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The Murder of Adam and Eve
In this fast-paced and thought-provoking thriller, two teens time-travel to prehistoric Africa to judge whether to save our ancestors: the genetic "Adam" and "Eve" whose descendants will go on to populate the world. When 16-year-old Nick Brynner explores an old fort on a forbidden island for a school history project, he stumbles onto a time wormhole. What follows is a mysteriously deserted village with a prowling sentry that looks like a gargoyle, and narrow escape with the help of fellow teen Eleanor Brynner. The two are hurtled into a grim series of challenges by an alien race called the Xu, which are considering a Reset of human history because of our poor planetary stewardship. If Adam and Eve are murdered, will another couple, or another species, do better? Nick and Ellie are ruthlessly deposited onto the African savanna of fifty thousand years ago, and the hunt is on. The Murder of Adam and Eve is a coming of age story, a love story, a war story, and an environmental fable with a deliberately provocative ending, inspired by such books as "Walkabout," "Ishmael," "Lord of the Flies," and the author's own "Getting Back." If you could change history...would you?
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2014
8 people are currently reading
498 people want to read
About the author
William Dietrich
25 books396 followersWilliam Dietrich is a NY Times bestelling author of the Ethan Gage series of eight books which have sold into 28 languages. He is also the author of six other adventure novels, several nonfiction works on the environmental history of the Pacific Northwest, and a contributor to several books.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
December 29, 2015
I don't know about you, but I've been seduced by a nice cover and a cool title a couple of times in my life. Alright, it happens quite often...
The Murder of Adam and Eve is a book that I should have thought twice about before I decided to download it from NetGalley. Mostly because I usually try to stay away from YA, especially if it is a love story. But then again the blurb on NetGalley don't give away that much of the story and I think that I was blinded by the interesting cover to really care that it's all about two teenagers that must save the earth.
Apparently an alien raise called Xu has decided that Nick Brynner and Eleanor Terrell is the ones that have to decide if the human race is worth saving, and they have to go back in time to Africa and save the original Adam and Eve. Not the Bible Adam and Eve, but out genetic forebears. So Nick and Ellie have to adjust to the prehistoric life and also decide if the human race is worth saving or if the planet is better off without the humans.
I won't lie, I had a damn hard time getting into the story, but I felt that the book was way too short for me to quit. There was just something about the storyline that just didn't work for me, two people had to go back to the past to decide if the humans were worth saving? The explanation to why the alien race just didn't didn't decide for us comes at the end of the book and sound quite reasonable in a way (they must have a logical reason for not doing everything by themselves you know), even though I found it a mostly ludicrous. I mean there was some test in the beginning of the book they had to go through before they got sent back in the past, why? Why just not sent them back? No, let's make them go through some teamwork exercises first.
Of course Nick falls in love with Ellie, it's a love story, no matter that the human race has to be saved, there is time for some romance on the savanna.
So why the two-star rating? I was quite sure it would not be as good to earn more than one star, but the ending was better than I expected, and also more surprising than I expected. I still find the idea of a chosen person or two saving the whole world by going back in time quite ludicrous. And, I'm amazed that they actually survived out there before they found "Adam and Eve".
But still I can see that it would appeal to younger people that likes reading about teenagers saving the world. Personally? I will think twice the next time I see a book with a nice looking cover!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!
The Murder of Adam and Eve is a book that I should have thought twice about before I decided to download it from NetGalley. Mostly because I usually try to stay away from YA, especially if it is a love story. But then again the blurb on NetGalley don't give away that much of the story and I think that I was blinded by the interesting cover to really care that it's all about two teenagers that must save the earth.
Apparently an alien raise called Xu has decided that Nick Brynner and Eleanor Terrell is the ones that have to decide if the human race is worth saving, and they have to go back in time to Africa and save the original Adam and Eve. Not the Bible Adam and Eve, but out genetic forebears. So Nick and Ellie have to adjust to the prehistoric life and also decide if the human race is worth saving or if the planet is better off without the humans.
I won't lie, I had a damn hard time getting into the story, but I felt that the book was way too short for me to quit. There was just something about the storyline that just didn't work for me, two people had to go back to the past to decide if the humans were worth saving? The explanation to why the alien race just didn't didn't decide for us comes at the end of the book and sound quite reasonable in a way (they must have a logical reason for not doing everything by themselves you know), even though I found it a mostly ludicrous. I mean there was some test in the beginning of the book they had to go through before they got sent back in the past, why? Why just not sent them back? No, let's make them go through some teamwork exercises first.
Of course Nick falls in love with Ellie, it's a love story, no matter that the human race has to be saved, there is time for some romance on the savanna.
So why the two-star rating? I was quite sure it would not be as good to earn more than one star, but the ending was better than I expected, and also more surprising than I expected. I still find the idea of a chosen person or two saving the whole world by going back in time quite ludicrous. And, I'm amazed that they actually survived out there before they found "Adam and Eve".
But still I can see that it would appeal to younger people that likes reading about teenagers saving the world. Personally? I will think twice the next time I see a book with a nice looking cover!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!
November 10, 2014
Try as I might, I just do not like science fiction and fantasy. This book was interesting, the action good and the characters compelling, but I lose interest when there are aliens and monsters. Personal preference aside, I still recommend this book. I love reading hte scenes that take place where I live.
April 20, 2023
Nick is co-opted into helping Ellie judge humanity to decide whether they should be saved or the Earth "reset" by an alien race who is disturbed by how humans are poisoning their world. These two teens are sent back in time to prehistoric Africa to make this call, and if they do not deem humans worthy of saving, they are to murder the original Adam and Eve (not religious, just the ancestors of all humans). What a daunting task!
I wanted to read this book because of the unique premise and because I love time travel stories. I had a bit of trouble really connecting with Ellie, but the character development was solid. The story was told from Nick's POV so I felt like I got to know him a little bit better.
My absolute favorite part of the story was the world building! William Dietrich brought prehistoric Africa to life and made me fall in love with the beauty of it.
All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and would like to read more of William Dietrich's work.
5/5 stars.
I wanted to read this book because of the unique premise and because I love time travel stories. I had a bit of trouble really connecting with Ellie, but the character development was solid. The story was told from Nick's POV so I felt like I got to know him a little bit better.
My absolute favorite part of the story was the world building! William Dietrich brought prehistoric Africa to life and made me fall in love with the beauty of it.
All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and would like to read more of William Dietrich's work.
5/5 stars.
April 7, 2015
Goodreads Synopsis: In this fast-paced and though-provoking thriller, two teens time-travel to prehistoric Africa to judge whether to save our ancestors: the genetic "Adam" and "Eve" whose descendants will go on to populate the world. When 16-year-old Nick Brynner explores an old fort on a forbidden island for a school history project, he stumbles onto a time wormhole. What follows is a mysteriously deserted village with a prowling sentry that looks like a gargoyle, and narrow escape with the help of fellow teen Eleanor Terrell. The two are hurtled into a grim series of challenges by an alien race called the Xu, which are considering a Reset of human history because of our poor planetary stewardship. If Adam and Eve are murdered, will another couple, or another species, do better? Nick and Ellie are ruthlessly deposited onto the African savanna of fifty thousand years ago, and the hunt is on. The Murder of Adam and Eve is a coming of age story, a love story, a war story, and an environmental fable with a deliberately provocative ending, inspired by such books as "Walkabout," "Ishmael," "Lord of the Flies," and the author's own "Getting Back."
My Review: I have torn feelings about this book. I liked it at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I started doubting my feelings. It’s such an interesting topic, and there’s Aliens, Angels, Cavemen, creatures no one has even heard of, and even time travel. Who doesn’t like that? It’s an eclectic mix of adventure, action, romance, and mystery. Although those things wouldn’t usually fit together, this book was amazing. Everything just worked. So at the beginning of the book, Nick is on an adventure into an underground tunnel that’s been blocked off, and what does he find in there? Another world. Isn’t that crazy? So the book keeps going and he meets a few people, an angel named Gabe, and a girl name Ellie. Ellie turns out to be his partner in something bigger than all of them. Thus starts an epic adventure of time traveling back to pre human Africa, on a journey to save Adam and Eve before the aliens reset the planet by killing them off. I can honestly say that cavemen really could have acted the way they did in the book, and that’s just great. This book really is awesome, full of everything you could hope for. The characters might be average, but the story is not. I was hooked from the very beginning, and loved every minute I read this book. It’s like nothing I’ve read before, and I definitely recommend you check it out! You won’t regret it. I got my copy from netgalley in exchange for a review. Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
My Review: I have torn feelings about this book. I liked it at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I started doubting my feelings. It’s such an interesting topic, and there’s Aliens, Angels, Cavemen, creatures no one has even heard of, and even time travel. Who doesn’t like that? It’s an eclectic mix of adventure, action, romance, and mystery. Although those things wouldn’t usually fit together, this book was amazing. Everything just worked. So at the beginning of the book, Nick is on an adventure into an underground tunnel that’s been blocked off, and what does he find in there? Another world. Isn’t that crazy? So the book keeps going and he meets a few people, an angel named Gabe, and a girl name Ellie. Ellie turns out to be his partner in something bigger than all of them. Thus starts an epic adventure of time traveling back to pre human Africa, on a journey to save Adam and Eve before the aliens reset the planet by killing them off. I can honestly say that cavemen really could have acted the way they did in the book, and that’s just great. This book really is awesome, full of everything you could hope for. The characters might be average, but the story is not. I was hooked from the very beginning, and loved every minute I read this book. It’s like nothing I’ve read before, and I definitely recommend you check it out! You won’t regret it. I got my copy from netgalley in exchange for a review. Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
January 24, 2015
Visit my blog http://kayleighreadsbooks.blogspot.co... to read this review!
Firstly I would like to thank Burrows Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book.
