Humans

Rating:
Summary: Many Facets of Science in One
Review: Rare is the speculative fiction author who deals with one or two types of speculation in a given book, and does it this well. Sawyer has in his Neanderthal series included quantum computing, quantum mechanics, anthropology, archeology, environmental science, psychology, sociology and just plain good story telling.

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Summary: A great continuation of a fabulous trilogy...
Review: Robert J Sawyer has written over 10 novels now and each one has taken me in a new direction, but unkikle most modern SF, the directions Sawyer's books take take are not, necessarily, external. Although Sawyer's novels fall firmly into the speculative/science fiction category, it is the thought-provoking philosophical situations that keep drawing me back.

His newest book, Humans, is no different. Following up the first volume of the parallax trilogy (Hominids), Humans tells the story of an alternate earth - one on which neanderthals became the dominant species, not humans. In this world, though geography is the same as present-day earth, the direction that scientific development has taken is much different from that of humans. In Hominids, through an accident of quantum physics, a portal opens up between our earth and the parallel earth of the neanderthals. A neanderthal physicist (Ponter Bodditt) slips through the portal and experiences what our version of earth is like. This begins what will eventually become a large-scale pursuance of cross-dimensional exchange.

Humans tells the continuing story of Ponter and his relations with a human geneticist on our earth. Using Ponter's "Stranger in a Strange Land" style arrival on earth, Sawyer manages to brilliantly call into question elements of our society that we may take for granted. using the unique perspective of an educated outsider, Sawyer makes the reader think about the worth of agriculture, nationalism and privacy among other things. But where others have failed, Sawyer's philosophical musings succeed in their ability to not bog down the action in Humans.

Fast-paced, thought-provoking and very well-written, Robert Sawyer has given us another great piece of speculation. I can't wait for the final book in the trilogy.

Rating:
Summary: Science Fiction at it's best
Review: Robert Sawyer is a great science fiction author and this series is one of his best yet. In this book he coninues right where he left off in Homonids. Boddit, Mary, and the rest of the characters return. We also see more of Boddit's world and Boddit unfortunatley sees more of ours. When compared to a world with no chaos, war, and senseless pollution, our world is rather embarressing. I also liked the religious questions raised and thought they were very thought provoking. There were only one or two things that weren't top notch but not diminish my overall enjoyment with this series.

Rating:
Summary: Great Follow-up to a really good book
Review: Sawyer does an excellent job following up on Hominids, which was such a good book it didn't really need a sequel. This book focuses on Mary and Ponter and their blossoming relationship. (note: already knowing that the next book is called Hybrids, you can guess that the two species have to mix). Ponter convinces his world council to re-open the portal to the Glikson (human) universe for the purpose of establishing trade. Ponter's says that is important that the two races need to establish trade but you suspect it is because Ponter misses a certain Glikson female.

Ponter comes back to the Glikson world with a diplomat. After someone takes a shot at Ponter, you suspect that it was a bad idea for the Hominids to leave their safe environment and risk having it tainted by the dangerous Glikson side.

Eventually, Ponter meets up with Mary again and as they are ultimately drawn together, Ponter needs to return for the mating of his daughter. Ponter invites Mary along so we finally see the Hominid world through Glikson eyes.

Sawyer has created a marvelous universe and I highly look forward to the third book in this trilogy!

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Summary: Portal for philosophy?
Review: Sawyer's "poetic licence" must run many pages, imposing few constraints. Travel permits are included. He takes us across many borders - between nations, between universes, between species, and over into gender relations. We tour around many fields - geophysics, genetics, cosmology, and, of course, paleoanthropology. If any writer can keep the science in "sci-fi," it's Sawyer. It's a fascinating journey, undertaken at a headlong pace. Through it all, we follow the complex lives of human Mary Vaughan and Neanderthal Ponter Boddit. If all this seems heady stuff, fear not. Sawyer's skillful prose and vivid portrayals will keep you reading steadily. It's all realistic, if not real.

