are upped even further. Then the real hunt begins ....
Loaded with astonishing action sequences, Natural Selection is that rare breed of thriller, filled with intricately layered research, real three-dimensional characters, and tornado pacing.
Dave Freedman lives in Southern California with his wife. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Princeton and a master's degree from Harvard. Natural Selection is his first novel.
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First published June 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
May 29, 2022
Natural Selection started off ok, but it is one of those books that just gets progressively worse and toward the end became something of a hate read. I like monster novels and there are so many good ones out there, but this was so full of tired tropes and cliches that became more and more trite as the book went on. I was not expecting a literary masterpiece here, but even I, with a taste for trash and pulp, found this really, really bad.
Again, this started off ok. The cast are all mostly research scientists working for a failing theme park named 'mantaland' or something. The owner, a dot.com millionaire, funded the park but for some reason, none the mantas survived for long, making it a bust. On a last ditch effort, the 6 scientists are off the coast of Mexico studying the feeding patterns of mantas to try to figure out why they stop eating in captivity. Along side of this, some strange 'AIDS-like' virus is devastating marine life, including the prey of a different type of ray that lives deep in the ocean. Starving, the 'pack' of rays starts looking for a new feeding ground. Unlike normal rays, these are actually predators who outsmart their prey, and as we soon learn, can even fly.
So, decent enough set up, even if the science is pretty hokey and the main characters walking tropes. We have Lisa, the hard as nails scientist, gorgeous of couse; Jason, the uber workaholic scientist who tries to micromanage everything; Darryl and his wife Monique, with GQ/Vogue looks who served in the military, now also scientists (our token black couple-- you know how that will go), Craig, the buddy of Darryl and Monique, and Phil, the smarmy photographer. We even have a silly romance bud between Lisa and Jason, who fought for years, but now suddenly are falling in love. You cannot get more campy!
Anyhow, their boss gets a tip that their might be a new species of manta ray off the coast of California and the crew motors their way up there to check it out. The new rays (later called Devilrays) are super smart and consistently evade the crew tracking them. Freedman probably did some research here into rays, but the more he depicted the devilrays, the more ludicrous they seemed-- super apex predators with massive brains that almost play with their victims.
Things really started to go downhill quickly when the devilrays figured out how to fly; they also have the ability to breath air without gills! So, we have these massive (thousands of pounds) devilrays flying around, eating bears and such, and only our crew of 6 can stop them! Thankfully, two of the crew can fly helicopters, have the knowledge to create controlled forest fire burns, and are all basically super shots, even Darryl and his massive bow and arrows. Can they rid the world of these monsters or is humanity doomed? You will have to put on your hip-waders and slog through this pile to find out. This was Freedman's first and last novel and I can see why. How it got published by semi-major publishing house is perhaps the biggest mystery of all. 1 stinking star.
Again, this started off ok. The cast are all mostly research scientists working for a failing theme park named 'mantaland' or something. The owner, a dot.com millionaire, funded the park but for some reason, none the mantas survived for long, making it a bust. On a last ditch effort, the 6 scientists are off the coast of Mexico studying the feeding patterns of mantas to try to figure out why they stop eating in captivity. Along side of this, some strange 'AIDS-like' virus is devastating marine life, including the prey of a different type of ray that lives deep in the ocean. Starving, the 'pack' of rays starts looking for a new feeding ground. Unlike normal rays, these are actually predators who outsmart their prey, and as we soon learn, can even fly.
So, decent enough set up, even if the science is pretty hokey and the main characters walking tropes. We have Lisa, the hard as nails scientist, gorgeous of couse; Jason, the uber workaholic scientist who tries to micromanage everything; Darryl and his wife Monique, with GQ/Vogue looks who served in the military, now also scientists (our token black couple-- you know how that will go), Craig, the buddy of Darryl and Monique, and Phil, the smarmy photographer. We even have a silly romance bud between Lisa and Jason, who fought for years, but now suddenly are falling in love. You cannot get more campy!
Anyhow, their boss gets a tip that their might be a new species of manta ray off the coast of California and the crew motors their way up there to check it out. The new rays (later called Devilrays) are super smart and consistently evade the crew tracking them. Freedman probably did some research here into rays, but the more he depicted the devilrays, the more ludicrous they seemed-- super apex predators with massive brains that almost play with their victims.