When first reading about this book I was sceptical about how good it was going to be due to never reading a book quite like this. But boy was I wrong. I fell in love with this book from the very beginning.
The main talent of William Dietrich's writing was how thought provoking it was. Throughout the book it was making me question myself and everything I have learnt about the world and history. It made me question how we could get from the stage of prehistoric Africa, being beautifully described by Dietrich in this book, of basically freedom to the modern world today. It really made me think about all the implications and problems Man have done to the world: pollution, wars, conflicts, crime. It made me realise how many of our actions as a human race have impacted dramatically on the planet we live on today. This was brilliantly done by Dietrich because not only did he get me thinking, he was showing this struggle that Nick had himself, thinking all of these big questions about the nature of our planet and whether it would be better to start everything again or carry on how we are. This is the first ever book that has made me think in such a way.
The storyline was pure genius and this is why I love this book so much as this is such a unique idea to many other books I have read in the same genre. I like how Dietrich constructed the Adam and Eve characters in a more historic and scientific way rather than the biblical side of them. This story also helped me in understanding more about science and how humanity was started as it made me consider the scientific aspect of Adam and Eve with the explanation of individuals today DNA being traced back to two individuals in the prehistoric times. Dietrich's writing is so impressive in how he can get his reader to consider different sides of theories and make us want to know more about where we have actually come from. But also I like the inclusion of the alien race, the Xu, as it brings more of an intense feel to the text as constantly I was thinking about them and what they were going to do to Nick and Ellie, Adam and Eve and the whole population of the human race.
All I have left to say is thank you William Dietrich for bringing prehistoric Africa and the individuals of this time to life.
Firstly I would like to thank Burrows Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book.
When first reading about this book I was sceptical about how good it was going to be due to never reading a book quite like this. But boy was I wrong. I fell in love with this book from the very beginning.
The main talent of William Dietrich's writing was how thought provoking it was. Throughout the book it was making me question myself and everything I have learnt about the world and history. It made me question how we could get from the stage of prehistoric Africa, being beautifully described by Dietrich in this book, of basically freedom to the modern world today. It really made me think about all the implications and problems Man have done to the world: pollution, wars, conflicts, crime. It made me realise how many of our actions as a human race have impacted dramatically on the planet we live on today. This was brilliantly done by Dietrich because not only did he get me thinking, he was showing this struggle that Nick had himself, thinking all of these big questions about the nature of our planet and whether it would be better to start everything again or carry on how we are. This is the first ever book that has made me think in such a way.
The storyline was pure genius and this is why I love this book so much as this is such a unique idea to many other books I have read in the same genre. I like how Dietrich constructed the Adam and Eve characters in a more historic and scientific way rather than the biblical side of them. This story also helped me in understanding more about science and how humanity was started as it made me consider the scientific aspect of Adam and Eve with the explanation of individuals today DNA being traced back to two individuals in the prehistoric times. Dietrich's writing is so impressive in how he can get his reader to consider different sides of theories and make us want to know more about where we have actually come from. But also I like the inclusion of the alien race, the Xu, as it brings more of an intense feel to the text as constantly I was thinking about them and what they were going to do to Nick and Ellie, Adam and Eve and the whole population of the human race.
All I have left to say is thank you William Dietrich for bringing prehistoric Africa and the individuals of this time to life.
April 22, 2015
This book was engaging, and I had to carve out extra reading time in my regular routine so I could finish it ahead of schedule. I had a little concern, because some reviewers painted a picture of this book being some sort of “Environmentalist Agenda.” I found this laughable; it wasn’t an agenda, but a plot point, and a novel one at that.
I could possibly read into the overarching themes of totalitarianism of the Xu, but instead I simply read an entertaining page-turner. I read a considerable amount of words every week and write as well, so not many story twists work. The twist at the end of this story was both unanticipated and welcome. I love it when an author can trick me.
The story flowed smoothly, and I can only recall a single line in the story that I had to reread because it was unclear. The characters were very believable and I enjoyed this story immensely. I highly recommend this story to not only sci-fi and fantasy readers, but also those interested in the potential origins of religion. While this isn’t a story specifically focused on religion, I see themes that relate to my own studies of religion and psychology.
Five out of five starts is my rating, and I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen to me to read it.
I could possibly read into the overarching themes of totalitarianism of the Xu, but instead I simply read an entertaining page-turner. I read a considerable amount of words every week and write as well, so not many story twists work. The twist at the end of this story was both unanticipated and welcome. I love it when an author can trick me.
The story flowed smoothly, and I can only recall a single line in the story that I had to reread because it was unclear. The characters were very believable and I enjoyed this story immensely. I highly recommend this story to not only sci-fi and fantasy readers, but also those interested in the potential origins of religion. While this isn’t a story specifically focused on religion, I see themes that relate to my own studies of religion and psychology.
Five out of five starts is my rating, and I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen to me to read it.
December 14, 2014
I was iffy about this one when I started it but then I got caught up in the story. How would two teens survive in ancient Africa? They have to find food, water and stay alive, all while trying to track down Adam and Eve before the Xu do.
I found this book a bit blaze when it came to the teens having to trap and kill animals. I know they are hungry but I still think modern teens who aren't into hunting would have a hard time skinning a rabbit. But if you overlook some of these little things the story is interesting. What if you had the ability to change time? What if you could become the next Adam & Eve? Would helping to save the current Adam and Eve by any means effect their development. These are two modern teens with modern thinking can their ideas influence the future? The book doesn't really answer all of these questions but it poses them which makes you wonder can one person change the course that humanity has set? Makes you wonder.
I liked this book. Its simple but gives you things to ponder long after you close the cover.
I found this book a bit blaze when it came to the teens having to trap and kill animals. I know they are hungry but I still think modern teens who aren't into hunting would have a hard time skinning a rabbit. But if you overlook some of these little things the story is interesting. What if you had the ability to change time? What if you could become the next Adam & Eve? Would helping to save the current Adam and Eve by any means effect their development. These are two modern teens with modern thinking can their ideas influence the future? The book doesn't really answer all of these questions but it poses them which makes you wonder can one person change the course that humanity has set? Makes you wonder.
I liked this book. Its simple but gives you things to ponder long after you close the cover.
December 24, 2016
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
A time travel thriller to prehistoric Africa in which two teens must judge the fate of humanity by saving, or betraying, the ancestors of our species: the genetic “Adam” and “Eve.”
A forbidden island. An abandoned fort. A deserted village. A living gargoyle. And a time wormhole that catapults teen Nick Brynner and his companion Eleanor Terrell to prehistoric Africa to pass judgment on mankind.
They must find and protect – or condemn – our genetic forebears, a real-life “Adam” and “Eve” to either preserve or reset the future. Nick must choose between wilderness, civilization, love, and humanity.
I am not going to run off a list of reasons why I didn't like this book. That wouldn't be fair. But what I will say is this: books that are aimed at the YA market need diversity and to avoid the boy/girl love angle when it can. It is just so predictable nowadays and this book fell right into those problems. Added to that, the environmental stuff came across as preachy...and that isn't really necessary either.
The story had promise and potential but it got weighed down with cliches and tropes.
Paul
ARH
A time travel thriller to prehistoric Africa in which two teens must judge the fate of humanity by saving, or betraying, the ancestors of our species: the genetic “Adam” and “Eve.”
A forbidden island. An abandoned fort. A deserted village. A living gargoyle. And a time wormhole that catapults teen Nick Brynner and his companion Eleanor Terrell to prehistoric Africa to pass judgment on mankind.
They must find and protect – or condemn – our genetic forebears, a real-life “Adam” and “Eve” to either preserve or reset the future. Nick must choose between wilderness, civilization, love, and humanity.
I am not going to run off a list of reasons why I didn't like this book. That wouldn't be fair. But what I will say is this: books that are aimed at the YA market need diversity and to avoid the boy/girl love angle when it can. It is just so predictable nowadays and this book fell right into those problems. Added to that, the environmental stuff came across as preachy...and that isn't really necessary either.
The story had promise and potential but it got weighed down with cliches and tropes.
Paul
ARH
April 23, 2023
The Murder of Adam and Eve by William Dietrich
217 Pages
Publisher: Burrows Publishing, AuthorBuzz
Release Date: October 1, 2014
Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Teens, Young Adult, Adventure
Nick Brynner goes to Fort Whitman, an abandoned fort on a Goat Island in Puget Sound. The area is restricted and anyone that has attempted to gain access was never seen again. As he searches the fort, he finds a tunnel with a glow at the end. At the end tunnel and sees a locked gate. It was easy for him to open since the key was hanging next to the lock. Next thing he knows he is back in the sunshine. Everything looks wrong. There are no people and animals are running wild. A teenage girl, Ellie, grabs him and pulls him away. He introduces him to an angel named Gabe. He is not really an angel. It is just the form he presents. He is really from the Xu race of beings. They are given in assignment. Find Adam and Eve. Everything is up to them. If they find them unworthy, the world we be reset, and another species will be in charge.
The book is fast paced, the characters are not really developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. I like the resourcefulness that Nick shows while in ancient Africa. Ellie discusses how evolution created greed and technology that we have today. Together they have to work together and make decisions that will affect all beings. This is an exciting young adult adventure book.
217 Pages
Publisher: Burrows Publishing, AuthorBuzz
Release Date: October 1, 2014
Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Teens, Young Adult, Adventure
Nick Brynner goes to Fort Whitman, an abandoned fort on a Goat Island in Puget Sound. The area is restricted and anyone that has attempted to gain access was never seen again. As he searches the fort, he finds a tunnel with a glow at the end. At the end tunnel and sees a locked gate. It was easy for him to open since the key was hanging next to the lock. Next thing he knows he is back in the sunshine. Everything looks wrong. There are no people and animals are running wild. A teenage girl, Ellie, grabs him and pulls him away. He introduces him to an angel named Gabe. He is not really an angel. It is just the form he presents. He is really from the Xu race of beings. They are given in assignment. Find Adam and Eve. Everything is up to them. If they find them unworthy, the world we be reset, and another species will be in charge.
