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5th out of 141 books
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386 voters
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Ancestor
by
Scott Sigler (Goodreads Author)
Ancestor is the world's most-popular "podcast novel." A serialized audiobook delivered in 20 weekly episodes, Ancestor's first run played to an audience of more than 30,000 die-hard fans in 31 countries. All told, fans have downloaded more than 700,000 episodes of Ancestor. En route to a rousing final episode, Ancestor was the #1 literary podcast on iTunes and...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
April 1st 2010
by Dragon Moon Press
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ANCESTOR is about two deadly killers - one of them is a control-crazed millionaire named Magnus and the other is his lab-manufactured genetic horrors. Magnus was trying to create placid herd animals available to donate organs for humans who need transplants, but a delusional scientist tweaked the DNA and instead made large vicious predators. When Magnus tries to cover-up the project, these beasts get loose. Now everyone on an isolated island is at risk of being hunted down and exterminated ei...more
I love this book. I cannot stress enough how incredibly plausible this storyline is when you get down to the science of it. Sigler has created a thriller that grips you deep in the primal gut and won't let you go. It's hard to put the book down. The characters are real, either as hateable people you are happy to see die, or likeable people you want to save. There is romance and love without being sappy or corny, and, true to Sigler's MO, there is lots and lots of violence. I seemed to remember M...more
I like a good monster story that is backed up by a scientific origin: the experimentation and theory make for interesting reading before yielding the invariably ravenous result upon the poor scientists and support crew. Here, Sigler throws in some passages about DNA and animal-cloning and xenotransplating and species-jumping viruses, going into just enough detail to give his story just enough technical background. All of the high-tech gadgetry surrounding the laboratory and the armament of the a...more
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Full video review here http://mysterythriller.tv/ancestor-by-sc...
I like Scott Sigler’s blend of action and intelligent plots. Ancestor is almost like Crichton’s Jurassic Park in that he investigates genetic engineering and how that could go horribly wrong in the pursuit for profit and scientific praise.
I really enjoy the learning side of a novel and in this we get some scientific detail about genetics woven into the tight plot. It’s not too technical but enough that you can...more
I like Scott Sigler’s blend of action and intelligent plots. Ancestor is almost like Crichton’s Jurassic Park in that he investigates genetic engineering and how that could go horribly wrong in the pursuit for profit and scientific praise.
I really enjoy the learning side of a novel and in this we get some scientific detail about genetics woven into the tight plot. It’s not too technical but enough that you can...more
Scott Sigler does it again. An epic story which is very believable.
How much is a human capable of for personal gain, for greed. Portraited in Ancestor a hell of a lot even murder.
An epic success in gene experimentation and manipulation turns into a nightmare when the Ancestor that is born from the Ancestor project turn out it´s a savage super intelligent killer. Nature wiped it out a long time ago for a very good reason and now it´s back.
Originally intended as a breedable "st...more
How much is a human capable of for personal gain, for greed. Portraited in Ancestor a hell of a lot even murder.
An epic success in gene experimentation and manipulation turns into a nightmare when the Ancestor that is born from the Ancestor project turn out it´s a savage super intelligent killer. Nature wiped it out a long time ago for a very good reason and now it´s back.
Originally intended as a breedable "st...more
What I like:
Sigler doesn't rush the reveal of the Ancestors. The book is as much about the tension among the team creating them as it is about what happens when they come into existence, if not moreso. In fact, he delays the full reveal until late in the book -- much like the way Ridley Scott delayed showing us what the Alien looked like, teasing us with half-glimpses while ratcheting up the tension by allowing us to be as confused and scared as the characters in the story. Of course,...more
Sigler doesn't rush the reveal of the Ancestors. The book is as much about the tension among the team creating them as it is about what happens when they come into existence, if not moreso. In fact, he delays the full reveal until late in the book -- much like the way Ridley Scott delayed showing us what the Alien looked like, teasing us with half-glimpses while ratcheting up the tension by allowing us to be as confused and scared as the characters in the story. Of course,...more
Scott Sigler is amazing. Let me just get that out of the way before the rest of this review gets started. Sigler is a man who has managed to not only get published, but to also get one of his books (Infected) optioned for a movie... all from initially releasing his books in podcast format for free. Ancestor will always hold a soft spot in my heart for being my first exposure to Sigler's work.
