Hominids: Volume One of The Neanderthal Parallax - Robert J. Sawyer Book Review

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Review Summary

No one ever said visiting another world would be easy. For Physicist Ponter Boddit, trying to build a quantum computer, it nearly drowned him. His disappearing causes furor on his world and causes his fellow Scientist Adikor Huld to be accused of murder. On the other world where Boddit shows up, he finds something completely impossible, it is populated by humans.

Ponter Boddit is a Neanderthal from a world where they never died out, but humans did. Now he is on Earth, alone, and quite confused. Is there anyway for him to ever return home to his family, friends, and way of life? Or will he forever be stuck to remain this media and scientific wonder boy? He finds humans while at first disgusting in some ways and their world full of unpleasant smells and violence. He also sees things he never imagined like religious thought, music in new ways, and wondrous art. Still Boddit long to go home and wondered how Huld would complete the work without him.

Adikor Huld in the meantime must find some way to fight the murder charge. The problem being of course, murder was not something that happened among them. It was so rare, he had to go to archives to find examples. Violence was something that simply did not happen. Unless the person was seriously derange. In those cases, it was clear, there were witnesses and a body. But Huld had no body, and only a large puddle of water where he friend once stood. Could he recreate the displacement and bring him back? Was Boddit even alive?

Nancy Louise, Resident Scholar

Detailed literary breakdown of Hominids: Volume One of The Neanderthal Parallax

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%

FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - on a parallel earth in another dimension
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Male Alien
Profession/status: - scientist
Age: - 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Genius
Physique - bulging muscles

Main Adversary
Identity: - society
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - throughout most of the book.

Setting
Terrain - Forests
Earth setting: - current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - mostly dialog

Most similar books to Hominids: Volume One of The Neanderthal Parallax
Special Deliverance by Clifford D. Simak
The Man Who Turned Into Himself by David Ambrose
Omega by Jack McDevitt
What Mad Universe by Fredric Brown
Conquistador by S.M. Stirling

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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