Ancestor in Scott Sigler Junkies

Feb 27, 2014 Labyrinth Rossiter rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, spooky, read-in-2014, military-spy-war, favorites

"--that last light projected back towards the tower's base, illuminating oncoming death in a morbid spotlight. They came like a tidal wave, a black-and-white tidal wave with a frothing crest of wide-open mouths and long teeth. Oh he wished he could have written that down...that was the shit right there." Those were Gunther, the book's amateur novelist's dying thoughts.

I found this sub-plot or thread in the novel an interesting one. Gunther, on the security team, writes a trilogy of vampire roman "--that last light projected back towards the tower's base, illuminating oncoming death in a morbid spotlight. They came like a tidal wave, a black-and-white tidal wave with a frothing crest of wide-open mouths and long teeth. Oh he wished he could have written that down...that was the shit right there." Those were Gunther, the book's amateur novelist's dying thoughts.

I found this sub-plot or thread in the novel an interesting one. Gunther, on the security team, writes a trilogy of vampire romance novels, which the other characters read and enjoy in spite of their small shame in reading such trashy stuff. There's even a scene where Gunther has a plan to give his books away for free, and the fans will adore them so much that book companies will beg to give him a deal. Clearly, this is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Sigler's own fame. (Oddly enough, the sociopathic character, Magnus, is highly literate, a chess player, an intellectual snob.)

There's also Clayton, an old caretaker of a now abandoned and isolated island that used to be a vacation spot for the rich and famous. He tells "tall tales" about sleeping with Elizabeth Taylor, hanging out with Kerouac and Elvis, etc. In spite of evidence, pictures found in his home, not even his son seems to believe half of what he says, but putting together all the snippets, there's enough to convince the reader.

Put these threads together, and you have a clear statement about authorship and celebrity. They're just people. They're real. They put their pants on one leg at a time, as my Daddy used to say. I believe this has a direct effect on the reader. It makes the science fiction story seem more real. Sigler has neatly prepared our minds to suspend disbelief. If Clayton can have drinks with Elvis...why not these Ancestor things? Also, the association of intellectual snobbery with evil is no accident. Rhumkorff, the lead scientist, eventually admits to himself that playing God was a bad idea...the peak of human hubris, to use science to create something NEW.

So well done, Mr. Sigler, for being able to laugh a bit at yourself, and while your books may tend to fall under "brain candy" because of their action/SF/horror plots more than "high brow," they certainly don't lack complexity.
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Jul 01, 2011 Stefani Robinson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, ebook

Have you ever wondered what would happen if cows went rogue and started killing people? You haven't? That is why you are not the author of Ancestor. While a lot of the scientific parts made my brain hurt and I was lucky I could understand it at all, the plot moves along at such a clip that it doesn't really matter if you comprehend the details of it all. The characters are interesting and have such distinct personalities that it gives the plot a fascinating and colorful backdrop. I can't recomme ...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Denise rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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 ...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Ivor Grisel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the second time I read this book. The reason I picked it up again is because there is a reference to one of the characters and I wanted to check that reference.

The first time I read it, I liked it. The same goes for the second time. The story is quite predictable but the build up to that specific moment is great. The characters are interesting, albeit a bit stereotypical. But that is what you kind of would expect in this kind of a story, so that's not bad.

Improvement points for the book: ...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Paul rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

After listening to Scott Sigler on a podcast and enjoying what he was about, I bought three of his books sight-unseen. I started off with Infection, which was a good story with so-so writing, but finished so strongly that I immediately tackled Ancestor.

As far as readability (and I guess page-turnability), this is one of the best books I've read in a while. Think Dan Brown with a liberal dusting of cryptoscience. I couldn't put the book down, and couldn't wait to get back home to continue reading ...more

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