Natural Selection: A Novel

by Dave Freedman

Overview

A shocking biological discovery. A previously unknown predatory species. Evolving just like the dinosaurs. Now. Today. Being forced out of its world and into man's for a violent first encounter.

Weaving science and thriller in a way not seen since Jurassic Park, Natural Selection introduces a phenomenally dangerous new species that is rapidly adapting in a way never before seen.

A mystery. A chase. A vast expansive puzzle. A team of marine scientists is on the verge of making the most stunning discovery in the history of man. In their quest for answers, they engage a host of fascinating characters. The world's premier neurology expert. A specialist on animal teeth. Flight simulation wizards, evolution historians, deep sea geologists, and so many more.

Along the way, the team of six men and women experience love, friendship, loyalty and betrayal. Together, they set off to exotic locales. Literally to the bottom of the ocean. To a vast and mysterious redwood forest. To an unknown complex of massive caves. When people start dying, the stakes are upped even further. Then the real hunt begins. . . .

Loaded with astonishing action sequences, Natural Selection is that rare breed of thriller, filled with intricately layered research, real three-dimensional characters, and tornado pacing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401384586
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	06/06/2006
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	385,026
File size:	732 KB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Dave Freedman was born and raised in New Jersey and currently lives in Southern California with his wife. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Princeton and his Masters from Harvard University. Natural Selection is his first novel.

What People are Saying About This

People Magazine

"A sci-fi thriller that combines the best of Jaws and Jurassic Park."

The Journal News

Named one of "Summer's sizzling hot books"

Audio Editions

"A teeth-rattling chiller"

USA Today

"Jaws meets Charles Darwin ... Much foreboding ... doesn't slow down the plot."

Cincinnati Library Review

"An action-packed debut. Make sure to pack this one for your next trip to the beach."

Editorial Reviews

This debut novel changes before your very eyes. It begins as an implausible riff on Jurassic Park, with carnivorous rays (those big, flat sea creatures) standing in for the dinosaurs. But somewhere along the way, something remarkable happens to the story: you start believing it. Is it the author's enthusiasm, or his characters, or his research? Whatever the reason, there comes a moment when you feel the first twinge of fear, and then you realize that you're buying into this story of giant, prehistoric rays that have learned to fly (yes, fly, in the air) and are now hunting on land. Some of the imagery--shapes swooping out of the blackness, rays as big as hang gliders hovering in midair--evoke a visceral terror in the reader. And the protagonists, a research crew struggling to figure out what these creatures are--and then running for their lives from them--are a likable bunch. Okay, so bits of the story are a little shopworn, like the financially strapped theme-park owner who sends the crew of plucky young scientists out to find the creatures, but in the end, this hardly matters. Like all the best horror authors, Freedman takes his story well beyond the safety of camp; by making it believable, he makes it genuinely terrifying--and when that happens, large audiences follow. Don't be surprised if giant flying fish are the talk of the summer. Keep watching the skies. ((Reviewed May 15, 2006)) Copyright 2006 Booklist Reviews.

Booklist Reviews

"An earnest Michael Crichton-style thriller . . . respects science and its audience's intellect . . . In a day and age when "intelligent design" is touted as a respectable credo, a piece of pop entertainment that takes the time to uphold Darwin's thesis in readable fashion is to be heartily endorsed."

Washington Post Book World

The sea monster "Demonray," who makes landfall in Freedman's far-fetched but entertaining debut, possesses all the predatory features to provide maximum chills. It's got a big brain, big wings, big teeth and a big purpose: to devour anything in its path, including humans. Harry Ackerman, a jaded millionaire whose Manta World (think Jurassic Park) failed when all his captive manta rays died, learns about the sighting of a mysterious flying ray and dispatches a staff of young scientists led by ichthyologist Jason Aldridge, "the next Jacques Cousteau," to investigate. What they find is no ordinary airborne ray, but an amphibious "new order" that has the potential to wipe out mankind. The exciting, science-packed hunt moves quickly but slows down once the crew encounters the Demonray in Northern California's Redwood National Park. Culminating in a cartoonish showdown, this Michael Crichton adventure wanna-be suffers from other odd plot elements, unconvincing romance and pedestrian prose, but it might make an awesome beach read. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

From the dark depths of the ocean floor come flying sea monsters who eat sharks for breakfast. In this debut thriller, Freedman suggests that while evolution may have halted in humans, it continues among sea creatures. Thousands of them swim up from the ocean floor to escape a killer virus, and as they move to the light, they gradually acquire new and deadly characteristics. By the time they're off the California coast, they're 12 feet long, have a 14-foot wingspan and weigh 4,000 pounds. Adaptation has also led to their being able to breathe above and fly from the water-and they're hungry. In a series of action scenes that will have Hollywood animation artists salivating, the monsters stalk and devour dolphins, sharks and humans, though one predator exhibits the good grace to spare an infant. Unfortunately, Freedman's writing, especially his descriptions, never measures up to his nightmarish idea. Hobbling the work is a predictable plot about a group of marine scientists (thin characters all, usually established by what they wear) determined to find out what's coming up from the ocean. They're driven by an entrepreneur who, like those who sought the mighty Kong, desperately wants to capture and exhibit the monsters to the public. Their pursuit takes them up the coast, eventually coming to center on a redwood forest where the creatures swoop down on them. In the midst of it all, romance, of course, blooms between leader Jason Aldridge ("male ambition in a wet suit") and ocean nutrition specialist Lisa Barton. Lisa teaches her man he's just got to open up and trust other people. They head to the altar, the monsters mostly dispatched, though enough remaining to evolve into a sequel. Thepremise has bite, but the primer-style prose lacks teeth.

Kirkus Reviews