The book is fast paced, the characters are not really developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. I like the resourcefulness that Nick shows while in ancient Africa. Ellie discusses how evolution created greed and technology that we have today. Together they have to work together and make decisions that will affect all beings. This is an exciting young adult adventure book.
August 11, 2021
When Nick and Elly get picked by the alien race Xu and are assigned to determine if or not the human race is worth saving, Nick and Elly face a mortifying future ahead where they need to travel back in time to Africa and save the genetic founders of human race, Adam and Eve. While they struggle to adjust to prehistoric life, they come across various challenges to surmount to complete their mission. This was a very interesting read with an ambitious plot. Building elements of sci-fi, pre-historic dystopia, young adult life crisis, would all have been a mammoth task and Dietrich deftly manages it. My thanks to Dietrich, the publishers Burrows Publishing, and NetGalley for gifting me with a copy of this book.
November 21, 2014
**This review comes from my website,
Books I Should Have Read A Long Time Ago and you can read more of my reviews there. **
YA literature is such an interesting area of books, because I think the struggle to create something thought-provoking and worthwhile, while also being relatable and engaging for younger readers, can create some really powerful writing. Some of my favorite books and authors firmly inhabit YA fiction land. (Is that a real land? It should be…) Although on the other side of the spectrum, sometimes YA can be solidly awful and get away with it because …? I’m not sure really, but I have yet to understand the phenomenon that was Twilight.
Luckily, we don’t have to talk about the dark and glittering underbelly of YA literature, because today’s book is actually really quite good! The Murder of Adam and Eve by William Dietrich was a pleasant surprise for me after spending October reviewing a string of YA novels that ranged from the cringeworthy to the merely annoyingly flawed.
The premise of this book goes basically: “What if a race of advanced aliens decided that, to wipe out the polluting, violent, screwed-up humans slowly destroying the planet, they went back in time and assassinated humanity’s genetic ancestors so that we never evolved?”
First check for environmentalism, because Dietrich gets in there and explores the idea that maybe the planet is pretty important after all, and people aren’t treating it so well. And that’s a serious, actual, real problem that somehow people are still ignoring. But he avoided sounding preachy with his message, which is where this other YA novel failed, because getting all up in your reader’s grill is a good way to lose said reader regardless of whether they agree with you or not.
Instead, Dietrich explored this great idea called ‘having fun with your writing’ and created a book that is part nature-survival romp, part sci-fi, and all entertaining. The sixteen year-old protagonist stumbles his way through some pretty crazy happenings, (trying to avoid spoilers here, because I’m going to recommend this book to you, so don’t judge me) only to come out of it all as a stronger, better person.
Update: this book has received criticism for not only being scientifically inaccurate, but for also featuring a bland white male character as the relatively dense protagonist and is therefore not a diverse book or a very creative one. While I can see the merit in these criticisms, I still enjoyed the plot. I don't think all non-diverse books have to be criticized simply for existing. So. And scientifically speaking, I’m pretty sure this book wasn’t meant to be a textbook.
Leading on from this, let’s talk about said white male protagonist. one of the problems I frequently find with (especially self-published YA literature) is that the adult writers probably haven’t been teens themselves in a long time, and it’s not easy to write them: there’s always the danger of either creating an empty shell of stereotypes – she struggles with acne! and hates her parents! and wants to be the most popular person in school and be asked to the prom or she will literally die! and that is all she is as a character! Or else swerving in the opposite direction, and creating a little adult-type person who has it all figured out.
But teens are neither of these things, thank goodness. From my own fuzzy memories of those dark days, I remember being a teenager much like trying to survive in the wild, in a place you know nothing about. You know you have the tools to survive, but you’re not quite sure how to use them yet – you’re smart, but you don’t have a lot of practice with it. The future is an unknown quantity, which is frightening. Everything is still new, because now there are all these big decisions to be made, where before they were made for you. It’s a turbulent time, man, and now I’m having high school flashbacks and let’s move on.
Dietrich, I think, does a reasonable job of portraying his protagonist, Nick, as all of these things, as a real person. My only criticism in this regard is the typical teen love-story element, which presented from Nick’s point of view comes across as kind of cheesy, and really lets him down as a character. Dietrich passed on the opportunity to create a well-rounded character who was also not weird about girls… but then I was never a teenage boy (thank fuck) so perhaps that’s really how they think. *Shudders*
The Murder of Adam and Eve overall gets a high recommendation from me, and you should definitely buy it for the teen in your life, or perhaps for yourself. If you like sci-fi, explorations of alternate time streams, survival romps, or well-written engaging books in general, get it! While the book is self-published, don’t let that put you off: William Dietrich is a Pulitzer award-winning journalist and writer of adult novels who, according to his own website, decided to self-publish this, his first YA novel, because publishers didn’t like the eco-theme
Books I Should Have Read A Long Time Ago and you can read more of my reviews there. **
YA literature is such an interesting area of books, because I think the struggle to create something thought-provoking and worthwhile, while also being relatable and engaging for younger readers, can create some really powerful writing. Some of my favorite books and authors firmly inhabit YA fiction land. (Is that a real land? It should be…) Although on the other side of the spectrum, sometimes YA can be solidly awful and get away with it because …? I’m not sure really, but I have yet to understand the phenomenon that was Twilight.
Luckily, we don’t have to talk about the dark and glittering underbelly of YA literature, because today’s book is actually really quite good! The Murder of Adam and Eve by William Dietrich was a pleasant surprise for me after spending October reviewing a string of YA novels that ranged from the cringeworthy to the merely annoyingly flawed.
The premise of this book goes basically: “What if a race of advanced aliens decided that, to wipe out the polluting, violent, screwed-up humans slowly destroying the planet, they went back in time and assassinated humanity’s genetic ancestors so that we never evolved?”
First check for environmentalism, because Dietrich gets in there and explores the idea that maybe the planet is pretty important after all, and people aren’t treating it so well. And that’s a serious, actual, real problem that somehow people are still ignoring. But he avoided sounding preachy with his message, which is where this other YA novel failed, because getting all up in your reader’s grill is a good way to lose said reader regardless of whether they agree with you or not.
Instead, Dietrich explored this great idea called ‘having fun with your writing’ and created a book that is part nature-survival romp, part sci-fi, and all entertaining. The sixteen year-old protagonist stumbles his way through some pretty crazy happenings, (trying to avoid spoilers here, because I’m going to recommend this book to you, so don’t judge me) only to come out of it all as a stronger, better person.
Update: this book has received criticism for not only being scientifically inaccurate, but for also featuring a bland white male character as the relatively dense protagonist and is therefore not a diverse book or a very creative one. While I can see the merit in these criticisms, I still enjoyed the plot. I don't think all non-diverse books have to be criticized simply for existing. So. And scientifically speaking, I’m pretty sure this book wasn’t meant to be a textbook.
Leading on from this, let’s talk about said white male protagonist. one of the problems I frequently find with (especially self-published YA literature) is that the adult writers probably haven’t been teens themselves in a long time, and it’s not easy to write them: there’s always the danger of either creating an empty shell of stereotypes – she struggles with acne! and hates her parents! and wants to be the most popular person in school and be asked to the prom or she will literally die! and that is all she is as a character! Or else swerving in the opposite direction, and creating a little adult-type person who has it all figured out.
But teens are neither of these things, thank goodness. From my own fuzzy memories of those dark days, I remember being a teenager much like trying to survive in the wild, in a place you know nothing about. You know you have the tools to survive, but you’re not quite sure how to use them yet – you’re smart, but you don’t have a lot of practice with it. The future is an unknown quantity, which is frightening. Everything is still new, because now there are all these big decisions to be made, where before they were made for you. It’s a turbulent time, man, and now I’m having high school flashbacks and let’s move on.
Dietrich, I think, does a reasonable job of portraying his protagonist, Nick, as all of these things, as a real person. My only criticism in this regard is the typical teen love-story element, which presented from Nick’s point of view comes across as kind of cheesy, and really lets him down as a character. Dietrich passed on the opportunity to create a well-rounded character who was also not weird about girls… but then I was never a teenage boy (thank fuck) so perhaps that’s really how they think. *Shudders*
The Murder of Adam and Eve overall gets a high recommendation from me, and you should definitely buy it for the teen in your life, or perhaps for yourself. If you like sci-fi, explorations of alternate time streams, survival romps, or well-written engaging books in general, get it! While the book is self-published, don’t let that put you off: William Dietrich is a Pulitzer award-winning journalist and writer of adult novels who, according to his own website, decided to self-publish this, his first YA novel, because publishers didn’t like the eco-theme
July 10, 2017
I liked it. Another YA novel with plenty of action and the characters were for the most part worth finding out about. I enjoyed the settings at the beginning of the book in the Northwest.
June 3, 2018
Full review to come!
September 6, 2021
Exceptionally clever.
December 8, 2014
Please visit my blog for more on this book and others!
Here is the thing when I downloaded this book to read it was based off of the title and the fact that the front cover said the author was a New York Times bestseller. I didn't actually read the synopsis to see what the book was about but right before I read the book I did and thought what the hell I will read it even though this book is mainly going to be about getting us to think about the way we are living today and the consequences. I started reading and was immediately disappointed by the main character Nick (stereotypical dump YA Boy) and the information dump of his boring life.
After the initial information dump from the narrator (why oh why write a boring stupid boy as the narrator) Nick the story picks up. It is really faced paced and has lots of twist and turns.
However it does not make any sense!