Things really started to go downhill quickly when the devilrays figured out how to fly; they also have the ability to breath air without gills! So, we have these massive (thousands of pounds) devilrays flying around, eating bears and such, and only our crew of 6 can stop them! Thankfully, two of the crew can fly helicopters, have the knowledge to create controlled forest fire burns, and are all basically super shots, even Darryl and his massive bow and arrows. Can they rid the world of these monsters or is humanity doomed? You will have to put on your hip-waders and slog through this pile to find out. This was Freedman's first and last novel and I can see why. How it got published by semi-major publishing house is perhaps the biggest mystery of all. 1 stinking star.
October 31, 2015
Nothing more enticing than finding a review that compares a book to JURASSIC PARK for me. This is so much more, and I dare say more entertaining on a lot of levels.
It takes the theory of aberrant evolution and mainlines a factory's worth of Red Bull into it. It takes one of the ocean's most beautiful and majestic creatures and dials them forward -- and backward -- on their evolutionary timeline to create a new animal that the world is not ready for.
There's no stopping the pace of the storytelling, as the reader moves from the ocean, to billion dollar university labs, to the forest of the Pacific Northwest, and plays out in a killer -- literally -- cave system.
This is a kitchen sink book that goes for broke and loses nothing, but gains everything in the process.
Definitely a pleased reader, here. I wonder if the author has written anything since.
It takes the theory of aberrant evolution and mainlines a factory's worth of Red Bull into it. It takes one of the ocean's most beautiful and majestic creatures and dials them forward -- and backward -- on their evolutionary timeline to create a new animal that the world is not ready for.
There's no stopping the pace of the storytelling, as the reader moves from the ocean, to billion dollar university labs, to the forest of the Pacific Northwest, and plays out in a killer -- literally -- cave system.
This is a kitchen sink book that goes for broke and loses nothing, but gains everything in the process.
Definitely a pleased reader, here. I wonder if the author has written anything since.
November 30, 2009
This book was excellent! A strange creature resembling a manta ray is spotted in the Pacific ocean near the California coast where many seagulls, dolphins, and sharks have been disappearing. A team of scientists and biologists track it's migration north. They think it may be an evolutionary new species, predatory, deadly, rising from the ocean's depths, but why? What is causing it? Could it be a virus, nature's way of solving the world's over-population problem? I highly recommend this thrilling first novel by Dave Freedman. It was fantastic! I couldn't put it down and can't wait for another! Move over Michael Crichton.
September 20, 2012
This book was either a five-star book, or a one-star book depending on your perspective. I mean, it was laughably bad in places and the whole story was absolutely ludicrous... giant, flying (air-breathing) manta rays? The “science” bordered ludicrous at best. There used to be an Amazon review posted by a “C. Gull” that no longer appears to be posted, which actually is what made me buy this book in the first place. The numerous errors that he painstakingly recorded not only made me laugh, but definitely made me want to check this out for myself. And it was everything that reviewer promised and more. From cut-out caricatures of characters to stiff dialogue, not to mention the complete lack of common sense (and really, where was the editor in this process?? So much of this would be easy to fix!), the book was ridiculous. Although, I must admit, it did have its moments of genuine excitement. I mean, either way, it is a win-win book - you can read it for how bad it is, or you can read for how exciting you think it will be.... Or maybe you can find it to be truly great for this combination of elements. Either way, it’s too bad C. Gull’s review isn’t around to be a guide!
January 3, 2025
A Jaws ripoff with evolved rays that can fly and eat people. Most of the people eaten have it coming. I didn't really feel the tension that a book like this requires. Like a SyFy channel DTV movie.
January 29, 2012
I read a lot of books. A lot. Even before I began reviewing them, I always had a book in my hand or in my bag. True crime is among my preferred genres. I don't scare or get freaked out easily. Natural Selection scared me. More than once I found myself actually speaking to a character, saying "No! Don't go there!" or "No! Don't touch it!" If I could have continued reading with my hands over my eyes, I think I would have.
