Smilodon

Sabre-toothed Cat Trilogy #1

by James R. Paddock

Book 1 of the Smilodon trilogy. Imagine recreating the saber-toothed cat for fun? The possibility sounds exciting, but the reality could be nightmarish. In James Paddock’s new novel, Smilodon, the main character is drawn into in a world where man becomes the hunted. It is fast-paced fiction where cats change the rules and people run for their lives.

Tigers in the wild and a lucrative fee lure freelance writer Zechariah Price into the frozen mountains of Montana. The assignment drops him into a world of Bengal tigers, illegal aliens, prehistoric saber-toothed cats, and psychic premonitions. As the possibility of death by man and animal surrounds him, he quickly learns that he too is destined to become food for the cats. Trapped between man and beast, his assignment turns into that of survival.

Smilodon intertwines the exciting possibility and nightmarish reality of cloning in an age in which advanced genetic engineering is rapidly evolving. “Consider the very real possibility of cloning your recently deceased pet,” says the author. “We are on the brink of just such a thing. If after your pet, what about your child, or an entire genetically engineered perfect society?” Smilodon will send one back to thinking, “What if?”

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

James Paddock spent his youth in the Big Sky Country, of Montana, graduating Charles M. Russell High School in Great Falls. The following forty-plus years include a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Idaho, service with the U.S. Navy, owner/operator of a small business in South Carolina, a career as a Graphic Designer and a marriage that produced three fine children, who then have provided bragging rights for many extremely fine grandchildren. James is now living in Florida with his wife, Penny, enjoying the sun and working on his next novel.

Reviews

[Maureen Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read other books from talented author James Paddock and this one is one of his earlier novels. The opening chapter gave no indication of the edge of your seat story that was to follow. Author Zechariah Price has just landed what he thinks is a plum job, writing a story about a billionaire entrepreneur who is involved in cloning prehistoric Sabretooth cats in wildest Montana. It gets more bizarre when Price discovers that human babies are also involved in the cloning experiment. Not until people start dying does Price begin to question just why he has been drafted in to this secret location miles from civilisation. It would seem that there is something very sinister going on and as the body count mounts, Price begins to wonder if accepting the assignment was a wise decision. Add to the plot, an affair with one of the female team and then his wife turning up unannounced and the story really hots up. One could almost feel sorry for this individual but he does make some momentous errors of judgement. Only towards the end of the novel didI start to root for him and hope that he (and his wife) would make it out alive. No spoilers from me. You will have to read the book to find out. No difficulty in awarding this book FIVE STARS.

[Mary Paddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zechariah Price is a man in the midst of an identity crisis when he's offered the opportunity to write a book about a secret science experiment in the mountains of Montana. He accepts it (along with the large advance) and allows them to transport him to their isolated compound. There he finds not just scientists experimenting with saber toothed cats, but secrets layered upon secrets, hidden rooms, subterfuge, and mysterious murders (or are they accidents?). He quickly determines there is much more to this organization than there seems to be, as if cloning Saber-tooth Cats (not tigers--cats) wasn't exciting or consuming enough. Zechariah faces multiple dilemmas and not all of them related to the large prehistoric cats prowling the grounds of the compound. He must answer a lot of questions about his own character, who he is and what he really wants, but the biggest question he faces is the question of his own survival.

A thoroughly enjoyable read--well paced with plenty of tension and excitement. The writing is invisible--meaning that it gets out of the way and allows the reader to submerge themselves in the tale. Well done, Mr. Paddock. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Toby Stenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had mixed emotions on this book. There were times that the story line was extremely compelling and I was unable to put it down. And then other times where I felt let down or that the story really didn't go anywhere. It was like at points there was this extreme build up only to be left wanting. All in all this was a good book and it kept me intruiged all the way through. Had there been a bit more gripping parts it would've been great.

[Kerry Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A struggling freelance journalist is hired to write up the story of a secret project in a Montana compound. What he discovers is a DNA lab that has brought sabre-toothed cats back from extinction, but this is only the tip of a secret corporate project with severe ethical implications. This story is tense and definitely not for the squeamish and faint-hearted in some sections, but it definitely kept me enthralled.

[Deedra · Rating 5 out of 5]

audible:I totally enjoyed this book!It was full if intrigue and betrayal.A secret organization in Montana has hired a journalist to write about them,but why? People go missing or end up dead.Such nice kitties! Josiah John Bildner was a very good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'