Hominids

The Neanderthal Parallax, Book 1

By: Robert J. Sawyer

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Robert J. Sawyer

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Neanderthals have developed a radically different civilization on a parallel Earth. A Neanderthal physicist, Ponter Boddit, accidentally passes from his universe into a Canadian underground research facility. Fortunately, a team of human scientists, including expert paleo-anthropologist Mary Vaughan, promptly identifies and warmly receives Ponter. Solving the language problem and much else is a mini-computer, called a Companion, implanted in the brain of every Neanderthal. A computerized guardian spirit, however, doesn't eliminate cross-cultural confusion; permanent male-female sexuality, rape, and overpopulation are all alien to Ponter. Nor can it help his housemate and fellow scientist back in his world, Adikor Huld, when the authorities charge Adikor with his murder.

BONUS AUDIO: Author Robert J. Sawyer explains why Ponter Boddit is his favorite among all the characters he's created.

Hunt and gather: listen to more in the Neanderthal Parallax trilogy.

©2002 by Robert J. Sawyer (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award Winner, Best Novel, 2003

"Sawyer is a writer of boundless confidence and bold scientific extrapolation." (The New York Times)

great book

Wonderful book. Very glad I picked it up based on a suggestion from a friend. Worth every minute.

Excellent listen

This book has the right amount of interesting ideas, science and story-telling to be an all-time favorite.

Very thoughtful

While this is a very interesting book, listeners/readers should be warned that it isn't fast paced, and the story unfolds slowly - this is not a criticism, but if you are impatient, you may not enjoy this. However, if you are willing to commit, it should be pretty enjoyable.

Ear Candy

I can see why this book won the Hugo Award. After reading it, I bought the next two in the triology.

The writer's depiction of the Neanderthal culture was most interesting. The book was well read.

Looking forward to more

This was my third read of a Sawyer novel, and I am expecting to use my credits over the next months to finish the rest of his books.

Sawyer is not quite OSC, but the feeling I had when I first discovered Ender's Game and realized that OSC had 40-50 books available on Audible is similiar to how I am feeling about the discovery of Sawyer.

Fascinating

This is one of the most interesting audiobooks I've read this year. The basic premise of Neanderthals and humans splitting off into parallel universes is novel and developed nicely. The depiction of Neanderthal culture was absolutely fascinating.

One couldn't help but love Ponter Boddit and hope that he found his way home. Adikor Huld is similarly sympathetic. Even Ponter's dog is lovingly presented.

The female characters of the book however, were not as well drawn. Adikor's accuser Balbe is thoroughly detestable, and rather two-dimensional. The adjudicator is stereotyped. So is the French scientist -- the sexy French woman. Her intellect somewhat saves her, however.

I have mixed feelings about Mary Vaughan. On the one hand, she is a sympathetic character, a woman of intellect and belief. Her reaction to the trauma of rape rang true. The scene in the doctor's library rang true. But that she almost completely overcomes it in less than a week did not ring true, especially not for this character.

This lack of skill in drawing the female characters influenced my rating of 4 stars; had they been as well drawn as the male, I would have given this book 5 stars.

Still, the premise and execution are good enough to keep one spellbound. The narration is also good, although as other reviewers have noted, the narrator needs to work on accents.

Overall, this is a thoroughly engaging read and I highly recommend the book. I was going to buy the second book right away, but after reading the reviews, I think I'll wait for a sale.

Clash of evolutionary trajectories

Hominids is the the 1st book in Robert J Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax series. The basic premise is of a parallel world, almost identical to Earth, but one in which Neanderthals have become the dominant intelligent species. The fortuitous conditions of both humans and Neanderthal conducting physics experiments in the same location result in a portal opening up and accidentally transporting a Neanderthal to our human world. As the scientist struggles to come to grips with his situation, his colleague in the Neanderthal world faces murder charges as he is now missing without a trace.

The sci-fi elements involve mainly aspects of quantum computers as well as alternate evolutionary tracks with intriguing divergent sociocultural developments with the latter consuming a major portion of the story. Due to physically stronger nature of Neanderthals, their society develops a unique perspective on crime and personal privacy. Sawyer also explores attitudes towards religion as well. The contrast in societies while stark are nevertheless enlightening and thought provoking.

The narration is exceptionally well done with a solid range of voices of both genders. Pacing and tone are appropriate to the story.

A worthwhile listen

Hominids fell short a star for me only because the sci-fi elements were overly detailed in some aspects, but lacking in others. It was also a little funny to me that the people who first encountered the Neanderthal came up with the parallel universe theory so quickly.
However, once you get over the leaps and lulls in the technical aspects of the story, Sawyer presents a perfect opportunity for his characters to juxtapose our society with his fictional Neanderthal society. Many ideas about gender and justice are presented in this book that I found very thought provoking.
Overall, this book was a fast, easy listen. I’d highly recommend it as an enlightening read.
A word of warning: There’s a rape scene in the beginning of the book. Much to the chagrin of my American Airlines neighbor, I scowled & white-knuckled my drop-down tray for a full 10 minutes. Now that you know, you might want to reserve that part for home listening.

I, Neanderthal

This novel explores a two-humanities evolution (one, homo-sapient the other, home-neanderthalensis) on two Earths, each in a separate parallel universe. It more specifically explores the possibilities if Neanderthals were really a sub-species of homo-sapients; thus allowing for inbreeding and sapient-like intelligence. With that as a premise, the author then creates a quantum experiment gone awry to connect the two worlds and suck the Neanderthal protagonist, Ponter, into our Earth.

Most of the SciFi elements revolve around the quantum theory effect of having particles exist in two place simultaneously, writ large and written largely out of whole cloth. Still, this acts as the 'machina deus ex' to put Ponter on our Earth and, the consequences of his disappearance on his world.

From there the novel focuses on the drama and social consequences following the event. This is where the author uses great chunks of authorial license. As an example, during Ponter's discussion with the paleo-anthropologist Mary Vaughan on the whereabouts of the woolly mammoths, she states with an unwarranted degree of certainty, that humans hunted them into extinction. Also during those discussions, Mary also asserts that humans hunted and drove Neanderthals to extinction. As can be imagined, Ponter was none too pleased to learn of that, all the more bewildering since no such proof exists to support either of those assertions. Then there is the author's description of how Christian theology views the consequences of sin as a way to assuage the victims of the sinner, i.e., that sinners will reap infinite torture in the afterlife (hell) and the victims will be compensated with infinite bliss (heaven.) The author is Canadian and so that may be a Canadian doctrinal teaching but it is one I've not ever heard of. Also, it seems bogus with the simplest reasoning when one considers that all humans are sinful during their lifetimes.

Even so, the book was entertaining, especially when discussing the SciFi aspects and Robert J. Sawyer writing skills were quite good as was Jonathan Davis' performance talents.

interesting perspective.

Loved the book. A nice story with interesting characters.
The narrator makes the story even better.
Looking forward to read the next book.