Rating: 
Summary: Another explanation for man's origins
Review: A skelton discovered in Africa leads to South America where the mystery of man's origins might lie. WEre extraterrestials the actual missing link? It's an intersting supposotion and might explain man's apparent rapid evolution once homo sapiens evolved. This is a first novel by Walt Becker and it is exciting and innovative and well-worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a bad read overall but...
Review: ...after a while, it becomes too tedious to be reading the author's research. A book is well written when you're not "aware" that you're reading the research that was obviously done. Even though the story was good on its own merit, I felt like I was in school listening to a professor for much of it. A small amount of that is tolerable but not to the extent found in this book. After a while, it becomes "blah blah blah blah" to my mind. And once again, the author felt compelled to add some romance to this action/adventure...as do most of the authors in this genre seem to like to do. At least, he gave the two main characters a past history which made it somewhat more believable than throwing the two together on a whim. The other thing that nagged at my mind....this whole story seems to happen in a very very short timeframe. I find it hard to believe that all that meticulous work could be done in that type of extravagant/complicated multi-level archeological dig...
Rating: 
Summary: Is The Popular View Of Man's Origin's Flawed?
Review: If the cover of this book doesn't grab your interest with a jolt, then I don't know what will. The story that Becker has written is even more interesting than the cover indicates, which is why I can't say enough about this book. Trying to put it down before I went to sleep proved to be unrealistic as my attention was too focused, left glued to the book by a multitude of suspense scenes. "Link" goes beyond the mere discovery of the missing link. It has tons of knowledge and ideas put into it. Becker clearly knew what he was talking about, drawing facts from as many sources as there are stars in the sky. The fact that the knowledge for this book is real and can be seen and verified made the story that much better. You'll learn a lot about the flaws in science that are overlooked because nobody has the guts to challenge them. "Link" is full of surprises, and I highly recommend it to everyone who loves good, knowledgeable and suspenseful writing.
Rating:
Summary: E.T.I. - Extra Terrestrial Intensity!
Review: A fossilized extra terrestrial skeleton found in Africa leads a team of archaeologists to an ancient temple in South America. What they find will shake up the scientific community as we know it and re-write the science books! In an adventure like nothing I have ever read before, LINK can best be described as an Extra Terrestrial Techno-thriller! Think of it as "Indiana Jones meets the X-Files"! What starts off as an archaeological search for answers turns into a white-knuckle ride to prevent a global catastrophe. I couldn't read the last 100 pages fast enough! So, what's up with all the negative reviews? Walt Becker's story reads alot like a Michael Crichton or a Clive Cussler thriller; so why is he getting rasberries instead of accolades? Is it because this is his first book and he's a new kid on the literary block? Read it for yourself and you be the judge.
Rating:
Summary: A flawed but enjoyable read
Review: This book grabbed me with a great opening, and kept me reading deep into a few nights until I was finished. I found it action-packed, entertaining and thought-provoking. That said, I agree with just about all of the reviewers below who gave it much lower marks - the editing is awful, and the characters rather 2-dimensional. I was not previously aware of many of the intriguing scientific claims and observations made in the book, nor am I with any refutations of them that may exist, but some of the logical whoppers spoken by characters who are supposed to be scientists leave me without the deepest trust in the quality of the author's research or reasoning. Why, then, do I give it 4 stars? Not only because it's fairly successful as an action story, but because the ideas presented by the author did indeed make me think. Granted, much of that thinking was about precisely how a particular piece of reasoning was flawed, but I believe that anything that makes you confront basic beliefs and reexamine them in the light of conflicting arguments or evidence is good exercise for the mind, whether you end up throwing out those beliefs or finding that they still hold up. I do remain intrigued by a number of claims in the book about ancient cultures, languages and artifacts, and would like to find time to learn more about them. Even if I find that Becker got some of them wrong, it's still his book that rekindled my interest in these things. Those reviewers who repeatedly try to jump to Becker's defense by exclaiming how Link is "FICTION!" are really doing him a disservice: with pages devoted to discussion of the merits of evolution, an afterword, and pages of references, Becker is clearly trying to express a position with this book, as well as simply entertain. Discussing Becker's arguments and conclusions on the basis of their intellectual merits is perfectly reasonable, and to deny this is to deny that the author had anything to say at all. Becker does have something to say, and he's willing to interrupt the flow of his story in order to say it. Which is too bad, because his arguments have a number of holes, and they're interrupting a story which isn't a perfect thriller to begin with. Still, I have found that I would recommend this book to friends, for the dual attractions that it's a pretty good thriller that may also rattle one's intellectual cage a little bit.