Natural Selection is a cyclone of crazy action, biological discoveries and academia and a very well thought out "what if" involving nature that rivals Jaws. It's a fast paced and gripping horror story involving flying predators - - imagine Jaws in the air, if you will. I was utterly obsessed and I loved it.
I have no idea whether or not the science that Mr. Freedman mentions is factual or even plausible and, frankly, it's irrelevant because the story is just so damn good. It will make you really wonder what exactly lives in the deepest depths of the ocean or the furthest corners of the forests that we know nothing about - - and when and if those unknown species will choose to make their presence known to us and how they will do it. Read Natural Selection and this thought will give you chills.
Oftentimes books like this will have fairly expendable and tertiary characters - - much like watching a slasher film, I can usually pick them out quickly, dubbing them "Victim" because their presence will be limited and their only real role is to be fodder for the villain/antagonist. Natural Selection has a strong and solid cast of characters, ones that are all relevant to the story and some that you will genuinely care about. Worrying about their fates, and having them pitted against methodical killers, make this book a real nail biter.
Has Hollywood heard of this book yet? It would be a fantastical summer blockbuster. Until that time, though, get yourself to your local bookseller and pick up a copy of this book. You won't regret it.
Well done, Mr. Freedman. I look forward to your future efforts. (Please, please, please write more like Natural Selection!)
Review Copyright © Psychotic State Book Reviews
http://www.psychoticstate.net
Natural Selection is a cyclone of crazy action, biological discoveries and academia and a very well thought out "what if" involving nature that rivals Jaws. It's a fast paced and gripping horror story involving flying predators - - imagine Jaws in the air, if you will. I was utterly obsessed and I loved it.
I have no idea whether or not the science that Mr. Freedman mentions is factual or even plausible and, frankly, it's irrelevant because the story is just so damn good. It will make you really wonder what exactly lives in the deepest depths of the ocean or the furthest corners of the forests that we know nothing about - - and when and if those unknown species will choose to make their presence known to us and how they will do it. Read Natural Selection and this thought will give you chills.
Oftentimes books like this will have fairly expendable and tertiary characters - - much like watching a slasher film, I can usually pick them out quickly, dubbing them "Victim" because their presence will be limited and their only real role is to be fodder for the villain/antagonist. Natural Selection has a strong and solid cast of characters, ones that are all relevant to the story and some that you will genuinely care about. Worrying about their fates, and having them pitted against methodical killers, make this book a real nail biter.
Has Hollywood heard of this book yet? It would be a fantastical summer blockbuster. Until that time, though, get yourself to your local bookseller and pick up a copy of this book. You won't regret it.
Well done, Mr. Freedman. I look forward to your future efforts. (Please, please, please write more like Natural Selection!)
Review Copyright © Psychotic State Book Reviews
http://www.psychoticstate.net
July 6, 2015
Jawsome!
I hope to write a full review someday.
I hope to write a full review someday.
January 17, 2016
This was a very good and exciting book. I love books like this, monsters against mankind, or at least some members of mankind.
I thought the plot moved very quickly and the ending, oh my gosh the ending, talk about your nail biter!
I would love to see this book made into a movie, the giant manta rays would be fantastic, I've always thought rays were kind of creepy anyway, especially when you see their undersides.
Anyway I did really enjoy the story, it seemed to be well researched, I only had a problem with a couple of the characters, but really when I'm reading a book like this I don't care as much about the character development as I do about the thrills and chills, and believe me there were alot of them!
I read on the back flap of the book that this is the author's first novel, I'm going to check to see if he has written any more like this, I really hope so and if he hasn't yet, I hope he will write some more adventure books like this one!
I thought the plot moved very quickly and the ending, oh my gosh the ending, talk about your nail biter!
I would love to see this book made into a movie, the giant manta rays would be fantastic, I've always thought rays were kind of creepy anyway, especially when you see their undersides.
Anyway I did really enjoy the story, it seemed to be well researched, I only had a problem with a couple of the characters, but really when I'm reading a book like this I don't care as much about the character development as I do about the thrills and chills, and believe me there were alot of them!
