Rating: 
Summary: This one hooked me and did not let go!
Review: A friend who runs a used book store recommended this author to me. After reading _Direct Descendant_, I went back and bought all the other titles they had by him -- and added him to my short list of authors to be on the lookout for. In other words, I really liked this book. It is well-paced, the characters (mostly) behaved as if they were real people (meaning, they were in character and believable), and the plot threw enough twists at me to keep me turning pages long after I should have been asleep. If you live in the Midsouth (anywhere near Memphis, TN), this one hold the extra punch of being set here, so you can even more easily picture some of the places where the action takes place. If you don't, well, the Convention and Vistors Bureau probably won't like you thinking of Memphis in connection with this sort of thing, but I have seen worse introductions to our town. Do you like horror? If so, get this book and read it! Today ! You won't be sorry, just scared.
Rating: 
Summary: not for the faint-hearted, but a great read!
Review: A prehistoric man has been found in a remarkable state of preservation. Can his DNA be salvaged and used to reproduce a "modern/prehistoric" (for lack of a better term) person? Well, one scientist intends to find out. I thought the book started out a little slow, but once the woman became pregnant with the "prehistoric" baby, events really started to happen. As a matter of fact, things happened to quickly that I did not want to quit reading until the end. I had a little trouble with the gross part (cannibalism), but not enough to make me put the book down. By the time that started, I was all wrapped up in it and wanted to know what happened next. The details were not gory enough to make me deduct a star, but weak-stomached readers need to be prepared for it. The climax of the book was a complete surprise, and I think that Charles Wilson is a top writer of this genre of book.
Rating:
Summary: not for the faint-hearted, but a great read!
Review: A prehistoric man has been found in a remarkable state of preservation. Can his DNA be salvaged and used to reproduce a "modern/prehistoric" (for lack of a better term) person? Well, one scientist intends to find out. I thought the book started out a little slow, but once the woman became pregnant with the "prehistoric" baby, events really started to happen. As a matter of fact, things happened to quickly that I did not want to quit reading until the end. I had a little trouble with the gross part (cannibalism), but not enough to make me put the book down. By the time that started, I was all wrapped up in it and wanted to know what happened next. The details were not gory enough to make me deduct a star, but weak-stomached readers need to be prepared for it. The climax of the book was a complete surprise, and I think that Charles Wilson is a top writer of this genre of book.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid and entertaining escapism
Review: I should first announce that I believe that Charles Wilson is a vastly underrated author. It's too bad that more readers don't know about him because he's just as good as Michael Crichton and better than Robin Cook. Having read two of his other books, "When We First Deceive" and "Nightwatcher", I had a pretty good idea what I was getting when I picked up a copy of "Direct Descendant". Wilson is a great plot creator and he really shows his stuff in this story. "DD" is the tale of the 500,000 year-old remains of "The Ancient Man" that are uncovered by paleontologist Cameron Malone that end up becoming much more than anyone expects. When a rival scientist steals the preserved sperm from the Ancient Man to impregnate a host "mother", he soon realizes that he has put something in motion that he won't be able to control. Ok, so it's a little far-fetched, but Wilson makes it work and creates a page-turning frenzy for the reader. Wilson also does a great job creating some memorable characters. (Memorable enough, that I think most readers would love to see a sequel of some sort.) He mixes in just enough techno-jargon to show off his research and make the plot seem realistic. If you enjoy this novel, be sure to try the aforementioned others. You won't be disappointed! RECOMMENDED
Rating: 
Summary: you're joking, right?
Review: I'm a bit perplexed with all the 4 and 5 star reviews here. This is really a horrible little novel, with bad writing and a plot already used in countless 50's and 60's B-movies. If you've seen a single episode of X-Files, you know what to expect. The plot intiqued me, being a paleontology buff, but let me assure you the plot has nothing to do with paleontology. There is no suspense -- the book is completely predictable -- the characters are boring and unlikable, and the prose bland. I'm no literary snob -- I like brain candy too -- but this book really is a waste of your time. You have better things to spend your money on.
Rating:
Summary: A highly recommended novel of scientific suspense
Review: In the years since Charles Wilson wrote this book, there have been many imitators, including the short lived "Prey" series on TV which used lots of the science he wrote about. This novel makes use of Wilson's excellent plotting to tell the story of DNA theft, renegade scientific human breeding and genetic engineering in a most compelling way. One excellent feature is that Charles Wilson tells his stories without the heavy handed, opinionated bias that most authors use--he leaves you with thought provoking questions, and lets you draw your own conclusions. A highly recommended novel of scientific suspense.
Rating:
Summary: A highly recommended novel of scientific suspense
Review: In the years since Charles Wilson wrote this book, there have been many imitators, including the short lived "Prey" series on TV which used lots of the science he wrote about. This novel makes use of Wilson's excellent plotting to tell the story of DNA theft, renegade scientific human breeding and genetic engineering in a most compelling way. One excellent feature is that Charles Wilson tells his stories without the heavy handed, opinionated bias that most authors use--he leaves you with thought provoking questions, and lets you draw your own conclusions. A highly recommended novel of scientific suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Reads like a movie script
Review: Reads like it was written to be used for a "B" grade horror movie. Characters are very flat and one dimensional, and the ending was very predicatable.
Rating: 
Summary: sad sad little book
Review: sadly, I found the story could not give me the suspension of disbelief required to enjoy it. it read like a really bad x-files episode or a grade b scifi miniseries. the characters were flat and uninteresting, the story predictable, and the ending silly.
Rating:
Summary: A few hours of diversion
Review: This book was OK. It isn't a waste of time because it is an interesting diversion. Overall, I found it interesting and wanted to find out how it ends. However, I found the actions of some of the characters to be rather improbable. I do plan to try some of this author's other works.
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