Rating:
Summary: decent
Review: Decent Read, that got me through a couple of long plane rides...I'd recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining ride
Review: I too, very much enjoyed this book. The only reason I knocked of one star from the full 5, is due to the ending. It was rushed, and did not tie in very well with the rest of the story. Much like watching a big budget hollywood movie - when they realize the film is running out, and the budget hasa dried up. (I wouldn't be surprised to see this in a theatre some day). I also like how much of the story was based loosely on "fact". As one previous reviewer wrote quite a lengthly review on how he felt most of the "facts" were mis-represented... I think the idea behind this book was done intentionally. The Book was meant to inspire thought about some long held, and accepted beliefs about "evolution". To cause the reader to question some of these beliefs. I especially liked how the book tied in the "Dogon" mystery! Overall, It's much like a big budget movie. You can't go into it and expect to think alot. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Rating: 
Summary: He forgot about his story
Review: This book started out with such promise. It was one of those we came from outer space a zillion years ago plots, but then the author got lost in his theory about how he related every wierd thing in the world into one universal answer and the last 50 pages were rough going.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Tale Overshadowed by Bogus Science
Review: Many reviewers of Link have compared it to Michael Crichton's work. I would say it was more comparable to Clive Cussler's books for its frenetic action, several near-death escapes, and megalomaniac villain. As a fan of both Cussler and Crichton, I thought Link was rather fun. As fun as it was to read, I had a hard time rating this book. Becker misrepresents science and tries to deceive his audience with false "scientific" claims. This raises the concern that some readers will be taken in by the bogus "science" that Becker presents in Link. I give the book four stars for the story, but only one star for the "science." Since I don't appreciate the deception, I rounded down to two stars, rather than up to three. One source of contention is that Becker gives credit throughout Link to Graham Hancock as a credible researcher who is overturning established knowledge. I find Hancock less than credible, however. By his own admission, Hancock is nothing more than an author looking to sell books. Toward that end, he admits to being highly selective in the facts he uses in order to present is ideas in the best possible light, regardless of whether his ideas are "100 percent right or 100 percent wrong." He also admits to using "innuendo and anything else that works" to get people to believe what he writes and buy his books. He is not a researcher interested in weighing the evidence; he is an author that wants to sell books. Given that many of the theories that Hancock relies on to make his case have been thoroughly refuted, Becker's heavy reliance on him makes the "science" in Link anything but science. Even worse, at one point Becker stands his main protagonist, who is supposedly a scientist, up on a soapbox to deliver a diatribe against evolution. His arguments are nothing more than a re-hashing of the old creationist saws, and as such are easily refuted. To those without a background in the natural sciences, however, such claims might be mistaken as legitimate problems with evolutionary science, and with science in general. Page after page of falsehoods aside, this diatribe felt completely out of place in an adventure book such as Link, and did nothing but interrupt the flow of the story. If Becker wanted to write pro-creationist literature, he would have done better to write for one of the creationist magazines. If you want to read a good action novel, you would do better to stick with Clive Cussler or Michael Crichton. Both are more sophisticated authors who don't try to mislead their audience as much as Becker did. If you've exhausted those two authors, then Becker could be a welcome addition, so long as you approach what he writes as fiction and not fact. Those interested in the science that Becker misrepresents would do well to check out other books, such as Johanson and Edey's "Blueprints," Johanson and Edgley's "From Lucy to Language," Weiner's "The Beak of the Finch," Futuyma's "Science on Trial," Lehner's "The Complete Pyramids," and Barnes et al. "Secrets of Lost Empires."
Rating:
Summary: This would make a great movie
Review: I rarely read Science Fiction but this book was a pure pleasure ride. While I was reading the book I kept thingking... this would make a great summer movie, it has all the thrills. If you are looking for a little summer entertainment then this is the book for you.
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