Nick goes to island he is not suppose to, he falls in hole inside hut, he wakes up and leaves island. HE IS NOT CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM AND HE DOES NOT NEED HIS BAG AND OTHER ITEMS HE LEFT BEHIND. These kinds of inconsistency annoy me in a book. The nonsense only continues. On his way back from the island everyone is gone but a girl who calls him by his name but it is not clear that he actually knew her or knew of her.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
So lets move ahead a little to the aliens who tell Nick and Ellie (the random girl) that they chose them to go back in time to Adam and Eve and decided if they want to save man kind by hiding Adam and Eve from the aliens who will kill them or just let them die. THIS MAKES NO SENSE! Why would the aliens leave the decision to two teenagers and how could these teens even stop the aliens from killing Adam and Eve in the first place. The aliens can make everyone disappear and send these two teens back in time but they can't find the two teens hiding Adam and Eve! WTF! It only gets worse the aliens choose Nick and Ellie to go back in time but they first have too get tested in these cubes to see if they are able too Wait WHAT! ALIENS, You chose them, shouldn't you already know if they are able too go back and save or not save Adam and Eve?
One of the biggest rules of writing fiction is to create complete rules of that world and to stick with the rules you create in that world. For example: if a vampire bites a werewolf the vampire is poisend and dies, so if any vampire bite a werewolf it must die. So if the aliens can time travel and send people through time why do the teens have to go back why can't they go forward to fix the issue that earth will encounter. Well the author did not have a valid reason why they couldn't go forward in time. Hence the need to think out your worlds' rules and stick with them!
The characters are all stereotypes and really stupid even Ellie who loves animals which is why she studies biology yeah she doesn't want to study zoology specifically even though it is animals she loves! I mean the aliens choose Nick cause he is suppose to be the average male who should be able to understand the major issues affecting earth but no when he gets back in time he beats up another boy for talking with Ellie..... Yeah I can not go on with the issues I have with this book.
Here is the thing when I downloaded this book to read it was based off of the title and the fact that the front cover said the author was a New York Times bestseller. I didn't actually read the synopsis to see what the book was about but right before I read the book I did and thought what the hell I will read it even though this book is mainly going to be about getting us to think about the way we are living today and the consequences. I started reading and was immediately disappointed by the main character Nick (stereotypical dump YA Boy) and the information dump of his boring life.
After the initial information dump from the narrator (why oh why write a boring stupid boy as the narrator) Nick the story picks up. It is really faced paced and has lots of twist and turns.
However it does not make any sense!
Nick goes to island he is not suppose to, he falls in hole inside hut, he wakes up and leaves island. HE IS NOT CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM AND HE DOES NOT NEED HIS BAG AND OTHER ITEMS HE LEFT BEHIND. These kinds of inconsistency annoy me in a book. The nonsense only continues. On his way back from the island everyone is gone but a girl who calls him by his name but it is not clear that he actually knew her or knew of her.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
So lets move ahead a little to the aliens who tell Nick and Ellie (the random girl) that they chose them to go back in time to Adam and Eve and decided if they want to save man kind by hiding Adam and Eve from the aliens who will kill them or just let them die. THIS MAKES NO SENSE! Why would the aliens leave the decision to two teenagers and how could these teens even stop the aliens from killing Adam and Eve in the first place. The aliens can make everyone disappear and send these two teens back in time but they can't find the two teens hiding Adam and Eve! WTF! It only gets worse the aliens choose Nick and Ellie to go back in time but they first have too get tested in these cubes to see if they are able too Wait WHAT! ALIENS, You chose them, shouldn't you already know if they are able too go back and save or not save Adam and Eve?
One of the biggest rules of writing fiction is to create complete rules of that world and to stick with the rules you create in that world. For example: if a vampire bites a werewolf the vampire is poisend and dies, so if any vampire bite a werewolf it must die. So if the aliens can time travel and send people through time why do the teens have to go back why can't they go forward to fix the issue that earth will encounter. Well the author did not have a valid reason why they couldn't go forward in time. Hence the need to think out your worlds' rules and stick with them!
The characters are all stereotypes and really stupid even Ellie who loves animals which is why she studies biology yeah she doesn't want to study zoology specifically even though it is animals she loves! I mean the aliens choose Nick cause he is suppose to be the average male who should be able to understand the major issues affecting earth but no when he gets back in time he beats up another boy for talking with Ellie..... Yeah I can not go on with the issues I have with this book.
January 4, 2016
I received a copy of this via NetGalley for review.
I was drawn to this book by the lovely cover art and intriguing book title. Although, I will say that it really doesn't sync with the typical YA cover art--not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.
For the religious and atheistic folks who are afraid to try this book for fear that it might be too anti-religious or pro-religious, it really is neither of those things. Both religion and atheism are mentioned, but the author slyly skirts around getting too deep into either. So, all groups of people can enjoy this book without feeling squeamish about it.
I really enjoyed this book, but my one beef for about 75% of the book was that Africa is big. Like, really freaking big. Yet, somehow, Nick and Ellie managed to head in the right direction and find who they were looking for in like two weeks.
Like, really? However, it IS explained later on in the book, at around the 90% mark. The explanation makes it much easier to swallow, but because of how long it takes to LEARN the explanation, I feel like many readers would have assigned it to the "gaping plothole" category and gave up on the book already.
The other aspect that I wish had come about a bit differently was how Ellie ended up on the ship. Why did Nick find the entry on his own, yet Ellie had to be kidnapped?
I liked the writing style, and found the book to be quite funny at times, so that kept me reading. I can't say I really cared for Nick or Ellie most of the time. I really liked Boy and some of the other Homo sapiens. The way they were written was humorous and endearing. You learn as you go along that Nick and Ellie are both good people and honestly pretty terrible--which, I suspect, was one of the major points the author was trying to get across. Humans are capable of good, but we're also capable of darkness, too. It got a tad bit preachy at times, but the author usually stopped just short of getting on my nerves.
This book DOES "make you think." Usually, I don't like books like that; I read for entertainment and stress relief--I don't WANT to have to think. However, the author manages to do it in a way that is still entertaining and fun to read. Also, he has quite the gift for describing the beauty and wonder of pre-historic Africa.
Overall, I recommend this book, BUT you have to stick with it to the end to fully appreciate it because that's when the plotholes are neatly tied up. It's only like 300 pages long, so it's really not that hard to stick with it.
I was drawn to this book by the lovely cover art and intriguing book title. Although, I will say that it really doesn't sync with the typical YA cover art--not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.
For the religious and atheistic folks who are afraid to try this book for fear that it might be too anti-religious or pro-religious, it really is neither of those things. Both religion and atheism are mentioned, but the author slyly skirts around getting too deep into either. So, all groups of people can enjoy this book without feeling squeamish about it.
I really enjoyed this book, but my one beef for about 75% of the book was that Africa is big. Like, really freaking big. Yet, somehow, Nick and Ellie managed to head in the right direction and find who they were looking for in like two weeks.
Like, really? However, it IS explained later on in the book, at around the 90% mark. The explanation makes it much easier to swallow, but because of how long it takes to LEARN the explanation, I feel like many readers would have assigned it to the "gaping plothole" category and gave up on the book already.
The other aspect that I wish had come about a bit differently was how Ellie ended up on the ship. Why did Nick find the entry on his own, yet Ellie had to be kidnapped?
I liked the writing style, and found the book to be quite funny at times, so that kept me reading. I can't say I really cared for Nick or Ellie most of the time. I really liked Boy and some of the other Homo sapiens. The way they were written was humorous and endearing. You learn as you go along that Nick and Ellie are both good people and honestly pretty terrible--which, I suspect, was one of the major points the author was trying to get across. Humans are capable of good, but we're also capable of darkness, too. It got a tad bit preachy at times, but the author usually stopped just short of getting on my nerves.
This book DOES "make you think." Usually, I don't like books like that; I read for entertainment and stress relief--I don't WANT to have to think. However, the author manages to do it in a way that is still entertaining and fun to read. Also, he has quite the gift for describing the beauty and wonder of pre-historic Africa.
Overall, I recommend this book, BUT you have to stick with it to the end to fully appreciate it because that's when the plotholes are neatly tied up. It's only like 300 pages long, so it's really not that hard to stick with it.
November 13, 2014
First reviewed on Pop Culture-y.
16-year-old, small-town American schoolboy Nick Brynner is your typical “boy” character. He’s not particularly popular, he’s not particularly athletic and he’s got a crush on some girl who is “unobtainable as car, college, Xbox, or popularity”.
You can tell that I’m not particularly interested in this type of protagonist, because I’ve read about a million of them. It’s not Dietrich’s fault – it’s unlikely that he knows what kind of protagonists I’m bored of – but the book market is full of books about straight white guys and frankly, it’s getting a little old.
Still, I soldiered through The Murder of Adam and Eve, and was not completely disappointed.
One day, our typical-average-teenage-white-boy Nick decides to explore a mysterious island that is off limits to the general public, as part of a solo history project. He gets sucked up by aliens and ends up having to go back in time in Africa with a girl, Eleanor Terrell, to the dawn of the human race – the biological Adam and Eve that gave birth to the rest of the human race. The alien race, the Xu, want to kill Adam and Eve and “reset” the course of the Earth, while it’s up to Nick and Eleanor to stop them and prove the human race worthy. Along the way, there’s a lot of contemplation about humanity and environmentalism and innovation, as well as a great deal of survivalism and hunting.
The premise is certainly intriguing – clearly a lot of research went into the book’s depiction of pre-humanity Africa. There are some interesting philosophical points raised too. And it’s nice that Dietrich at least threw a girl into the equation so it wasn’t just some white kid wandering around Africa trying to hunt. But the problem with this book is the supremely annoying narrator, Nick.
He has lines like this: “She treated me like a brother. I could never forget she was a girl.” Cheers kid, it’s good to know that you consider girls to basically be a species unto themselves, and that there’s no way you can think of a girl as a friend, just as someone you want to bang.
