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Neander #2
Exploitation
"What kind of world is this?"
It’s five years later, and Tom Cook is living a “normal” life with his Neanderthal family 40,000 years ago.
But when a life-threatening crisis strikes his daughter, Tom decides to carry her to the future for the medical help she desperately needs. And in the process, he’s entangled in a modern world very different from the one he left behind.
Now, caught up in a secret plan to exploit his daughter’s unique Neanderthal DNA, Tom must find a way to save everything he loves and cherishes.
If you're a fan of the time travel novels of Jack Finney (Time and Again), Stephen King (11/22/63), or Michael Crichton (Timeline), you'll relish this sequel to NEANDER: A Time Travel Adventure from historical-fiction author Harald Johnson.
NEANDER 2 is a science-fiction, time-travel adventure to the land of Neanderthals . . . and back! (Book 2 of the series)
It’s five years later, and Tom Cook is living a “normal” life with his Neanderthal family 40,000 years ago.
But when a life-threatening crisis strikes his daughter, Tom decides to carry her to the future for the medical help she desperately needs. And in the process, he’s entangled in a modern world very different from the one he left behind.
Now, caught up in a secret plan to exploit his daughter’s unique Neanderthal DNA, Tom must find a way to save everything he loves and cherishes.
If you're a fan of the time travel novels of Jack Finney (Time and Again), Stephen King (11/22/63), or Michael Crichton (Timeline), you'll relish this sequel to NEANDER: A Time Travel Adventure from historical-fiction author Harald Johnson.
NEANDER 2 is a science-fiction, time-travel adventure to the land of Neanderthals . . . and back! (Book 2 of the series)
- GenresTime Travel
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 27, 2020
111 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Harald Johnson
19 books14 followersHarald Johnson is an author of both fiction and nonfiction, a publisher, and a lifelong swimmer—who actually swam nonstop around New York’s Manhattan island. His debut novel (NEW YORK 1609, 2018) was the first-ever to explore the birth of New York City (and Manhattan) from its earliest beginnings. He followed that with the three books of the NEANDER time-travel trilogy (2019, 2020, 2021), and then the modern suspense thriller EL NORTE (2022). THE TWILIGHTS is his sixth novel (and twelfth book).
Harald lives with his wife deep in the woods of central Virginia.
Harald lives with his wife deep in the woods of central Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 18, 2021
What a Great Second Book!
Many thanks to the author for this second book! I'm so glad there will be a third one as well. I can't see leaving the story where it is, there has to be more and we are all ready for it.
Many thanks to the author for this second book! I'm so glad there will be a third one as well. I can't see leaving the story where it is, there has to be more and we are all ready for it.
February 16, 2021
I read this book via an ARC from the author, for Rosie's Book Review Team. The fact that it was free has not affected this honest review.
I read the first book in this series, in which Tom Cook first ends up back in Neanderthal times, and of course his first realisation about what had happened was so good to read, but I actually liked this book more.
In Neander:Exploitation, Tom has a family back in those ancient times, but must travel back to the 21st century to get medical help for his daughter. The book just flowed along, all the way through, with no dreary bits to wade through, and was oddly convincing despite the subject matter being so bizarre! I constantly found myself unwilling to put the book down because I was so looking forward to seeing what happened next.
The elements of this book that interested me, in particular, were the idea that a time traveller could enter another era only to find that time has moved more quickly, and the way in which Tom's actions back in prehistoric times alter the world for millennia to come. I would love to see more of that in book 3, which I notice is being written at the moment - and about how Tom feels about the 21st century versus his pre-history life, which was touched on at the end.
Anyway, top stuff. Looking forward to Book 3, and if you're a time travel addict, get it now!
I read the first book in this series, in which Tom Cook first ends up back in Neanderthal times, and of course his first realisation about what had happened was so good to read, but I actually liked this book more.
In Neander:Exploitation, Tom has a family back in those ancient times, but must travel back to the 21st century to get medical help for his daughter. The book just flowed along, all the way through, with no dreary bits to wade through, and was oddly convincing despite the subject matter being so bizarre! I constantly found myself unwilling to put the book down because I was so looking forward to seeing what happened next.
The elements of this book that interested me, in particular, were the idea that a time traveller could enter another era only to find that time has moved more quickly, and the way in which Tom's actions back in prehistoric times alter the world for millennia to come. I would love to see more of that in book 3, which I notice is being written at the moment - and about how Tom feels about the 21st century versus his pre-history life, which was touched on at the end.
Anyway, top stuff. Looking forward to Book 3, and if you're a time travel addict, get it now!
June 11, 2022
In Neander: Exploitation, five years have passed and Tom is living with his Neander family, having chosen a woman as his mate and having had a daughter. But now he faces another life-altering decision: his daughter has epilepsy and he must travel back to the future to get her the medical help she needs. What he finds is a modern world very different from the one he’d known, and he is caught up in a plan by the CEO of a big pharmaceutical company to exploit his daughter’s unique DNA for modern cures.
I found this second book was not quite as satisfying as the first. The characters are a little less relatable – although the author’s descriptions remain colorful and realistic – and the plot is tortuous. The interaction between modern man and their distant predecessors (we contain up to 8% Neanderthal DNA) is predictable – avarice balanced with caring.