I read on the back flap of the book that this is the author's first novel, I'm going to check to see if he has written any more like this, I really hope so and if he hasn't yet, I hope he will write some more adventure books like this one!
June 17, 2017
First off I have to say that i actually had to re start this book because I lost my book maker and I couldn't what page I was on, any way this is a five star re read for me, loved the concept of the story,all the time I was reading it ,it kept me think about how even to this day we still don't know everything about what living at the bottom of the ocean even though we do make some discovery, and we'll probably never will either,it also kept me thinking about how even to this day different animal species are evolving either with the help of Mother Nature or man's , it also kept bring up the question what would happen if something like this truly happened to a know predator species,and would and could humanity survive,and I couldn't even answer it, with that said it had every thing I love in a book like this, plus it kept me pulled into it until the last page, if you haven't read it then you must.
April 5, 2011
From the depths they came, migrating searching for a dwindling food supply, as they came they grew, they changed, they evolved and they adapted, some faster than others but changed non the less.
A group of Marine biologist on the verge of making a new discovery, a new species,a world changing discovery.
If only they had known, with a brain twice the size of man and learning and adapting as it grew and explored, was this mans newest addition to the world or was it the beginning of the a new world order, where man was not the survivor,in the world of nature it is about survival, about Natural Selection.
This was an interesting story both from the pure enjoyment of the book and the thoughts it provoked.
We know more of outer space than we do of the inner space around us.Man has taken, abused and raped nature.Perhaps out there yet to be discovered is natures revenge.
A group of Marine biologist on the verge of making a new discovery, a new species,a world changing discovery.
If only they had known, with a brain twice the size of man and learning and adapting as it grew and explored, was this mans newest addition to the world or was it the beginning of the a new world order, where man was not the survivor,in the world of nature it is about survival, about Natural Selection.
This was an interesting story both from the pure enjoyment of the book and the thoughts it provoked.
We know more of outer space than we do of the inner space around us.Man has taken, abused and raped nature.Perhaps out there yet to be discovered is natures revenge.
December 3, 2008
Natural Selection is a great science fiction thriller that combines imaginative ideas with a believable plot. At first, the possibility that giant manarays could learn to fly and kill humans seemed improbable, and quite silly to me. But the book elaborates scientific theory and proof, supporting this science fiction fantasy. It core explanation is, through evolution, manarays that harbored in the depths of the ocean become cunning predators. A disease forces them out of the depths, and as a result, they begin to adapt to their new enviornment. Using a muscle undulation found in pterodactyles, the manarays develop a way to fly, to find the food they need. After which, the worlds most dangerous predator is born.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2016
Very unique way of telling the story from not only the human perspective but from the predator and sea life perspective too.
There are unimaginable predators in the lowest points of the ocean but because of a virus their food supplies are drying up. Therefore, they must go to shallower waters. They adapt, oh so fast.
Jason and his group of scientist are trying to find out why manta rays have died in captivity until the discovery of the new life form. Then all attention is drawn to learning more about it.
Life, death, betrayal, this book has it all.
There are unimaginable predators in the lowest points of the ocean but because of a virus their food supplies are drying up. Therefore, they must go to shallower waters. They adapt, oh so fast.
Jason and his group of scientist are trying to find out why manta rays have died in captivity until the discovery of the new life form. Then all attention is drawn to learning more about it.
Life, death, betrayal, this book has it all.
August 31, 2008
I just bought this at an airport for something to read while on a plane. If you've read my other reviews, you know that I really enjoy science fiction so of course I liked this one.
My favorite scene in this book is when the new species is hunting a group of dolphins and the dolphins put up some pretty good maneuvers. But the way it was written made me understand exactly how the dolphins were thinking and how confused they were. So interesting.
My favorite scene in this book is when the new species is hunting a group of dolphins and the dolphins put up some pretty good maneuvers. But the way it was written made me understand exactly how the dolphins were thinking and how confused they were. So interesting.
September 21, 2011
Dave Freedman...amateur author and possibly professional biologist???
The book was chock-full of scientific reasonings and biology knowledge. It might not all have been true, but it was very convincing.
The story was different, the setting interesting, the "what-ifs" engaging.
The writing was a little amateurish at times, but it's a first novel, I can look past that for the enjoyment of a good story.