And he has this weird preoccupation with calling her “girl”. Like, “You’re so serious, girl.” It’s like he’s a pick up artist in a bar hitting on some random chick in a bar, not talking to someone he’s travelled with for several weeks.
(This is all ignoring the point that the whole point of the Xu’s choosing Nick is that he’s the “average” of the human race – when if you want to get your head out of your America-centric ass, the “average” human is a Chinese man.)
There’s a point where you just have to say no to another book about some average, white, straight teenage boy who is pining after a girl. I’m not sure whether I should have said ‘no’ before or after this book. While the point of view was really grating and irritating to me, I have to admit that if you can get past it, or it doesn’t bother you, the book does present an intriguing philosophical conundrum with some great prose.
16-year-old, small-town American schoolboy Nick Brynner is your typical “boy” character. He’s not particularly popular, he’s not particularly athletic and he’s got a crush on some girl who is “unobtainable as car, college, Xbox, or popularity”.
You can tell that I’m not particularly interested in this type of protagonist, because I’ve read about a million of them. It’s not Dietrich’s fault – it’s unlikely that he knows what kind of protagonists I’m bored of – but the book market is full of books about straight white guys and frankly, it’s getting a little old.
Still, I soldiered through The Murder of Adam and Eve, and was not completely disappointed.
One day, our typical-average-teenage-white-boy Nick decides to explore a mysterious island that is off limits to the general public, as part of a solo history project. He gets sucked up by aliens and ends up having to go back in time in Africa with a girl, Eleanor Terrell, to the dawn of the human race – the biological Adam and Eve that gave birth to the rest of the human race. The alien race, the Xu, want to kill Adam and Eve and “reset” the course of the Earth, while it’s up to Nick and Eleanor to stop them and prove the human race worthy. Along the way, there’s a lot of contemplation about humanity and environmentalism and innovation, as well as a great deal of survivalism and hunting.
The premise is certainly intriguing – clearly a lot of research went into the book’s depiction of pre-humanity Africa. There are some interesting philosophical points raised too. And it’s nice that Dietrich at least threw a girl into the equation so it wasn’t just some white kid wandering around Africa trying to hunt. But the problem with this book is the supremely annoying narrator, Nick.
He has lines like this: “She treated me like a brother. I could never forget she was a girl.” Cheers kid, it’s good to know that you consider girls to basically be a species unto themselves, and that there’s no way you can think of a girl as a friend, just as someone you want to bang.
And he has this weird preoccupation with calling her “girl”. Like, “You’re so serious, girl.” It’s like he’s a pick up artist in a bar hitting on some random chick in a bar, not talking to someone he’s travelled with for several weeks.
(This is all ignoring the point that the whole point of the Xu’s choosing Nick is that he’s the “average” of the human race – when if you want to get your head out of your America-centric ass, the “average” human is a Chinese man.)
There’s a point where you just have to say no to another book about some average, white, straight teenage boy who is pining after a girl. I’m not sure whether I should have said ‘no’ before or after this book. While the point of view was really grating and irritating to me, I have to admit that if you can get past it, or it doesn’t bother you, the book does present an intriguing philosophical conundrum with some great prose.
August 12, 2015
I received a digital copy from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
The narrator in The Murder of Adam and Eve is Nick Brynner. His dad died of cancer when he was ten so he only has his mom. Nick is 16 years old but because of his father’s death he had to grow up faster.
Nick Brynner’s substitute teacher, Mr. Faunus, persuades him to go on the forbidden island; Goat Island for his History Day scholarship and weird things happen. He explores the building, or fort, on the island and deep in the basement something happens. He is now a player in a game, he and a girl named Ellie has travel back in time to Africa and find Adam and Eve. Either the alien or Xu who created this game kills Adam and Eve to kill the entire human race or Nick and Ellie find them and protect them.
I knew it was going to be about time travel and something about killing Adam and Eve – I mean, look at the title! I had not expected that the Xu is the overseers of Judgment, they basically supervise the entire universe and they are trying to figure out whether or not to kill the entire human race and have therefore created this game. It’s pretty far out there and even though I liked the beginning I still can’t get over the fact that there’s aliens out there who rules the entire universe.
I loved the beginning! I read the first couple of chapters pretty quickly and I didn’t, or couldn’t, put it down. It was so captivating and I found it so interesting! Then the alien thing happened and things definitely went downhill from there. I liked the setting a whole lot! It was so peaceful yet frightening, I love that no technology is in the book and the fact that they’re actually in Africa so long ago. I loved reading about how Africa looked then and all the animals, it’s so refreshing and it’s probably my favourite thing about the whole book.
As far as characters go I liked Ellie and Nick, for teenagers they’re quite wise and I definitely have some great quotes in my book after The Murder of Adam and Eve. I liked that romance is basically non existent and I liked seeing the two of them becoming friends. Other than that they’re alright, they have survival skills which is quite needed in this book and I liked not hearing any of the whine throughout the entire book. They’re refreshing characters, but for me they’re alright.
It’s quite an enjoyable read, especially if you can get over the alien fact – which I really couldn’t – and it’s definitely a refreshing story. 3/5.
The narrator in The Murder of Adam and Eve is Nick Brynner. His dad died of cancer when he was ten so he only has his mom. Nick is 16 years old but because of his father’s death he had to grow up faster.
Nick Brynner’s substitute teacher, Mr. Faunus, persuades him to go on the forbidden island; Goat Island for his History Day scholarship and weird things happen. He explores the building, or fort, on the island and deep in the basement something happens. He is now a player in a game, he and a girl named Ellie has travel back in time to Africa and find Adam and Eve. Either the alien or Xu who created this game kills Adam and Eve to kill the entire human race or Nick and Ellie find them and protect them.
I knew it was going to be about time travel and something about killing Adam and Eve – I mean, look at the title! I had not expected that the Xu is the overseers of Judgment, they basically supervise the entire universe and they are trying to figure out whether or not to kill the entire human race and have therefore created this game. It’s pretty far out there and even though I liked the beginning I still can’t get over the fact that there’s aliens out there who rules the entire universe.
I loved the beginning! I read the first couple of chapters pretty quickly and I didn’t, or couldn’t, put it down. It was so captivating and I found it so interesting! Then the alien thing happened and things definitely went downhill from there. I liked the setting a whole lot! It was so peaceful yet frightening, I love that no technology is in the book and the fact that they’re actually in Africa so long ago. I loved reading about how Africa looked then and all the animals, it’s so refreshing and it’s probably my favourite thing about the whole book.
As far as characters go I liked Ellie and Nick, for teenagers they’re quite wise and I definitely have some great quotes in my book after The Murder of Adam and Eve. I liked that romance is basically non existent and I liked seeing the two of them becoming friends. Other than that they’re alright, they have survival skills which is quite needed in this book and I liked not hearing any of the whine throughout the entire book. They’re refreshing characters, but for me they’re alright.
It’s quite an enjoyable read, especially if you can get over the alien fact – which I really couldn’t – and it’s definitely a refreshing story. 3/5.
March 6, 2015
ARC kindly provided by Burrows Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review
Rating Plan
1 star : Strongly did not like the book, writing and plot was bad. Idea of the book was against my liking.
2 star : Didn't like it, didn't find it interesting or gripping. Seemed to drag on to me.
3 star : An average book. Wasn't bad or good. Everything else was well done. Original idea.
4 star : Like a 3 star but has potential to it as a series or the book grew on me as it progressed and certain scenes captured me. I Enjoyed it and read it in one sitting.
5 star : I LOVED IT! I stayed up late until 3 am. Author is a genius, characters, plot, idea, development, EVERYTHING was EXCELLENT. Nothing else can possibly be said except that its 5 STAR!
Review
This book reminded me greatly of a scientific theory I once read on the internet. It was called the Zoo Theory and it talks about how some scientists believe that a superior and more advanced alien species came to earth and helped boost our evolutionary status, by playing around with our genetics and theirs - therefore creating the humanoids through a mixture of native biology (maybe apes) and alien biology (theirs). Some also theorise that the Garden of Eden was in fact a laboratory and the many exotic animals in the garden were a result of experimentation. William Dietrich obviously has a rich history with science and this book is the first one I met that uses at least an element of that theory (which is my favourite) - hence the 4 star. He does well combining romance and science, yet it seems to lack something. The book is a first point of view by the main character Nick; and that seemed to restrict the plot of the story. If William Dietrich had used both Nick's and Ellie's point of views, the story would have had much more romance, tension, anticipation, etc. all the things that make a great book. Yet his description of the prehistoric times is very vivid and clear. His description of our ancestors and their society probably quite accurate. The animals he describes are too current in my opinion, such as the vultures, lions and wildebeest. I would recommend this book to all the science nerds and geeks out in the world. All in all, I would have given this book a 5 star if not for its few comebacks. Congratulations to William Dietrich for yet another successfully published book!
Rating Plan
1 star : Strongly did not like the book, writing and plot was bad. Idea of the book was against my liking.
2 star : Didn't like it, didn't find it interesting or gripping. Seemed to drag on to me.
3 star : An average book. Wasn't bad or good. Everything else was well done. Original idea.
4 star : Like a 3 star but has potential to it as a series or the book grew on me as it progressed and certain scenes captured me. I Enjoyed it and read it in one sitting.
5 star : I LOVED IT! I stayed up late until 3 am. Author is a genius, characters, plot, idea, development, EVERYTHING was EXCELLENT. Nothing else can possibly be said except that its 5 STAR!
April 21, 2015
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The Murder of Adam and Eve by William Dietrich is a young adult, science fiction thriller combining aliens and time travel. What started out as sixteen year old Nick Brynner researching for his History Day project on an out of bounds island, leads to him falling through a wormhole, meeting an alien – a Xu, and eventually finding himself in prehistoric Africa.
