Almost Adam [Mass Market Paperback]

Petru Popescu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1997

In a forgotten corner of a country torn by violence, American anthropologist Ken Lauder is about to make a discovery that will challenge everything we've ever believed about the ascent of humankind: a boy who should not exist...a race the defies all logic...inhabiting a secret world of wonder, splendor and peril, a world that cannot be...

A world Ken Lauder may never escape...alive.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A cross between the novel Jurassic Park and the movie Quest for Fire, Almost Adam is a speculative tale about the survival of the Australopithecus (an early human ancestor living two million years ago) in a remote part of Kenya. The book is often compared to John Darnton's Neanderthal, but it's actually much better. The American Anthropological Association recently gave Almost Adam a surprisingly positive review on the pages of its newsletter--a good endorsement coming from a crowd that might be tough to please. The science is solid and the story is good, if a bit long. With this novel, Petru Popescu offers a pleasant way to learn about the past.

From Library Journal

Ken Lauder has made one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time, but he may not live to announce it. On a remote Kenyan savanna and mountainside he has found evidence of existing protohumans, perhaps the long-sought "missing link" in humankind's evolutionary chain. But Kenya is in political turmoil and on the verge of civil war-which for Ken may be the least of his problems. He has been abandoned on the deadly savanna with neither supplies nor weapons and is pursued by murderous thugs who for unknown reasons already have attempted to kill him. Are they simply poachers into whose terrain he has intruded, or have they been sent by the government? Or have they been hired by a world-famous scientist with a reputation for appropriating what others have found first? Befriended by an eight-year-old boy of the protohuman tribe, Ken, if he is to survive, will have to live as one of them. A riveting thriller and an accessible crash course in paleoanthropology, this novel by the author of Amazon Beaming (LJ 8/91) also grapples with the fundamental question of what it means to be human. Highly recommended. [See the review of John Darnton's Neanderthal, p. 83, for another fictional account of the discovery of primitive folk surviving today.-Ed.]-Charles Michaud, Turner Free Library, Randolph, Mass.
--Charles Michaud, Turner Free Library, Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 607 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380728249
• ISBN-13: 978-0380728244
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good start, March 13, 2000

By 

"alexsavulescu" (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Almost Adam: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is a promising work from someone new to the Anglo-Saxon literature. Petru Popescu is Romanian, and therefore his style and language are not as polished as expected from your average American author. His Latin lyricism translates oddly at times, and his descriptions are long and detailed. Character developing is uneven, but this is a minor sin compared to other aspects you will find worthwile.

Overall, it's a good book, and shows an great interest in social studies. This twist brings new life to an idea as old as Arthur Conan Doyle's "Lost World". Give it a chance - if you want more than other (similarly-priced) brainless slam-bang, you might like it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding novel,kept me on edge throughout!, October 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Almost Adam: A Novel (Hardcover)

I found this book on a clearance rack $3!I was on vacation and wanted a distraction,so I thought it was a good deal.Little did I know what Mr.Popescu had in store for me.This book is captivating for anyone with a love of mans early history.The sheer amount of research that he put into this novel must be applauded.I look forward to wraping myself up in his next novel.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unexpected Find, June 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Almost Adam: A Novel (Hardcover)

I bought this book two years ago at a "dollar store" during an ice storm which left us without electricity for two weeks. There wasn't much to do so I bought this book thinking it probably wouldn't be too great; I mean I spent three bucks on it at the dollar store. But, I hoped it would ward off the boredom. I didn't get to start reading it until a month ago and was I ever surprised. This is a great book! As the last reviewer stated, it's a great way to teach science through fiction. I had never put too much thought into how humans evolved. I have even found myself watching The Discovery Channel to find out more about the protohumans.