Customer Reviews

Anasazi Harvest

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a great mix of mystery and sci-fi, and has a way of pulling you into the story line early on. It's set in the Southwest, and weaves Native American customs and stories into the plot; this gives the tale an added layer of mystery that I really enjoyed.

Mr. Waldrip has a style similar to Tony Hillerman, but his descriptions, characters, and plot are all his own. His ideas about how our society would handle such a situation are fascinating. I enjoy books that keep me thinking about their message after I'm done reading them; Mr. Waldrip managed to hold my attention throughout the book, and beyond. I look forward to reading more of his works!

Was I surprised when I got into this book. I don't normally read the kind of book I thought this was; a friend gave me a copy, so I did. And I'm so glad I did! It was a really interesting, well-written story. It engaged my attention immediately and kept it throughout. And it left me wondering: Yes, it's fiction; but maybe this--or something like it--has actually happened. It COULD have happened. And maybe it WILL happen! A really good read.

As the author of Anasazi Harvest, I would like to set the record straight. It seems that one reviewer was "very disappointed" with Anasazi Harvest, claiming that as "an adult," he/she found the book lacking in honest portrayal by claiming the Navajo were descendants of the Anasazi.

The majority of adults I know have the ability to read English text and comprehend it. Of course, if one is speed reading beyond their comprehension level or is interrupted at the wrong time, it's easy to fail to capture plain meaning from written text. In this case, the author made no such false claims and a more careful reading will show that. For example, on page 92 we find the alien Weltii corporal explaining both the Navajo and the Weltii heritage in this statement:

"... I am descended from the Anasazi, much the same as you have Navajo ancestors from the same period."

A true reading of the novel shows that over time the Weltii people came to admire the Navajo and eventually included them as well as true descendants of the Anasazi in their genetic harvest.

I am an adult so maybe my expectations were too high. It fails as Science Fiction because it is not logical. It implies that a Navaho is a descendant of an Anasazi. That is the most egregious error. I was very disappointed.