Ancestor

A Novel

By: Scott Sigler

Narrated by: Scott Sigler

Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

“The ancestors are out there…you have to believe me.”

From acclaimed author Scott Sigler—New York Times bestselling creator of Infected and Contagious—comes a tale of genetic experimentation’s worst nightmare come true. Every five minutes, a transplant candidate dies while waiting for a heart, a liver, a kidney. Imagine a technology that could provide those life-saving transplant organs for a nominal fee...and imagine what a company would do to get a monopoly on that technology.

On a remote island in the Canadian Arctic, PJ Colding leads a group of geneticists who have discovered this holy grail of medicine. By reverse-engineering the genomes of thousands of mammals, Colding's team has dialed back the evolutionary clock to re-create humankind’s common ancestor. The method? Illegal. The result? A computer-engineered living creature, an animal whose organs can be implanted in any person, and with no chance of transplant rejection. There's just one problem: these ancestors are not the docile herd animals that Colding's team envisioned. Instead, Colding’s work has given birth to something big, something evil. With these killer creatures on the prowl, Colding and the woman he loves must fight to survive — even as government agents close in to shut the project down, and the deep-pocketed company backing this research proves to have its own cold-blooded agenda.

As the creators become the prey in the ultimate battle for survival, Scott Sigler takes listeners on the ultimate thrill-ride—and offers a chilling cautionary account of what can happen when hubris, greed, and madness drive scientific experimentation past the brink of reason.

©2010 Scott Sigler (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

"Sigler writes as if he is channeling a collaboration between Stephen King and Michael Crichton, as edited by H.G. Wells...He is gifted with the ability of explaining complex topics in an interesting, understandable and even entertaining manner, creates memorable characters who are likable and otherwise, and keeps the pace of the narrative moving so quickly that the pages should be soaked in flame retardant. This is one of those rare books that makes me wish that I could be stricken with selective amnesia, so that I could read it anew again."--Bookreporter.com

“A tremendously entertaining horror novel…the premise is thought-provoking, Sigler populates the novel with a lively cast of characters (unlike many thrillers, the heroes are as interesting as the villains), and the action is virtually nonstop—and, at times, quite graphic. If you combined Michael Crichton’s scientific exploration with Matthew Reilly’s lightning-fast pace and colorful characters, you might get something that feels like this book, which, incidentally, would make a great movie.”--Booklist

Sigler delivers twice on this one

I was a little reluctant to get this one since it was being read by the author and not the great Ray Porter who did Earthcore. Scott Sigler does a top notch job with the narration, bringing life to all his characters, especially dem Yoopers ay!

Sigler books are great for those car rides when you don't want to endure a slow starter that has your mind wandering off 10- 15 minutes in, Ancestor gets you pulled in right away and keeps you there til the end.

Great Book

My favorite part of the Siglerverse so far and so much improvement as the narrator

Truly Amazing!

I am now addicted to Scott Sigler and Audible! Hearing the characterizations of each voice - eyes closed - is almost like watching the story unfold in a movie... The scary parts are VERY scary when you hear the emotion in the narrators voice. Truly an amazing story!

Scott Sigler Kicks A**!!

Mr. Sigler is a delightfully twisted man who brings entertainment as well as horror. I would recomend any of his books! Check out The Rookie or Infected! It seems Sigler has cut his teeth on old school authors, and it's nice to see him taking up the mantle. No, I mean he has shed today's "man-gina" popular "soft" horror...and strives to produce the real thing. Nicely done...again!

Excellent!!!!

Wow Wow Wow, another crazy science book by Scott. This was really good and fast paced. I loved everything about it. Please keep them coming!

I listened to the audio version and I found that Scott did a great job. Some people have complained about his voices. I thought they were good and I enjoyed it.

Sigler is the best

if you want a heart-pounding page-turner. This is the book for you. I highly recommend anyting by Scott Sigler

Better than earthcore

Better depth to the characters and better story all around. I really liked earthcore so this is an excellent listen/

A Sigler story with lots of action

I've read a few Sigler books now, and this one follows the formula. Well defined characters with lots of motivations and idiosyncrasies. Wall to wall action with lots of shooting, stabbing and gruesome injuries. A good guy and girl you want to root for, and some really bad ones you want to see get their comeuppance.

So good all around, but unfortunately it suffers from a problem I had with Mount Fitz Roy. The "fantastical" part of the story (in this case the titular Ancestor) is heavily foreshadowed / telegraphed. By the time that part of the story comes to life (so to speak), you can pretty much tell exactly what direction that aspect of the story will take. This was a little bit of a disappointment after Earthcore where the whole premise of the story is only gradually revealed, keeping you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end. Ancestor's end feels a little more predictable.

Excellent Science-based Horror

sigler hits it out of the park with this science-based horror book! while written well pre-pandemic he nails the feel. cirrent or at least plausible tech, a scientist with a god complex and end of your seat action. great read!

gritty, gripping, great read

Loved this book. Have not read a bad Sigler novel yet I think this is my 6th or 7th. I love his podcast's too. Free serialized versions of his work. Behind the scenes into the twisted, tortured twerked mind, that feverishly, freneticly formulates these many folios for his fawning fanbase that he fondly calls JUNKIES. I guess I am a Junkie