Dark Inheritance [Hardcover]

W. Michael Gear (Author), Kathleen O'Neal Gear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

At the behest of a wealthy geneticist researching the minute genetic differences that separates humans from chimpanzees and control the way the two species think and learn, a number of U.S. scientists have been asked to raise and study bonobo chimpanzees in their homes. One such chimp is Umber, placed with Dr. Jim Dutton, an anthropology professor. Umber, however, is startlingly different from the other chimpanzees Dutton has studied. Quick to learn, Umber soon acquires a prodigious sign language vocabulary and manipulates the computer, tools and kitchen appliances with remarkable ease. After comparing notes with other "host" families, Dutton starts wondering if the chimps were somehow altered. The question galvanises Dutton and Canadian journalist Valerie Radin to seek the truth - a truth that will soon lead to a horrifying discovery.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The animal genetic engineering at the heart of this well-constructed novel is hardly a new idea, but the authors (the First North Americans series) use their considerable scientific expertise (he's a physical anthropologist, she's an archeologist) to give it a fresh spin. A huge British pharmaceutical corporation has secretly invested hundreds of millions of pounds in experiments to raise the intelligence level of a species of chimpanzee in Equatorial Guinea. The company has also placed primates with specialists, such as American Jim Dutton, whose bonobo ape Umber is figuratively a sister to his 13-year-old daughter. Umber can't speak human language but understands and communicates both by sign language and with a handheld computer. When Dutton's former wife, a widely known TV investigative reporter, looks into the company as it unexpectedly starts exerting its heavy-handed influence, it's inevitable that their paths will collide. The species-altering gene replacement is as convincing as the danger the heroes ultimately face at an exotic but harrowing African research site. Less persuasive are the tardily revealed reasons for the company's expenditures or the fate of a new species of ape in the human world. That, nor wooden characters and clunky writing, don't stop an exciting, provocative story, however. Agent, Matt Bialer.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-The 21st century meets H. G. Wells's The Island of Doctor Moreau and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in this latest venture by the Gears. The length may seem daunting, but a few pages should be enough to capture the attention of most scientific-fiction lovers. Anthropologist Dr. Jim Dutton has raised a Bonobo pygmy chimpanzee for the past 12 years alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Brett, as part of a research project for pharmaceutical giant SAC (Smyth-Archer Chemists). As it turns out, Umber not only knows sign language, but she can also read, speak through a computerized voice synthesizer, and write. Even more alarmingly, she ponders God, her soul, and the consequences of actions. Dutton fudges results to SAC for fear of losing the animal to experimentation if her true abilities were known. Worried, he consults an old friend and colleague to determine why Umber seems so mysteriously human, and those inquiries bring the attention of SAC on his family and friends. In their attempt to keep Umber as part of their family, Dutton, Brett, and her estranged mother (a well-known investigative reporter) end up in Africa, battling for their survival against an insane blue-eyed ape and the greedy director willing to kill to preserve the SAC financial empire and the secrecy of the ape project. The action-packed story is fascinating, but its real value is the questions it poses, including: Does one have to be a "human" to be a "person?"-Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 519 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446526061
• ISBN-13: 978-0446526067
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

W. Michael Gear has co-written 23 international bestsellers which have been translated into 21 languages. His novel People of the Raven won the Golden Spur Award in 2005. Michael's solo novel Morning River was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1998. In addition to writing both fiction and non-fiction, the Gear operates an anthropological research company called Wind River Archaeological Consultants, and raises buffalo on his ranch in northern Wyoming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing idea, disappointing follow-through., December 24, 2001

By 

Brooks Onley (Pocomoke City, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Inheritance (Hardcover)

Though I went into the book with the thought 'Jurassic Park/Congo re-vamp', I decided to give it a chance any way. Besides, I'm a sucker for a good techno-thriller, and most books of this genre tend to take some time to get all of the relevant plot details in order (as does this story--probably the first third of the book, as a matter of fact). But I can't say that "Dark Inheritance" ever took off the way I was hoping it would.

Admittedly, it was a good try; there's definitely something here worth working with. The ape character Umber is likeable enough. But most of the characters seem cliche, more like simple foils than real people; there was no life there! And there were no surprises--once the main characters had been stirred in, seasoned to taste with the proper bit of background info and plot-centered jargon, the mix was poured straight into the mold, with few doubts as to outcome.

Overall, "Dark Inheritance" is an OK read as a distraction, but not really for those looking for deep characters or an enthralling storyline.

As an aside, I must mention something that in light of the remainder of this review may seem a tad minor, but nonetheless rankled my sensibilities as a student of biology. From page 119:

"Jim, we don't know for sure that she's a human-bonobo cross."

"She can't be," he protested. "Humans and apes can't interbreed. Apes have twenty-four pairs of chromosomes. Humans have twenty-three. Somwhere in our past, two ape chromosomes merged into a single human chromosome. That number two chromosome makes interbreeding impossible. Assuming a human sperm met an ape ovum, that chromosomal difference would create nonviability at the first mitosis."

Which is not necessarily the case, as Mr. Gear, being a physical anthropologist, should be aware. Gibbons ('lesser apes') of distinct evolutionary lineages (and widely varying chromosome counts) have been know to produce viable (though infertile) offspring together, especially in captivity. The same is true in the case of the mule, whose parents, the ass and the horse, also differ in number of chromosomes. Hybrids of differing chromosomal counts mix and match all the time. They just aren't known for reproduction. (This may be what the Gears were grasping for...)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars SLOW PACED, March 16, 2001

By 

Nick G - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Inheritance (Hardcover)

Jim Dutton, his teenage daughter Brett, and Umber, a bonobo ape, are a family. Jim has spent his life's work researching bonobo apes, for SAC, a mysterious research company.

When someone from his past brings to light that certain bonobo's being researched DO NOT carry the normal characteristic's of their species, an investigation is opened.

Jim, intrigued by this information, will end up at an african research facility where he, along with his daughter, and Umber, will find strange things, such as rooms filled with bones, mutilated bodies, and a genetically-manipulated race of enemies driven by blood...to kill.

Sounds good? I thought so too, but the book took too long before anything really happened. The first couple of chapters are interesting; setting up the plot, character development, and several murders, but after those chapters, the novel becomes tiresome, with page after page of technical jargin, and the introduction of too many characters. This novel clocks in at (around) 500 pages, if it was shortened to about 350, it would have been excellent.

Genetic altering is always interesting in a thriller, but it takes the careful hand of an author to construct it to be easy-to-understand, fast-paced, and fun to read, "Dark Inheritance" fails on all counts. What could have been an entertaining read, becomes tedious, and much too long. Newcomers to this genre may find it interesting, but fans of this type of fiction will be disappointed.........

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It was ok but...., June 7, 2002

By 

Sue Scott (Atlanta, Ga. USa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Inheritance (Mass Market Paperback)

Granted this book piqued my interest. I found myself sucked into it, lock, stock & barrel. It reminded me of a cross between Jurassic Park and Congo. Like in Congo you found yourself liking Amy (primate) and in Dark Inheritance you really do like Umber (primate). Her character had a childlike quality that endeared her to the reader.

Normally I love duo writing teams. They each bring something new to the mix. But this wasn't the case. I had hard time adjusting to the different style of writing each author brought. In the best writing teams (Preston/Childs)you can't decipher that two authors are writing the same book. In this particular book it was obvious. It just didn't flow. But overall I enjoyed it for what it was, a cheesy adventure tale to brighten up an afternoon.