Before finding himself in a completely different era, Nick meets a biology-loving teenager, Eleanor Terrell, who tells him she had been abducted by aliens. Initially thinking she is crazy, Nick believes her once one of the said aliens appears to them and claims they have been chosen to try and save mankind. The Xu intend to wipe out humanity by travelling back in time and killing the two people from whom the human race descend from – the people named Adam and Eve in the bible. However they are giving Nick and Ellie a final chance to prevent this from happening.
Once transported to ancient Africa, Nick and Ellie start a desperate search for Adam and Eve in order to protect them from the Xu. But in order to do this they need to be able to take care of themselves in a place where water, food and shelter are not easily come by. Once locating the people they seek for they begin to realize the enormity of the task they have been given; whatever they do will have a massive impact on the future of the world.
The Murder of Adam and Eve is an interesting concept that really gets you thinking about the way in which the world has developed. Despite the usage of the biblical names Adam and Eve this book is not based on religious theory at all. It is a science-based idea maintaining that the human race can eventually be traced back to two people.
Many readers may be able to relate to both Nick and Ellie’s personalities. Nick in particular is a quiet, unnoticeable boy without any great talent, however during the book he grows into a more confident person and becomes the leader needed in order to save mankind.
Overall this fast paced book is fun to read. Although a little too far-fetched to take seriously, it makes the reader think more about the ways humans have behaved over the years but also highlights the positives and our ability to make things and learn. The clash of the two different time periods makes it a thought-provoking novel that many teenagers will love to read.
The Murder of Adam and Eve by William Dietrich is a young adult, science fiction thriller combining aliens and time travel. What started out as sixteen year old Nick Brynner researching for his History Day project on an out of bounds island, leads to him falling through a wormhole, meeting an alien – a Xu, and eventually finding himself in prehistoric Africa.
Before finding himself in a completely different era, Nick meets a biology-loving teenager, Eleanor Terrell, who tells him she had been abducted by aliens. Initially thinking she is crazy, Nick believes her once one of the said aliens appears to them and claims they have been chosen to try and save mankind. The Xu intend to wipe out humanity by travelling back in time and killing the two people from whom the human race descend from – the people named Adam and Eve in the bible. However they are giving Nick and Ellie a final chance to prevent this from happening.
Once transported to ancient Africa, Nick and Ellie start a desperate search for Adam and Eve in order to protect them from the Xu. But in order to do this they need to be able to take care of themselves in a place where water, food and shelter are not easily come by. Once locating the people they seek for they begin to realize the enormity of the task they have been given; whatever they do will have a massive impact on the future of the world.
The Murder of Adam and Eve is an interesting concept that really gets you thinking about the way in which the world has developed. Despite the usage of the biblical names Adam and Eve this book is not based on religious theory at all. It is a science-based idea maintaining that the human race can eventually be traced back to two people.
Many readers may be able to relate to both Nick and Ellie’s personalities. Nick in particular is a quiet, unnoticeable boy without any great talent, however during the book he grows into a more confident person and becomes the leader needed in order to save mankind.
Overall this fast paced book is fun to read. Although a little too far-fetched to take seriously, it makes the reader think more about the ways humans have behaved over the years but also highlights the positives and our ability to make things and learn. The clash of the two different time periods makes it a thought-provoking novel that many teenagers will love to read.
November 6, 2014
I would like to thank Burrows Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
I fell in love with this book from the very beginning because I felt like screaming at Nick to not go into the hole...like you feel like screaming at the characters in a scary movie not to go into the kitchen or up the stairs. That, to me, indicates a good book. Not that this is a scary book...I would classify it as a mystery/thriller; definitely not a horror book.
This book was full of beautiful descriptions for prehistoric Africa and just about everything. It really kind of made me think about the implications of Man's stomping all over the world. We're really doing a number on the earth, and if the world really looked like it must have back when the original people were around, then we now are missing out on a lot. And that's even though we have TV, and internet, and photography, and books and music. We have medicine and hospitals and tend to live nice, long lives. But what is the trade-off? This is really a book that will make you think at the same time that Nick is struggling through this issue himself.
This book is definitely not your Biblical Adam and Eve story, though, so don't go into it expecting that. This is more of a scientific Adam and Eve idea. More evolutionary than creationist. Where religion was developed by people seeking out answers about the universe (including Christianity), and Adam and Eve were not the first people on the planet, but did go on to populate humanity with their DNA. There is an explanation at the end of the book that goes into more detail about all of these theories, which was much appreciated, since I don't know much about it, having grown up with the Biblical Adam and Eve.
This was an awesome book. It deserves all 5 of the stars I'm giving it. I am constantly surprised by how much I like YA fiction. I like it when it doesn't have love triangles and is reasonably smart and doesn't talk down to the reader. This book was on a level that I could relate to...it didn't read much like YA fiction to me. I really enjoyed this book. Especially because of how Mr. Dietrich made Africa in the time of Adam and Eve come alive. So beautiful!
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am never compensated for my reviews.
I fell in love with this book from the very beginning because I felt like screaming at Nick to not go into the hole...like you feel like screaming at the characters in a scary movie not to go into the kitchen or up the stairs. That, to me, indicates a good book. Not that this is a scary book...I would classify it as a mystery/thriller; definitely not a horror book.
This book was full of beautiful descriptions for prehistoric Africa and just about everything. It really kind of made me think about the implications of Man's stomping all over the world. We're really doing a number on the earth, and if the world really looked like it must have back when the original people were around, then we now are missing out on a lot. And that's even though we have TV, and internet, and photography, and books and music. We have medicine and hospitals and tend to live nice, long lives. But what is the trade-off? This is really a book that will make you think at the same time that Nick is struggling through this issue himself.
This book is definitely not your Biblical Adam and Eve story, though, so don't go into it expecting that. This is more of a scientific Adam and Eve idea. More evolutionary than creationist. Where religion was developed by people seeking out answers about the universe (including Christianity), and Adam and Eve were not the first people on the planet, but did go on to populate humanity with their DNA. There is an explanation at the end of the book that goes into more detail about all of these theories, which was much appreciated, since I don't know much about it, having grown up with the Biblical Adam and Eve.
This was an awesome book. It deserves all 5 of the stars I'm giving it. I am constantly surprised by how much I like YA fiction. I like it when it doesn't have love triangles and is reasonably smart and doesn't talk down to the reader. This book was on a level that I could relate to...it didn't read much like YA fiction to me. I really enjoyed this book. Especially because of how Mr. Dietrich made Africa in the time of Adam and Eve come alive. So beautiful!
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am never compensated for my reviews.
November 27, 2014
Nick Brynner is the school nerd, genuinely enjoying school work and a bit socially awkward. He and his mom are struggling financially, though, and if he wants to go to college, getting a scholarship would really help. With the help of a surprisingly long-term substitute teacher, Mr. Faunas, he sets to work on a research project for History Day.
As part of that project, he's going to visit an abandoned fort in Puget Sound, which has been off limits for almost a century. There are strange stories about people disappearing there, and mysterious forces, but that's ridiculous--isn't it?
Nick reaches the island, finds the remains of the fort, and after sketching a map of the place, investigates a staircase down into the ground, finds a locked door, finds the key...
He wakes up lying on the grass, and meets a girl, who introduces herself as Eleanor Terrell, and soon they are on an alien spaceship talking to a Xu, who has a little assignment for them. A game of sorts. The Xu think humans are too destructive, and Nick and Eleanor are going to be sent back to the time of our earliest human ancestors, genetic Adam & Eve, fifty thousand years ago. It will be up to them to decide if they deserve to be saved and the history we know preserved, or if there should be a Reset--the elimination of genetic Adam & Eve to allow another gene line, or even another species, to rule Earth.
Nick and Eleanor are both smart and thoughtful and, in their different ways, tough. Dietrich does a great job of showing us the African savanna fifty thousand years ago through Nick's eyes, and letting Nick really wrestle with the moral, practical, and personal issues raised by the challenge and threat of the Xu. I also find Dietrich's early homo sapiens plausible and interesting, though they may not be 100% accurate. (Our knowledge about them is advancing fast enough that it's quickly moving target.)
I'll further note, for those who notice such things, that yes, Dietrich does know that genetic Adam and genetic Eve weren't contemporaries; he's put them together for the sake of the story, and acknowledges that in an afterword.
All in all, this is a fun, interesting, and moderately thoughtful book. Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
As part of that project, he's going to visit an abandoned fort in Puget Sound, which has been off limits for almost a century. There are strange stories about people disappearing there, and mysterious forces, but that's ridiculous--isn't it?
Nick reaches the island, finds the remains of the fort, and after sketching a map of the place, investigates a staircase down into the ground, finds a locked door, finds the key...
He wakes up lying on the grass, and meets a girl, who introduces herself as Eleanor Terrell, and soon they are on an alien spaceship talking to a Xu, who has a little assignment for them. A game of sorts. The Xu think humans are too destructive, and Nick and Eleanor are going to be sent back to the time of our earliest human ancestors, genetic Adam & Eve, fifty thousand years ago. It will be up to them to decide if they deserve to be saved and the history we know preserved, or if there should be a Reset--the elimination of genetic Adam & Eve to allow another gene line, or even another species, to rule Earth.
Nick and Eleanor are both smart and thoughtful and, in their different ways, tough. Dietrich does a great job of showing us the African savanna fifty thousand years ago through Nick's eyes, and letting Nick really wrestle with the moral, practical, and personal issues raised by the challenge and threat of the Xu. I also find Dietrich's early homo sapiens plausible and interesting, though they may not be 100% accurate. (Our knowledge about them is advancing fast enough that it's quickly moving target.)
I'll further note, for those who notice such things, that yes, Dietrich does know that genetic Adam and genetic Eve weren't contemporaries; he's put them together for the sake of the story, and acknowledges that in an afterword.
