Dark Inheritance

By W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Book Overview

A gripping, thought-provoking contemporary thriller from the USA Today bestselling authors of the First North Americans prehistory series.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446610968
• ISBN13: 9780446610964
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Go Ape!

Dark Inheritance is a wonderfully written and developed novel, with credible and likeable characters. The Gears only write melodramas, and this is no exception - it's a given in their novels that the good guys will come out on top, and the bad guys will be hoist on one or another of their own petards. Dark Inheritance reads better than their Native Americans series, though, probably because it plays with far more interesting topics.The plot is a credible prequel to Planet of the Apes: Smyth-Archer Chemists corporation in England has been tinkering with hybridizing ape and human DNA, resulting in twenty bonobo chimps with all but human brains. These animals are cared for and monitored in differing human family environments, each caretaker of one of the bonobos kept largely unaware of the others.Anthropology teacher Jim Dutton is one of the caretakers. He has raised his female bonobo, Umber, since birth, alongside his own daughter, Brett. Both "girls" now, at age thirteen, are virtually sisters, and Umber is an intelligent and communicative member of the family - which causes considerable distress when Smyth-Archer wants Umber back.Dutton and his daughter compromise with the corporation by accompanying Umber to one of their research facilities in Africa, where they soon learn that Smyth-Archer's experiments have not all turned out as well as Umber. A number of escaped chimpanzees from Compound D have been at large for some weeks. Not only are they developing civilized building and toolmaking skills, but they even show evidence of spiritual awareness. They're frighteningly organized. And they're not exactly peaceful...This is a terrifically involving and satisfying read, which examines fairly well the moral and ethical questions of DNA tinkering, evolution, the psycho-social similarities and differences between humans and simians, and compatibility of species, among other things. It's intelligent, and engaging.Highly recommended.

Exciting adventure

This is the first book I've read by the Gears. Now that I've discovered them, I plan on purchasing many more of their titles. Dark Inheritance is a great adventure story. It's superbly written. The characters are so well fleshed out, I really cared for them. I got so caught up in the exciting story that I regretted having to put it down long enough to catch some sleep.

Wonderfully Thrilling!

I bought this book mostly as an after-thought, never having read any of Gear's work before. It was more curiosity on my part more than anything. But I'm so glad I did! I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to more just like it!

Another excellent book by the Gears

Having read their Anasazi Indian mystery series, I couldn't wait to read their latest effort. And I wasn't disappointed. The Gears are intelligent, provocative, thoughtful writers. If you haven't read their works yet, you've missed out on a lot. Dark Inheritance is an excellent read: exciting and adventurous. The characters are well developed and you feel you know them. The plot is well thought out and believable. The book kept me reading well into the late night. Highly recommended.

Fiction at It's Finest!

I've searched my vocabulary for the right words to describe this work, yet all I can come up with is "FANTASIC!" The journey through this novel was intense, spiritual, uplifting, yet humbling. Rarely do I come across a novel where I can become so utterly emotionally connected to the characters. Seamless narration, wonderfully researched, brilliantly woven, knuckle biting action, and a sense of wonder about our (humanity's) closest living relative. If you do not read this novel, you are missing one heck-of-a tale!