Ancestor follows along a group of scientists, soldiers & pilots as they try to achieve an al...more
Ancestor follows along a group of scientists, soldiers & pilots as they try to achieve an al...more
As he did in Infected and its sequel Contagious, Sigler continues to mine the landscape where medical thrillers and hard science fiction cross-breed. This time, he throws a little cabin-in-the-woods slasher flick DNA into the mix as well. The short version of the plot, without giving away any more than the cover copy does: after a lab experiment goes awry and a debilitating cross-species virus almost escapes, a US cover military team starts shutting down all private research facilities working o...more
Monsters ARE real! But they don’t live in closets or under your bed… they were created by scientists in a lab. DNA combined to create the perfect predator. The only problem is, that’s not what was supposed to happen.
Ancestor tells the story of a good idea gone bad – TERRIBLY BAD! Although the creatures are the stuff of nightmares – and believe me, I’ll never look at a cow the same way again – the really scary thing is that at its roots, the story is not all science “fiction”. Le...more
Ancestor tells the story of a good idea gone bad – TERRIBLY BAD! Although the creatures are the stuff of nightmares – and believe me, I’ll never look at a cow the same way again – the really scary thing is that at its roots, the story is not all science “fiction”. Le...more
ANCESTOR HARDCOVER 2010, back with a vengeance!
I am one of the lucky folks to have read, and own, the original 2007 printing of Scott's ANCESTOR novel. I was a bit skeptic hearing about the new re-written 2010 ANCESTOR novel, but no more.
From page one the action starts and is non-stop throughout the novel. Whether it's in the lab, in the air or on the ground, ANCESTOR will keep you turning page after page. The science behind ANCESTOR has been updated to include the our lat...more
I am one of the lucky folks to have read, and own, the original 2007 printing of Scott's ANCESTOR novel. I was a bit skeptic hearing about the new re-written 2010 ANCESTOR novel, but no more.
From page one the action starts and is non-stop throughout the novel. Whether it's in the lab, in the air or on the ground, ANCESTOR will keep you turning page after page. The science behind ANCESTOR has been updated to include the our lat...more
ANCESTOR HARDCOVER 2010, back with a vengeance!
I am one of the lucky folks to have read, and own, the original 2007 printing of Scott's ANCESTOR novel. I was a bit skeptic hearing about the new re-written 2010 ANCESTOR novel, but no more.
From page one the action starts and is non-stop throughout the novel. Whether it's in the lab, in the air or on the ground, ANCESTOR will keep you turning page after page. The science behind ANCESTOR has been updated to include the our lat...more
I am one of the lucky folks to have read, and own, the original 2007 printing of Scott's ANCESTOR novel. I was a bit skeptic hearing about the new re-written 2010 ANCESTOR novel, but no more.
From page one the action starts and is non-stop throughout the novel. Whether it's in the lab, in the air or on the ground, ANCESTOR will keep you turning page after page. The science behind ANCESTOR has been updated to include the our lat...more
Eric Parker
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Sci-fi / Horror Junkies, fans of Jurassic Park
Ancestor by Scott Sigler, author of Infected and the New York Times best-selling novel Contagious, is a 2010 reimagining of Sigler's wildly successful bestselling 2007 novel of the same name. Ancestor tells the story of Genada, a Canadian biotechnology company on the cutting edge in the field of Xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of living cells, tissues, or organs from one species to another, such as from pigs to humans. A potentially trillion dollar industry, Gena...more
This review is for the new edition of "Ancestor," due out June 22, 2010. You can pre-order now!
I listened to the original podcast of "Ancestor" some time ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. This version (June 22, 2010) is even better.
The basic premise is that a company has funded a project to create an animal that would be bred for organ transplantation. An 'ancestor' that would avoid the problems of rejection by combining genes from many, many mammalian species...more
I listened to the original podcast of "Ancestor" some time ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. This version (June 22, 2010) is even better.
The basic premise is that a company has funded a project to create an animal that would be bred for organ transplantation. An 'ancestor' that would avoid the problems of rejection by combining genes from many, many mammalian species...more
This review is for the new hardcover edition of ANCESTOR slated for bookstores in June of 2010.