The book was chock-full of scientific reasonings and biology knowledge. It might not all have been true, but it was very convincing.
The story was different, the setting interesting, the "what-ifs" engaging.
The writing was a little amateurish at times, but it's a first novel, I can look past that for the enjoyment of a good story.
September 22, 2010
LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. Of course, you have to distend a lot of belief with this one, but it's still fabulous. It's pretty much Jaws, only with giant flying Manta Rays. Yes, you read that correctly.
December 4, 2008
I picked this up from the library based solely on the cover. I admit the premise of a manta ray learing to fly is far-fetched but it was still fun to read. Several scenes you could almost guess what was going to happen next but overall I thought it was an enjoyable read.
May 13, 2009
I'm surprised at the one and two star ratings for this book. I thought it was action-packed and quite scary. Sharks evolving so that they can fly and hunt their prey on land? The stuff of nightmares. I really enjoyed it.
September 17, 2011
The book started off so well with a new species of ray evolving into a killing machine and the scientists quest to find it. By the end, it just turned into a bad "Syfy Channel" original movie. Still a fun read for science fiction fans.
August 23, 2008
Unique read on new specie finding. Great for those who are facinated by the "what-if" and want a good twist of horror associated with it.
May 8, 2009
It's been two years since I heard this, but I remember well how absorbing this thriller was and I remember that I enjoyed the narrator. I don't remember whom it was though.
January 25, 2010
This is an extremely interesting book that Darwin would be proud of. The characters are believable and irritating (as real people can be sometime!). This is a book that can make you think!
February 11, 2012
An honest to goodness terrifying read on how quickly a species can adapt to the ever changing world and that mankind is not as dominant as we thought anymore.
October 1, 2013
Good read it sparked some intriguing stuff. The depth in explanation and the way he described his internal details. The book sounded more real then a figure of imagination.
January 8, 2015
One of the fastest reads despite the science & tech, this novel reads like the best Crichton with a credibility of an expert in his field. Highly recommended!
July 20, 2015
I loved it! Would have given it 5 stars but it dragged on a little in parts. I thought it was a really cool, scary but realistic premise! They should make it a movie!
October 15, 2012
Terrible. Just awful. The entirety of the dialog consisted of the characters (who all have PhDs, except for one), second-guessing each other, forcing each other to explain their moronic choices to the audience, then agreeing, and moving on.
Nothing anyone did had any consequence. Characters made bad choices, and didn't pay for it. They just came close. I was willing to suspend disbelief for the ridiculous premise (I mean, come on, you have to with this kind of book), but the novel itself didn't set up any internal logic for me to cling to when things started going downhill.
And go downhill they did. The book starts promising enough - in a cheesy SyFy Original Movie kind of way. But then it descends into the type of made-for-DVD crap, where you can tell the storyteller doesn't know how to weave in things like plotlines in any believable way. The author obviously doesn't understand the concept of Chekhov's gun, and vehemently refuses for anything to be set up previous to its being employed.
A character trait will be revealed on page 340, only to be the character's undoing on page 345 (cough, Monique).
Characters will perform actions which, in real life, would be completely unforgivable, and the characters brush it off as "a bad decision" (cough, Phil).
"Scientists", characters with military experience and bona fide Ph.D's in... whatever it is... will be completely distrusting of the technology that would have allowed them to carry out their research, relying instead on vague ethnic mysticism and intuition (cough, Darryl).
Some characters just serve absolutely no purpose in the story whatsoever, yet feature prominently as filler and dead weight (cough, Craig).
While others (cough, Lisa and Jason) try to be the emotional weight of the story by featuring in a schlocky, clumsily-woven love story.
In addition to that, it appears that the author himself doesn't understand the mechanics of "natural selection," and some moments toward the end of the book show that he actually leans toward the Intelligent Design end of the spectrum, whether or not he realizes it. In addition to that, there are some hilarious scientific errors littering the prose (such as some of the characters conducting research on Penguins in the Bering Sea).
Overall, I found the book lazily plotted, cheesy, and, most egregiously, boring as hell.
