Above Instinct

by James Walker

Above Instinct follows a lone Paleolithic man through the ancient world’s violence and beauty as he searches for belonging and partnership. Bloodshed, winters, and hunger have steadily eroded his family and left him alone, but when his last family member dies, he hears of a peaceful and munificent group that could rescue him from loneliness and despair. Equipped with man’s resourcefulness, superstition, and aggression, he confronts man, animal, and nature, searching to end his isolation and hard existence. His own survival means conflict between man’s fundamental nature and wants, the desires and survival of others, and an indifferent and vicious early world.

Winner of the Letter Review Prize for Fiction.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 2022

About the author

James Walker is a chartered nuclear, mining, and mechanical engineer, and a former infantry and signals soldier, with degrees in physics and engineering. He has worked on nuclear submarines, nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors, in construction and manufacturing, and in the mining industry. James was born in South Africa, grew up in England and Cyprus, and now resides in Canada.

Reviews

[Anjali Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Above Instinct is an interesting and thought provoking peace of fiction penned down by James Walker. It is a book about a lonely Neolothic man who has lost his family and is surviving in harsh conditions alone. The book depicts his search for belonging and partnership amidst the harsh environment and conditions of Earth and society of the new stone age.

This book is unlike any other book I have read before. The protagonist's state of mind and how he navigates the world of hunter gatherers where he has to depend only on his instincts and knowledge, where there are so many dangers and vulnerabilities is what makes this book very interesting, insightful and thought provoking.

The author has done a great job with creating the atmosphere of the stone age in this novel and reading it was a new and refreshing experience. The book felt like a psychological thriller at some points and just like the protagonist, I didn't know what might happen. There were some lines which made me pause and think hard.

Reading this book was a different and fascinating experience. I read it without having any expectations and I really liked it. I can't imagine how much research and imagination has gone behind writing this marvelous book, kudos to the author for writing such fascinating book.

[Simran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

The book revolves around the struggle of a lonely Neolithic man who is desperate to find a partner in the lonely era. In search of food and shelter, people of ancient times tend to kill people and Follow is not apart from the situation. He killed a person and hide for 7 days to be not found by the family. Though he escaped this time but is it possible for him to save himself and have companionship in the lonely world.

To end the isolation and a desire to live with someone couldn't put him down from the existential crisis. There find a group and he has hint that they can save him from his loneliness and absurdity.

I get to know that this one the first book by the author after completion of the book. This does not seem to be his first one. The rich language and the way the emotion of Ancient civilians were described are more than expected. The circumstances of a lonely person, the struggle to live, eat is something very hard to portray in a book without proper stimulus. But at one point I felt it is getting monotonous and I couldn't enjoy it more.

If you love to read about our ancient history with a tinge of fiction and have a good amount of time in your hand to understand the richness of the language then go for this.

[Aditya Jha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Above Instinct : by James Walker

My Rating : 4.8/5

Have you ever thought about life during the stone age? When threats were innumerable and survival of man depended much on his instincts, how he must have survived (or not) in such conditions? What constituted his life? What he seeked and how he lived? Above Instinct is a tale of survival and grit, of loneliness and seeking belonging of a Neolithic man.

It will not only give you much to think about but will also keep you on the edge of your seat. It is a gripping and atmospheric tale of a man living during the time of stone age. He has lost every member of his family and he is all alone living in the harsh stone age world. There is action, drama, thrill and much more in this novel.

It is realistic and introspective, it can be escapist too as the author has created the stone age world dexterously. There are stories and myths, superstitions and apprehensions about future, conflicts and struggle for survival. The concept of this book is unique and the author has done a brilliant job with this book.

The book is lucid and easy to get into. It is interesting and gets somewhat psychological and spiritual sometimes. Life isn't fair, it never was and this is especially true for the beings that existed in the pre historic times. It is an interesting tale that will titillate reader's mind.

[Momo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recommended this book by a colleague and bought it despite not expecting much from a new and unknown writer, but I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. I have taught English Literature for several decades and quickly noticed the writing was very well crafted by someone experienced with both prose and classical literature. I presume the romantic style was deliberate to reflect the spiritual and wild nature of the protagonist, and it works, and is unlike anything I've encountered before.

It's certainly a morally ambiguous story, which I suppose is also deliberate to reflect the chaos of life and people, which the book is obviously trying to communicate. The book does take you to a different place, which is somehow also familiar, possibly because the character and his perspective is essentially a purely instinctive person, driven by innateness rather than any socialisation or external influence.

I have a lot more I'd like to say about it, but need more time to mull over some of the harder philosophical aspects which arise from the conflicts. Worth reading. Hope to see more from this author.-