The new hardcover edition of ANCESTOR follows the same plot line as the original. A group of scientist are charged with creating an animal whose organs can be used for Xenotransplantation. The ultimate goal is to provide organs for the growing list of individuals awaiting organ transplants. To reduce the incident of organ rejections the scientists are trying to create an animal, the Ances...more
The new hardcover edition of ANCESTOR follows the same plot line as the original. A group of scientist are charged with creating an animal whose organs can be used for Xenotransplantation. The ultimate goal is to provide organs for the growing list of individuals awaiting organ transplants. To reduce the incident of organ rejections the scientists are trying to create an animal, the Ances...more
I came across Sigler via the Nerdist podcast, and liked the cut of his jib. I was also interested in how he said he would have readers contact him to correct errors in his books. Because he writes science-heavy fiction, there's a lot he can get wrong, and when a lot of his audience are SME nerds, there are a lot of folks to notice small screw-ups. Ahh, crowdsourcing. :) I appreciate his attention to the craft, though.
I reserved the first two books of his "disease" series: Inf...more
I reserved the first two books of his "disease" series: Inf...more
This book is intended for mature readers, it contains adult situations, and lots AND LOTS of VIOLENCE. So if you're easily offended, I would shut the book now PUSSAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!
That's the ONLY thing I missed from the book compared to the podcast. Don't know, that line there just gets you pumped up for a listening experience.
I've read the first rendition from Dragon Moon Press, and I will say that this is a much tighter, better edited, and well produced piece of wor...more
That's the ONLY thing I missed from the book compared to the podcast. Don't know, that line there just gets you pumped up for a listening experience.
I've read the first rendition from Dragon Moon Press, and I will say that this is a much tighter, better edited, and well produced piece of wor...more
Yippee! I've found another great author. Although this is the first Sigler book I've read, I can guarantee it won't be the last.
"Ancestor" is a dynamite book. It combines the drama of a Robin Cook medical mystery with the suspense and characters of a Grisham novel and the kick-ass action of your favorite political intrigue novel.
The story revolves around a medical exploration firm which is using designer genetics to rebirth an ancestor animal whose organs will be via...more
"Ancestor" is a dynamite book. It combines the drama of a Robin Cook medical mystery with the suspense and characters of a Grisham novel and the kick-ass action of your favorite political intrigue novel.
The story revolves around a medical exploration firm which is using designer genetics to rebirth an ancestor animal whose organs will be via...more
Scott Sigler's writing style reminds me of a cross between Stephen King's and Michael Crichton's. Sigler has a grasp on modern science and technology, and uses it to invest the reader emotionally in the well-being of his stories' characters, creating gripping tales that leave you wanting to read "just one more page" all the way until the end of the book.
Ancestor, one of Sigler's earlier works, definitely feels a little less polished than some of his later books (e.g. Infected...more
Ancestor, one of Sigler's earlier works, definitely feels a little less polished than some of his later books (e.g. Infected...more
Let me start off by saying that I walked into Ancestor with a promise to myself that I would not, under any circumstances, become attached to any one character in the story. Because let's face it, Sigler has a way of crucifying people to walls and boiling characters alive and just about every character you see cross the page has a time limit before some alien or monster makes mince meat out of them. But there I was, chest deep in science fiction/horror and there were not one but three characte...more
The story line of this book was intriguing and it was pretty adventurous in turning out the timeline....lots of odd & unique characters all working towards one goal....the problem I had with the book was the 4-letter word language plus other colorful foul words that REALLY did not need to be used in the book...where is it written that EVERY single military personnel is REQUIRED to use such language as a form of speaking.....considering all the thousands of forms of words in the English language....more
Ancestor (Hardcover 2010) is an update of one of author Scott Sigler’s early novels. This update includes new scenes, characters, an even faster pace and an overall more appealing storyline.