All in all, this is a fun, interesting, and moderately thoughtful book. Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
November 11, 2014
Nick Brynner is somewhat a loner that does well in school and is on a personal quest to win a scholarship in History. He goes to what is now called
Goat Island but what was once Fort Whitman. The fort has long since been abandoned though and there are rumors that people go in but never come out. If he had known what secrets the fort really held he more than likely never would have taken the risk.
Nick has stumbled upon a place of judgment, a place that is occupied by aliens that have come to Earth to stop or reset the destruction and cruelty that mankind has placed in it as well as each other. Nick finds himself playing a game with a girl named Ellie Terrell, a girl like himself, mainly a loner that does well in school. This isn’t an ordinary game though. They must pass three tests that will lead them through a wormhole that will in turn take them back in time to Africa 50,000 BC. To win they must find and protect Adam and Eve from an alien that has also gone back in time to kill them which will in turn reset the Earth. They only have the clothes on their back, a bottle of water, a compass, a handful of matches and a couple of granola bars. They must learn to hunt for food and water as well as try to stay alive while being surrounded by wild animals and still trying to complete the task that was given to them because that’s the only way that they can go back home.
This book surprised me. The synopsis was intriguing but I honestly didn’t believe that I would enjoy it as much as I did. I found myself engrossed in the story and while it’s a full length novel, I stayed up late and finished it in one sitting because I had to see what would happen next. The writing was great and the story descriptions were so good that you could actually picture what prehistoric Africa may have looked like before man made their mark on it. I will tell you that is not written as the Bible depicts Adam and Eve’s story. This story is based more on what Scientist believe rather than what Christians believe.
I was given an ARC from Burrows Publishing through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
Goat Island but what was once Fort Whitman. The fort has long since been abandoned though and there are rumors that people go in but never come out. If he had known what secrets the fort really held he more than likely never would have taken the risk.
Nick has stumbled upon a place of judgment, a place that is occupied by aliens that have come to Earth to stop or reset the destruction and cruelty that mankind has placed in it as well as each other. Nick finds himself playing a game with a girl named Ellie Terrell, a girl like himself, mainly a loner that does well in school. This isn’t an ordinary game though. They must pass three tests that will lead them through a wormhole that will in turn take them back in time to Africa 50,000 BC. To win they must find and protect Adam and Eve from an alien that has also gone back in time to kill them which will in turn reset the Earth. They only have the clothes on their back, a bottle of water, a compass, a handful of matches and a couple of granola bars. They must learn to hunt for food and water as well as try to stay alive while being surrounded by wild animals and still trying to complete the task that was given to them because that’s the only way that they can go back home.
This book surprised me. The synopsis was intriguing but I honestly didn’t believe that I would enjoy it as much as I did. I found myself engrossed in the story and while it’s a full length novel, I stayed up late and finished it in one sitting because I had to see what would happen next. The writing was great and the story descriptions were so good that you could actually picture what prehistoric Africa may have looked like before man made their mark on it. I will tell you that is not written as the Bible depicts Adam and Eve’s story. This story is based more on what Scientist believe rather than what Christians believe.
I was given an ARC from Burrows Publishing through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
December 13, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. As a children's and YA librarian, I read a wide assortment of literature for youth. This book really stands out for me because it is a YA novel that is very different than what is in the the mainstream offerings these days.
Nick Brynner is an average student who is not vexed by heavy teen angst. He is not the star of any sports team, nor is he the top of his class. However, Nick is a very curious person, which leads him to Goat Island, in Washington state. He kayaks to Fort Whitman, an abandoned US Army post on Goat Island(it really exists, by the way). Rumor has it no one leaves Goat Island alive, so Nick decides to take a look.
After a series of events, Nick meets a teen girl, Ellie, and they are transported via a time warp portal to a spaceship run by the Xu. The Xu is a race of galactic guardians who judge which planets are doing well and which ones aren't. The earth rates badly with them, due to nuclear war, overpopulation, pollution, violence, etc. Because of this, earth has been placed on probation and elimination of the human race is imminent. Their plan is to travel back in time and kill Adam and Eve, thus erasing humankind as we know it.
Nick and Ellie are given the opportunity of proving humankind's worth by passing some very tough challenges. If they pass the challenges, they can also travel back in time in an effort to save Adam and Eve from being murdered.
This is a story full of making decisions and evaluating the true worth of humankind. Nick and Ellie battle the elements of prehistoric Africa, survive hand to mouth, and evade dangers in a land they do not know. They must also evaluate the path humankind has taken and prove that it is really worth saving it from destruction. There are a lot of ethical questions they must must answer for themselves as they carry out their task.
I really enjoyed this novel and was swept up in its story from the very beginning. This is Dietrich's first YA novel (he has authored several adult fiction and nonfiction titles), and I hope there is a sequel to this absorbing work.
Nick Brynner is an average student who is not vexed by heavy teen angst. He is not the star of any sports team, nor is he the top of his class. However, Nick is a very curious person, which leads him to Goat Island, in Washington state. He kayaks to Fort Whitman, an abandoned US Army post on Goat Island(it really exists, by the way). Rumor has it no one leaves Goat Island alive, so Nick decides to take a look.
After a series of events, Nick meets a teen girl, Ellie, and they are transported via a time warp portal to a spaceship run by the Xu. The Xu is a race of galactic guardians who judge which planets are doing well and which ones aren't. The earth rates badly with them, due to nuclear war, overpopulation, pollution, violence, etc. Because of this, earth has been placed on probation and elimination of the human race is imminent. Their plan is to travel back in time and kill Adam and Eve, thus erasing humankind as we know it.
Nick and Ellie are given the opportunity of proving humankind's worth by passing some very tough challenges. If they pass the challenges, they can also travel back in time in an effort to save Adam and Eve from being murdered.
This is a story full of making decisions and evaluating the true worth of humankind. Nick and Ellie battle the elements of prehistoric Africa, survive hand to mouth, and evade dangers in a land they do not know. They must also evaluate the path humankind has taken and prove that it is really worth saving it from destruction. There are a lot of ethical questions they must must answer for themselves as they carry out their task.
I really enjoyed this novel and was swept up in its story from the very beginning. This is Dietrich's first YA novel (he has authored several adult fiction and nonfiction titles), and I hope there is a sequel to this absorbing work.
October 27, 2015
*I received a ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
To begin, a little disclaimer: I NEVER stop reading a book halfway...never...until this one...To be honest, I'm not sure that it is fair to give this book a 1 star rating. I hope it gets better, but I just know I will not be experiencing any more of it.
I read the first 10 chapters of this book hoping it would get better, or that I'd get so wrapped up in the action of the story that I wouldn't notice the poor writing. There were annoying writing style issues and simile abuse should be a punishable offense. However, the real stopping point for me was a three paragraph section toward the end of chapter ten that contained just 12 sentences. In this passage I experienced: One instance of the character/narrator speaking directly to the reader (which prior to this instance wasn't a part of the writing style), repetitiveness of thought (the same sentiment stated three different ways), simile abuse (three similes in three paragraphs), and one stupid cliché. And unfortunately, the action just never took off.
I groaned, laughed out loud, read these three paragraphs aloud to my husband, and decided I could not wade through the rest of this book.
There were struggles for me separate from writing style, too. My first real concern is that the premise of the book is entirely too close to the background story of the video game series, Assassin's Creed. When I started trying to explain the background to my husband, and why I didn't think I could finish the story, he actually stopped me and told me missing details from the video game. I explained a little further, but his response was, "I hope he has appropriate permissions from the gaming company, because that would be too close for comfort for me."
A second issue I have with this book is that the soapbox of environmentalism is preachy and poorly described than it is in other books I have read. The book started off interesting with Nick sneaking to a forbidden island and disappearing into a hall in a forbidden bunker, but after that the action was gone and the set-up was all tell, no show.
To begin, a little disclaimer: I NEVER stop reading a book halfway...never...until this one...To be honest, I'm not sure that it is fair to give this book a 1 star rating. I hope it gets better, but I just know I will not be experiencing any more of it.
I read the first 10 chapters of this book hoping it would get better, or that I'd get so wrapped up in the action of the story that I wouldn't notice the poor writing. There were annoying writing style issues and simile abuse should be a punishable offense. However, the real stopping point for me was a three paragraph section toward the end of chapter ten that contained just 12 sentences. In this passage I experienced: One instance of the character/narrator speaking directly to the reader (which prior to this instance wasn't a part of the writing style), repetitiveness of thought (the same sentiment stated three different ways), simile abuse (three similes in three paragraphs), and one stupid cliché. And unfortunately, the action just never took off.
I groaned, laughed out loud, read these three paragraphs aloud to my husband, and decided I could not wade through the rest of this book.
There were struggles for me separate from writing style, too. My first real concern is that the premise of the book is entirely too close to the background story of the video game series, Assassin's Creed. When I started trying to explain the background to my husband, and why I didn't think I could finish the story, he actually stopped me and told me missing details from the video game. I explained a little further, but his response was, "I hope he has appropriate permissions from the gaming company, because that would be too close for comfort for me."
A second issue I have with this book is that the soapbox of environmentalism is preachy and poorly described than it is in other books I have read. The book started off interesting with Nick sneaking to a forbidden island and disappearing into a hall in a forbidden bunker, but after that the action was gone and the set-up was all tell, no show.
November 10, 2014
http://koeur.wordpress.com/2014/11/10...
Publisher: Burrows
Publishing Date: October 2014
ISBN: 9780990662105
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 2.7/5
Publisher Description:A forbidden island. An abandoned fort. A deserted village. A living gargoyle. And a time wormhole that catapults teen Nick Brynner and his companion Eleanor Terrell to prehistoric Africa to pass judgment on mankind. They must find and protect – or condemn – our genetic forebears, a real-life “Adam” and “Eve” to either preserve or reset the future. Nick must choose between wilderness, civilization, love, and humanity.