Writing a trilogy has inherent dangers. A second volume must stand alone, which this one does. The characters must build and not slip into static postures. Sawyer accomplishes this by the simple expedient of increasing the interaction of the two protagonists. The plot must move in new directions. This is also achieved, not least by Ponter's return to this "Earth" and Mary's journey to the Neanderthal universe. In their respective universes, Mary and Ponter encounter new people, achieve new levels of interaction and struggle to resolve contentious issues. This last, of course, is but partially successful. This is, after all, a trilogy.

Most readers of this book will have read Hominids, and will go on to finish the trilogy. Readers must be warned, however, Sawyer has a poorly hidden agenda. As in many of his other works, Sawyer seems intent on bringing us to his god. An astonishing amount of time is spent in both volumes on discussions of faith and, that old bugaboo, the "afterlife." Little of Ponter's science is discussed, but his personality is drawn as cool, rational almost to an extreme. A major scene in this novel, and its most inconsistent one, is Mary and Ponter's visit to Washington, DC. For reasons wholly inexplicable in a Canadian who wished to keep Toronto's CN Tower in view from Rochester, NY, she drags him to the Viet Nam Memorial, engaging him in another sermon about "faith." This time, unlike in Hominids, where he resolutely rejected her ideas, he waffles. Volume three, Hybrids, is almost certain to have him converted. After all, against all logic, he claims to be in love with her. What is motivating Sawyer in these efforts remains a mystery. Perhaps it's time for him to produce a non-fiction statement of his philosophy.

Even with the "faith" shortcoming and some severe bending of anthropology and cosmology, this book remains an excellent read. Sawyer's writing is masterful and his use of real science, no matter how contentious the topics, must be applauded. If he "takes sides" why should we condemn his choices? The final volume will be welcome and the entire trilogy a valuable asset as an exhibit of his skills and the readers' taste. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Rating:
Summary: Great characters, great story
Review: Sawyer's evolved Neanderthal Ponter Boddit, a quantum physicist and philosopher of all things, is one of the most memorable characters in recent sci-fi. This book is part love story, part big-concept sci-fi. You can read it as either a tour de force of world building or as delicious social comment, and it succeeds either way (unlike, say, PLANET OF THE APES or ANIMAL FARM, which are superb as the latter but don't bear scrutiny as the former). Give HUMANS a try. You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Evolved Neanderthals -- what's not to like?
Review: Sawyer's evolved Neanderthals -- especially the quantum-physicist/philosopher-of-all-things Ponter Boddit -- are fascnating characters. You can read this book as a tour de force of world building, or as sly social commentary. Unlike, say, PLANET OF THE APES or ANIMAL FARM, which only work on the latter level, HUMANS succeeds equally at both. Part love-story, part high-concept sci-fi, and all very readabe. You won't be disappoined.

Rating:
Summary: BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN
Review: The neanderthal parallax is simply the best series of books ever written. There's not even a point in writing any more. Simply the best.

Rating:
Summary: Romance disguised as science fiction
Review: This book was ok, only as the continuing story from Hominids. I really thought this book was too much about the love story between Ponter and Mary (which was one of the worst parts of the first book) and not not enough about the neanderthal world and their dealings with our own world.

I liked the parts that dealt with the differences in neanderthal history and science, and the political situations that Ponter and the ambassador were involved in. But those were few and far between overshadowed by this unnecessary and unbelievable love story.

Finally, I thought the Synergy group that Mary joins was very focused on the magnetic field without ever giving us a good reason why. Then at the end, there is a little surprise thrown in which seemed pretty silly to me, and I might normally say that it looked bad for the next book, but anything that takes attention away from this romance disguised as science fiction will be an improvement.

I would recommend reading this book if you liked Hominids, but it isn't as good. Hopefully, the next book will be much better.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good For The Middle Of A Series...
Review: This book was, as I said above, pretty good for a mid-series novel. As far as I've ever seen, there's never been a mid-series novel that is very stand alone. Some people seem to think there are, but there just aren't. But as I said, pretty good for mid-series. We're at the point in the story arc, though, where the ideas presented in "Hominids" now get to be really poked at. For one, the Neanderthals non belief in a God. One thing that did surprise me, though, was Mary Vaughan's at least to me, sudden super-religiousness (is that a word? Oh well.) In the first one, she didn't seem as... close-minded about it. In this one, she was really like "There's a God, shut up Ponter." Anyway, good for mid-series.