I had a bit of a problem with the concept that Neanderthals were completely peaceful while the Sapiens they encountered were brutal and cannibalistic. Nevertheless, the author does describe their integration, as recent genetic studies have revealed. But some of Tom’s decisions had me asking, “Why are you doing this?”
While the first book and the beginning of the second are written from Tom’s first-person perspective, thereafter third-person points of view become interspersed with Tom’s narrative. This challenged me initially but I can see where it was necessary for plot development. I appreciated that Johnson manages to incorporate the butterfly effect and also some of the latest genetic tools, such as CRISPR, with understandable explanations.
With more pluses than minuses, this second book kept me reading on and I am looking forward to reading the third book in the series, Neander: Evolution. I think this series will have great appeal to all fans of prehistory and time travel.
I found this second book was not quite as satisfying as the first. The characters are a little less relatable – although the author’s descriptions remain colorful and realistic – and the plot is tortuous. The interaction between modern man and their distant predecessors (we contain up to 8% Neanderthal DNA) is predictable – avarice balanced with caring.
I had a bit of a problem with the concept that Neanderthals were completely peaceful while the Sapiens they encountered were brutal and cannibalistic. Nevertheless, the author does describe their integration, as recent genetic studies have revealed. But some of Tom’s decisions had me asking, “Why are you doing this?”
While the first book and the beginning of the second are written from Tom’s first-person perspective, thereafter third-person points of view become interspersed with Tom’s narrative. This challenged me initially but I can see where it was necessary for plot development. I appreciated that Johnson manages to incorporate the butterfly effect and also some of the latest genetic tools, such as CRISPR, with understandable explanations.
With more pluses than minuses, this second book kept me reading on and I am looking forward to reading the third book in the series, Neander: Evolution. I think this series will have great appeal to all fans of prehistory and time travel.
November 23, 2024
I loved the first book, I was nervous to read the second because the first was full of all the sorta things I love and the story was all nicely wrapped up.
Then comes book two.... Adventure, ancient knowledge, and found family tropes replaced with greed, politics, and shady characters. It was like watching the walking dead where nothing actually good happens, and you constantly question the characters' dubious decisions. No thanks. I won't slog through another one of those. Thank you very much. Total disappointment. I'm sure there will be a happy ending next book but I'm not interested in dragging myself through that.
Then comes book two.... Adventure, ancient knowledge, and found family tropes replaced with greed, politics, and shady characters. It was like watching the walking dead where nothing actually good happens, and you constantly question the characters' dubious decisions. No thanks. I won't slog through another one of those. Thank you very much. Total disappointment. I'm sure there will be a happy ending next book but I'm not interested in dragging myself through that.
April 23, 2021
I loved the first book but was so disappointed with this one. The changes & modern influences on the main character's "Neanderthal" family were so fascinating in the first book but the second one turned into a run-of-the-mill thriller format set predominately in the modern timeline. There is supposed to be a third book in the making but I don't know if I will bother to read it. At this stage of my life "so many books, so little time" is a real thing.
September 16, 2021
So good.. awaiting book 3!
I'm so happy for Pookie. Children have a way of assimilating all sorts of things and changes. And having her uncle Koot come to 2028 was an interesting part of this book. I always figured that Neanderthals were short and squatty, hunched over and hairy. I did not picture Koot in this way.
Good ending. Awaiting book three.
I'm so happy for Pookie. Children have a way of assimilating all sorts of things and changes. And having her uncle Koot come to 2028 was an interesting part of this book. I always figured that Neanderthals were short and squatty, hunched over and hairy. I did not picture Koot in this way.
Good ending. Awaiting book three.
March 4, 2021
As stated in my follow up of my review of the first book, I wish I had not read this one. Let the first book be a stand alone read. I believe the author took this great theme and spoiled the story.
May 15, 2021
Enjoyable, but superficial
The story is a bit thin. The characters are unrelatable, caricatures, not real people. Making time dilation part of the story seemed poorly thought out. How could it work in one direction only? No explanation offered. It could have been so much better.
The story is a bit thin. The characters are unrelatable, caricatures, not real people. Making time dilation part of the story seemed poorly thought out. How could it work in one direction only? No explanation offered. It could have been so much better.
October 10, 2021
I'm Captured!
Book 2 was as exciting as book one, and maybe more! The added characters are making for an amazing series ahead! Of hopefully years ahead as well. I wish Hulu would pick this up as a series!!!
Book 2 was as exciting as book one, and maybe more! The added characters are making for an amazing series ahead! Of hopefully years ahead as well. I wish Hulu would pick this up as a series!!!
November 27, 2021
Unique time travel story
It starts with an accident that changes Tom cook’s life read the books in order and enjoy this amazing series
It starts with an accident that changes Tom cook’s life read the books in order and enjoy this amazing series
December 1, 2021
Good
I loved the first book. It had a feel good back to the roots of what matters feel.
This book was also well written but was missing that feeling the first invoked.
I loved the first book. It had a feel good back to the roots of what matters feel.
This book was also well written but was missing that feeling the first invoked.
February 20, 2023
A continuation of the first book, along the same vein as the last, a feel good book. Nothing much happening, a journey to save his daughter's life, unfortunately no excitement.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews