NEANDER: EVOLUTION by Harald Johnson @AuthorHarald #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Book #3 of a time travel series between now and 40K years ago.

Evolution is the final book in the highly original and well-researched Neander trilogy, in which science journalist Tom finds himself back in prehistoric times, and develops a life there, whilst keeping the portal to the present (and, as he discovers, the future) open.

His journeys between the worlds have not remained a secret, and scientists dedicated to genetic modification are anxious to milk this opportunity for all they can - while Tom, back in pre-history, wants to strengthen and educate the Neanderthal people he has grown to love, so that they will not be rendered extinct by the Sapiens.

The portal between the worlds is becoming unreliable, with Tom returning to the present and finding it to be the future - there is also an instance of a return to times much longer ago.  I loved this idea, and wished there had been more of it; I would have loved to see the world through Tom/Rusty's eyes before man, or, say, about five thousand years ago.  As with the other books, the narrative flows well and I read it quickly, anxious to know what was going to happen.

This is a great idea, the books are well-written, though I think it could have been explored still further - Tom talks about changing the present by actions he takes in the past, a most fascinating concept, and I would have loved to see more of this.  However, these are Harald Johnson's books, not mine, and as such I am not telling him what to write!  Suffice to say that if he decides to return to this world, I will be happy to read the results.

(Incidentally, I was most interested to read that prehistoric people were biologically unable to tolerate the milk of goats, or cows when they were introduced.  Humans being lactose tolerant is a relatively new phenomena; bearing in mind the amount of people who find that many minor ailments clear up once they stop taking in dairy produce makes me wonder how the change came about.)