Welcome to the land of wonders, where time travel is possible, space travel a reality, and "what ifs" come to life. Join me as I explore new worlds--and old ones--filled with scientific wonders, new civilizations, and strange new mysteries to consider.
This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.
That said, on to the review!
What strange creatures haunt the depths of the oceans? Giant squid? How about a giant shark? That is the hypothesis Charles Wilson sets forth in his book, Extinct. Oh, the sharks aren't really giant giants. Actually,they're the size they should be. It isn't their fault they're so much bigger than anyone could ever expect.
No one would even know about them if something hadn't driven them up from the bottom of the Marianas Trench, except they migrated around South America and set up residence in the Gulf of Mexico off Mississippi. The deaths of two boys, however, revealed them to the prying eyes of humanity. Alan Freeman, marine biologist and aquaculture entrepreneur, discovers the unthinkable: the monster the authorities must deal with is something that should be extinct. Enter a United States admiral--the Director of Naval Intelligence, no less--who's been pursuing the possibility of another coelacanth story. These two men must work together to preserve both the lives of modern day humans and the species of a prehistoric eating machine.
Some may think Jaws and the four movies based on it made killer shark stories obsolete. Wilson proves the skeptics wrong by delivering a fast-paced thriller that could easily be real. He takes a creature that modern science knows very little about and turns it into a feeding frenzy of black sharks lurking in the Gulf of Mexico. Everything he writes makes sense, whether it's the cause for their migration or the reason for the destination. The scary part of it is the extreme intelligence his sharks show. What would it be like to live in a world were titanic sharks plan their attacks?
Extinct isn't Wilson's first book. St. Martin's Paperbacks publishes two of his other works, Fertile Ground and Direct Descendant, whose titles interest me. Someday I'll get around to buying and reading more of his works. In the meantime, I'll watch for more novels like Extinct from him and anxiously await the movie NBC was supposed to air.
Don't forget to visit Corridors of Communication to take a look at my interview with Charles Wilson! Visit his website to learn more about him and everything he's done. If you send him an e-mail, tell him Xerxes sent you.
Buy this book in paperback or visit the Cosmic Tomes Bazaar for other titles.
Looking for something that's no longer there? Check in the Archive to search for it.
Comments? Suggestions? Just click here to send me e-mail. Also, if this review prompted you to read the book, then let me know. I appreciate knowing I made a difference in somebody's life.
Back Home Back to Starfire Reviews
Get your own Free Home Page