In a remote outpost in Canada, a research team is looking for a way to mass produce organs that will save millions of human lives, and hopefully make a pretty profit while they do it. By using the DNA of extinct species they hope to find the Ancestor of all mammals. The Ancestor is a creature so ge...more
In a remote outpost in Canada, a research team is looking for a way to mass produce organs that will save millions of human lives, and hopefully make a pretty profit while they do it. By using the DNA of extinct species they hope to find the Ancestor of all mammals. The Ancestor is a creature so ge...more
Imagine the most horrifying monster you can think of and multiply that by 1,000. Those monsters are what lurk between the pages of Ancestor. The concept itself is simple. DNA of different animals are combined to create a new species of animal that will solve the problem of people needing organ transplants. Unfortunately for the entire human population, these brilliant scientists do not in fact create an animal that will give us replacement organs. Instead, they create the perfect predator. Razor...more
As a fan of the original version of Ancestor, I was looking forward to reading this new, updated version. It didn't disappoint. This new version shows how much Scott Sigler has improved as a writer since he first released Ancestor as an audio novel, and the original was great! The story is tighter and it's clear he's done quite a bit more research for this release of the story. Ancestor is a thrill ride from the very beginning. I found myself staying up until all hours of the night thinking...more
A team of research scientists have been illegally working on isolating the genome of the common ancestor of all mammalian life, with the goal of creating chimera creatures that can grow organs that can be harvested for human use.
As one might expect, all goes horribly wrong, and the research scientists soon find themselves hunted by the creatures, just as the largest storm of the year comes barreling through.
Equal parts Jurassic Park, The Thing, and Repo: the Genetic Opera...more
As one might expect, all goes horribly wrong, and the research scientists soon find themselves hunted by the creatures, just as the largest storm of the year comes barreling through.
Equal parts Jurassic Park, The Thing, and Repo: the Genetic Opera...more
I enjoyed this genetic experiment gone awry book. It's cast of characters weren't the typical good guys, evil scientist, and megamastermind, but a group of people, who had some good and some bad in them, just in different measures. For those who enjoy some medical experimentation, and the science, it does a nice job of that, and has plenty of horror toward the end. Good solid read, and I stayed up into the not so wee hours trying to finish it. Can't say muih since I hate spoilers of any kind,...more
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** "Ancestor" by Scott Sigler is a horror monster avaricious predator based on combined prehistoric DNAs, created for organ donation by short-sighted and mad scientists funded by an altruistic industrialist with a failing heart, his brother a sadistic enforcer. Caught in the middle, ensnared by previous (book?) attraction, are the lab team's handsome brave widowed guardian, and their stunning earthy female pilot, trying to escape (previous book?) government good guys. Twist for the her...more
I've been listening the Scott Sigler's rewritten Ancestor during my breaks at work lately, and I just finished it. I listened to the first version of it years ago, and while not my favorite Sigler novel, I liked it. Nice simple bio-engineered horror story. I don't remember the first one well enough to compare to what was changed in this version, but I still liked it. And it was good even in 15 minute chunks. I really like how each character, no matter how small, usually got a bit of star time an...more
I've read, and loved Scott Sigler's "Infected". This book, "Ancestor", didn't let me down! A group of scientists have finally discovered how to build their own "creature" by using the primary building blocks of DNA. Their goal is to create a creature similar enough to us that we can use it's organs to transplant it's organs into human beings in need. Unfortunately, the genius creating the genetic code is also prone to psychotic episodes of her bi-polar disorder. She...more
I gave Ancestor a shot after reading Earthcore, and it generally works but it's not quite as good. Sigler is very good at coming up with thrilling stories and great spooky locales to set them in, but both books are very cold. The action is clinical and you don't care about any of the characters, and he seems to take unusual pleasure in sadistically killing everybody off. I would hesitate to call them badly written, as I hope he's matured as a writer since Ancestor, but my enjoyment of his books ...more
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Scott wrote his first monster story in the third grade and hasn't stopped since. A creator of novels, short stories and screenplays, Scott's work revolves around modern science's dichotomy of simultaneously producing good and evil.
New York Times best-selling novelist Scott Sigler is the author of ANCESTOR, INFECTED and CONTAGIOUS, hardcover thrillers from Crown Publishing.
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More about Scott Sigler...
New York Times best-selling novelist Scott Sigler is the author of ANCESTOR, INFECTED and CONTAGIOUS, hardcover thrillers from Crown Publishing.
B...more
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