Review: This started off pretty dam good. Nick trespasses on Goat Island, and abandoned military site, and vanishes only to return to an altered universe. A girl helps him escape this altered time and is subsequently conscripted into finding Adam and Eve in Africa before an alien entity can destroy humanities parents. This was a really solid story-line coupled with very good writing. The world building spanned the galaxy and wended its way through the African plain, engaged in survival.
Some minor fall downs was the time spent in Africa. Nick and Ellie are trying to survive in a hostile environment while hoping to stumble upon our progenitors. This was a big departure from the initial ScFi themed story line. I was a bit disappointed in that yet some may find the shift engaging. Nick as a character is a tool. Every situation is either this outward sarcasm or inner dialogue that is pure glibness. If you want to be captured within the story-line as seen and experienced through the characters then there is no better way to lose interest than to have the main character make idle responses in EVERY dire circumstance. A well written story with a lame main character that lost this novel an entire rating star.
Publisher: Burrows
Publishing Date: October 2014
ISBN: 9780990662105
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 2.7/5
Publisher Description:A forbidden island. An abandoned fort. A deserted village. A living gargoyle. And a time wormhole that catapults teen Nick Brynner and his companion Eleanor Terrell to prehistoric Africa to pass judgment on mankind. They must find and protect – or condemn – our genetic forebears, a real-life “Adam” and “Eve” to either preserve or reset the future. Nick must choose between wilderness, civilization, love, and humanity.
Review: This started off pretty dam good. Nick trespasses on Goat Island, and abandoned military site, and vanishes only to return to an altered universe. A girl helps him escape this altered time and is subsequently conscripted into finding Adam and Eve in Africa before an alien entity can destroy humanities parents. This was a really solid story-line coupled with very good writing. The world building spanned the galaxy and wended its way through the African plain, engaged in survival.
Some minor fall downs was the time spent in Africa. Nick and Ellie are trying to survive in a hostile environment while hoping to stumble upon our progenitors. This was a big departure from the initial ScFi themed story line. I was a bit disappointed in that yet some may find the shift engaging. Nick as a character is a tool. Every situation is either this outward sarcasm or inner dialogue that is pure glibness. If you want to be captured within the story-line as seen and experienced through the characters then there is no better way to lose interest than to have the main character make idle responses in EVERY dire circumstance. A well written story with a lame main character that lost this novel an entire rating star.
February 7, 2016
I received The Murder of Adam and Eve by William Dietrich from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I read the Amazon Kindle e-book version.
When I read this ARC book, I was in the YA Programming department, and recommended this for purchase. Our library did buy it, and it is still a highly circulating novel.
There are many Dystopian, other world stories that teens and young adults love. Me; not so much. It is my taste. I cannot go against best seller lists, extreme circulation numbers or book to movie ratios of Y/A literature. I just do not love it.
I enjoyed reading The Murder of Adam and Eve because Nick is an adventurous and smart kid. He is a free range young person and I like that in his character. His unlikely friend Eleanor is an intelligent and thoughtful teen who is comfortable with herself and her abilities. These characteristics in teen characters always win me over.
Nick and Eleanor are chosen by an alien race; the Xu, and via transported to ancient Africa for a do-over.
The environment from the beginning of man's history until now is highlighted, as well as how humans treat each other, and the propensity for war.
This is a well written book, and if you have deep Y/A, Tween, Teen or Juvenile readers, I highly recommend this book.
Content: I cannot recall any bad language. There is no graphic sex. There is some violence.
When I read this ARC book, I was in the YA Programming department, and recommended this for purchase. Our library did buy it, and it is still a highly circulating novel.
There are many Dystopian, other world stories that teens and young adults love. Me; not so much. It is my taste. I cannot go against best seller lists, extreme circulation numbers or book to movie ratios of Y/A literature. I just do not love it.
I enjoyed reading The Murder of Adam and Eve because Nick is an adventurous and smart kid. He is a free range young person and I like that in his character. His unlikely friend Eleanor is an intelligent and thoughtful teen who is comfortable with herself and her abilities. These characteristics in teen characters always win me over.
Nick and Eleanor are chosen by an alien race; the Xu, and via transported to ancient Africa for a do-over.
The environment from the beginning of man's history until now is highlighted, as well as how humans treat each other, and the propensity for war.
This is a well written book, and if you have deep Y/A, Tween, Teen or Juvenile readers, I highly recommend this book.
Content: I cannot recall any bad language. There is no graphic sex. There is some violence.
November 2, 2014
I received an ARC from the Publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed the story premise. Teen boy and girl time travel to the cavemen period to prove that Adam and Eve are worth saving as well as all of mankind. The story is told from the perspective of the teen boy Nick, as he and Ellie travel to where they believe Adam and Eve are to be found. Nick and Ellie have to learn to survive against the odds in a time that is so very different and foreign to them. The ending was no surprise as it makes sense to end it in just this manner. I wonder if the letter Nick reads as the very end is an indication that this will be a series. If so, I look forward to reading more of the adventures of Nick traveling through time and destiny.
The spoiler of the book depicts this as a fast-paced thriller and I just did not get that take on this read. The story is a slow progression to the ultimate end. Along the way you read about the surroundings in great detail and the way of life during the time period this story is based. I at times felt I was reading a chapter about geography, religion, history and scientific belief in the beginning of mankind.
I highly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys a well written story that also includes a lot of descriptive detail of the surroundings and the imagined way of life during a period of time in our history.
I enjoyed the story premise. Teen boy and girl time travel to the cavemen period to prove that Adam and Eve are worth saving as well as all of mankind. The story is told from the perspective of the teen boy Nick, as he and Ellie travel to where they believe Adam and Eve are to be found. Nick and Ellie have to learn to survive against the odds in a time that is so very different and foreign to them. The ending was no surprise as it makes sense to end it in just this manner. I wonder if the letter Nick reads as the very end is an indication that this will be a series. If so, I look forward to reading more of the adventures of Nick traveling through time and destiny.
The spoiler of the book depicts this as a fast-paced thriller and I just did not get that take on this read. The story is a slow progression to the ultimate end. Along the way you read about the surroundings in great detail and the way of life during the time period this story is based. I at times felt I was reading a chapter about geography, religion, history and scientific belief in the beginning of mankind.
I highly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys a well written story that also includes a lot of descriptive detail of the surroundings and the imagined way of life during a period of time in our history.
November 5, 2014
This book is one of those rare cases where when it begins you think it has a chance of being a horrible book, and then it just keeps getting better, and better, and better, all the way to the very end where it proves to be one of the best books of the year. Yes this book is a YA book, but it is living proof that a YA book can easily be better than an adult book. (so that IDIOT who said adults should be ashamed to read YA books can go stuff it up a pipe and smoke it) It has many strengths compared to the conventional YA book, the foremost being that it’s damn surprising, just when you think it’s going to go like this, then it turns upside down and go’s the other way. It is seriously insane; there are nearly as many plot twists in the last chapter as the last episode of Sherlock.
As for the plot itself, the story is that an alien race called the Xu abducts a teenager named Nick to participate in a test. The Xu think that humanity as it is cannot live without destroying things so they give Nick a challenge. The Xu are going to travel back in time and kill the biological Adam and Eve, destroying humanity, and Nick has to stop them.
The whole middle is like a mix of an episode of Survivor Man and The Bourne Supremacy. Then the end is like (text lost) HA HA you won’t know till you read it. *****
Review by: Brennan Palm (15 yrs old)
Full Review Available at: http://thebookendfamily.weebly.com/bl...
As for the plot itself, the story is that an alien race called the Xu abducts a teenager named Nick to participate in a test. The Xu think that humanity as it is cannot live without destroying things so they give Nick a challenge. The Xu are going to travel back in time and kill the biological Adam and Eve, destroying humanity, and Nick has to stop them.
The whole middle is like a mix of an episode of Survivor Man and The Bourne Supremacy. Then the end is like (text lost) HA HA you won’t know till you read it. *****
Review by: Brennan Palm (15 yrs old)
Full Review Available at: http://thebookendfamily.weebly.com/bl...
January 27, 2015
When 16-year-old Nick trespasses on a deserted island to explore an abandoned military fort, he falls through a timewarp and meets Eleanor. She and an ‘angel’ named Gabriel, inform him that the Xu, an alien race, has determined that humanity is wretched and needs to be destroyed. The aliens have sent a team into the past to reset history by killing the source of modern humans, Adam and Eve. Nick and Eleanor have been chosen as humanity’s proxy and have to race the Xu to protect their ancestors. The two teens are transported through space and time and land in prehistoric Africa. They not only have to survive by their wits on the open African savannah, but they have to find the hunter-gatherer tribe that may host Adam and Eve. Not surprisingly, a native finds the teens and brings them straight to “Adam and Eve”, now nicknamed “Click and Foxy” by Nick. Their task is as unclear as it is improbable; they don’t even know how to tell if they’ve won.
Dietrich has missed the mark for writing a teen novel. The thoughts running through Nick’s head are of an older adult male, not a teenage boy. Nick is so overly philosophical about life, the universe and everything that he doesn’t think what a teen boy might actually be thinking. The book is full of improbable coincidences, first-world views of Africa, and heavy-handed eco-philosophy. Not recommended for teens, or adults.
Advance Reader's Copy from Net Galley
Dietrich has missed the mark for writing a teen novel. The thoughts running through Nick’s head are of an older adult male, not a teenage boy. Nick is so overly philosophical about life, the universe and everything that he doesn’t think what a teen boy might actually be thinking. The book is full of improbable coincidences, first-world views of Africa, and heavy-handed eco-philosophy. Not recommended for teens, or adults.
Advance Reader's Copy from Net Galley
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