On the plus side, the prose was written in a simple, visual, 7th-grader style, so the pages just fly by. There are no pieces to put together here, no puzzles to figure out, no shocking twists or revelations, and absolutely nothing challenging. Meaning a one-pass skim is all you need to read this. I read this book at work, and I don't regret it, as it killed a few hours. But now I need some brain bleach with an author who respects the English language.
Nothing anyone did had any consequence. Characters made bad choices, and didn't pay for it. They just came close. I was willing to suspend disbelief for the ridiculous premise (I mean, come on, you have to with this kind of book), but the novel itself didn't set up any internal logic for me to cling to when things started going downhill.
And go downhill they did. The book starts promising enough - in a cheesy SyFy Original Movie kind of way. But then it descends into the type of made-for-DVD crap, where you can tell the storyteller doesn't know how to weave in things like plotlines in any believable way. The author obviously doesn't understand the concept of Chekhov's gun, and vehemently refuses for anything to be set up previous to its being employed.
A character trait will be revealed on page 340, only to be the character's undoing on page 345 (cough, Monique).
Characters will perform actions which, in real life, would be completely unforgivable, and the characters brush it off as "a bad decision" (cough, Phil).
"Scientists", characters with military experience and bona fide Ph.D's in... whatever it is... will be completely distrusting of the technology that would have allowed them to carry out their research, relying instead on vague ethnic mysticism and intuition (cough, Darryl).
Some characters just serve absolutely no purpose in the story whatsoever, yet feature prominently as filler and dead weight (cough, Craig).
While others (cough, Lisa and Jason) try to be the emotional weight of the story by featuring in a schlocky, clumsily-woven love story.
In addition to that, it appears that the author himself doesn't understand the mechanics of "natural selection," and some moments toward the end of the book show that he actually leans toward the Intelligent Design end of the spectrum, whether or not he realizes it. In addition to that, there are some hilarious scientific errors littering the prose (such as some of the characters conducting research on Penguins in the Bering Sea).
Overall, I found the book lazily plotted, cheesy, and, most egregiously, boring as hell.
On the plus side, the prose was written in a simple, visual, 7th-grader style, so the pages just fly by. There are no pieces to put together here, no puzzles to figure out, no shocking twists or revelations, and absolutely nothing challenging. Meaning a one-pass skim is all you need to read this. I read this book at work, and I don't regret it, as it killed a few hours. But now I need some brain bleach with an author who respects the English language.
December 31, 2015
One of the best "sea monster" books I've read yet.
This is the story of a previously unknown species - an unknown order for that matter - that has evolved in the deepest parts of the ocean for thousands of years. Due to a rising spread of aquatic disease and the subsequent die-off of their food sources, the creatures are forced to move up to the surface waters in search for prey. The older generation are unable to adapt to their new challenges, but the younger ones - with their six pound brains - are up to the task.
The manta ray-like creatures, later dubbed Demon Rays, first try their luck with breaching the surface of the water; then, begin learning to glide, and eventually learn to live on land hunting from the air. The creatures are the size of a car, with large mouths full of wicked looking teeth. A crew of biologists and their colleagues begin to follow the rumors of such a strange new animal. They eventually go from hunting the new species that will garner them recognition amongst the scientific community, to being the ones hunted themselves.
The book is excellently written. The characters are realistic. There is not too much needless background development, and the story progresses at a perfect pace. This book is easily considered as a "creature feature" for the intelligent reader. Any fan of Jaws, Jurassic Park, or MEG will definitely love Natural Selection.
This is the story of a previously unknown species - an unknown order for that matter - that has evolved in the deepest parts of the ocean for thousands of years. Due to a rising spread of aquatic disease and the subsequent die-off of their food sources, the creatures are forced to move up to the surface waters in search for prey. The older generation are unable to adapt to their new challenges, but the younger ones - with their six pound brains - are up to the task.
The manta ray-like creatures, later dubbed Demon Rays, first try their luck with breaching the surface of the water; then, begin learning to glide, and eventually learn to live on land hunting from the air. The creatures are the size of a car, with large mouths full of wicked looking teeth. A crew of biologists and their colleagues begin to follow the rumors of such a strange new animal. They eventually go from hunting the new species that will garner them recognition amongst the scientific community, to being the ones hunted themselves.
The book is excellently written. The characters are realistic. There is not too much needless background development, and the story progresses at a perfect pace. This book is easily considered as a "creature feature" for the intelligent reader. Any fan of Jaws, Jurassic Park, or MEG will definitely love Natural Selection.
October 5, 2013
Well, unfortunately, I didn't like this very much, and ended up scanning large portions of it. It started off quite promising and I read the first 50 or so pages very quickly. The characters seemed stereotypical to me but I've seen that in other thrillers so it didn't throw me out of the book.
To me, and others might well disagree, the creature became quite a bit less realistic as it was developed, and the action sequences took a long time to kick in. The creature is supposed to be very threatening but throughout large parts of the book is eating things like seagulls. With one exception, it's not until late in the book that humans began to be threatened.
Once the action sequences did kick in, I didn't think they were all that compelling. Action is hard to write and to do it well I think authors need to do some very careful thinking about how the body works and probably need to do some personal choreographing to get it right.
Overall, I think the book needed to be quite a bit shorter, much tighter, with more complete characters, and with more believable action. There was a lot of promise here but I didn't think it was fulfilled.
To me, and others might well disagree, the creature became quite a bit less realistic as it was developed, and the action sequences took a long time to kick in. The creature is supposed to be very threatening but throughout large parts of the book is eating things like seagulls. With one exception, it's not until late in the book that humans began to be threatened.
Once the action sequences did kick in, I didn't think they were all that compelling. Action is hard to write and to do it well I think authors need to do some very careful thinking about how the body works and probably need to do some personal choreographing to get it right.
Overall, I think the book needed to be quite a bit shorter, much tighter, with more complete characters, and with more believable action. There was a lot of promise here but I didn't think it was fulfilled.
May 7, 2016
Spoiler alert!
Due to an oceanic virus destroying its natural food source, a type of sea ray is forced to adapt and evolve. Unfortunately for humanity, the species is an intelligent predator. And it is very hungry. A research team and army veteran follow the group of the group of rays and soon discover that the creatures have learned to fly and have become air-breathers. One dominant member of the rays leaves its ocean habitat and establishes a hunting ground in California State Park and kills a jogger. The team of scientists rush to destroy the predator before it attacks again, facing off against its formidable intellect.
Filled with interesting science about brains, lungs, viruses, and evolution, this book was a highly interesting read. Plenty of action and a fast pace keep the excitement building. If one can overlook small flaws (someone possessing the ability to shoot three clay pigeons from the air in one throw using a longbow-simply not possible), this Darwinian story will entertain and satisfy.
Fans of Michael Crichton-type SF thrillers will highly enjoy this book.
Due to an oceanic virus destroying its natural food source, a type of sea ray is forced to adapt and evolve. Unfortunately for humanity, the species is an intelligent predator. And it is very hungry. A research team and army veteran follow the group of the group of rays and soon discover that the creatures have learned to fly and have become air-breathers. One dominant member of the rays leaves its ocean habitat and establishes a hunting ground in California State Park and kills a jogger. The team of scientists rush to destroy the predator before it attacks again, facing off against its formidable intellect.
Filled with interesting science about brains, lungs, viruses, and evolution, this book was a highly interesting read. Plenty of action and a fast pace keep the excitement building. If one can overlook small flaws (someone possessing the ability to shoot three clay pigeons from the air in one throw using a longbow-simply not possible), this Darwinian story will entertain and satisfy.
Fans of Michael Crichton-type SF thrillers will highly enjoy this book.
March 11, 2012
I listened to this book on audio and I thought it was great!! It grabbed you right from the beginning and kept me interested. One of the reviews I read called it a "Cross between Jurassic Park and Jaws" and that was fairly accurate. It wasn't quite "Sci-Fi" cause it was actually plausible, so it was more of a "What if..." story. The basic story consisted of the theory that creatures living at the bottom of the oceans for millions of years, were forced to the surface due to a man-made virus. Once approaching the surface, they had to evolve and adapt, which made them quite the threat to humanity. I liked the characters, the story was a little bit formulaic at times, but overall a good, entertaining, and fast paced story!
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