Link [Library Binding]

Walt Becker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2000

The final piece has been found. In a tiny cave in Central Africa, paleoanthropologist Samantha Colby has discovered the skeleton of what might be the long-sought missing link between ape and man. But the ancient bones raise more questions then they answer-and they suggest that human ancestry can be traced to something previously unimaginable. ..The most important discovery in civilization's history could mean death for Colby and renegade scientist Jack Austin. For it will lead them to even greater revelations that could rock the world-and to secrets no human should know.

The final piece has been found. In a tiny cave in Central Africa, paleoanthropologist Samantha Colby has discovered the skeleton of what might be the long-sought missing link between ape and man. But the ancient bones raise more questions then they answer-and they suggest that human ancestry can be traced to something previously unimaginable. ..The most important discovery in civilization's history could mean death for Colby and renegade scientist Jack Austin. For it will lead them to even greater revelations that could rock the world-and to secrets no human should know.The final piece has been found. In a tiny cave in Central Africa, paleoanthropologist Samantha Colby has discovered the skeleton of what might be the long-sought missing link between ape and man. But the ancient bones raise more questions then they answer-and they suggest that human ancestry can be traced to something previously unimaginable. ..The most important discovery in civilization's history could mean death for Colby and renegade scientist Jack Austin. For it will lead them to even greater revelations that could rock the world-and to secrets no human should know.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Paleoanthropologist Samantha Colby makes a startling find in West Africa, then links up with former lover Jack Austin to outrun some bad guys. It's all good, Indiana Jones-style fun, and if the text is weighed down at times by excessive scientific theorizing, it's still entertaining enough to have hit the Los Angeles Times and Dallas Morning News best sellers lists. At a recent benefit involving multiple authors, Becker sold more copies of his book than anyone but Tom Brokaw, a newsworthy event in itself. Morrow has him on tap for two more novels.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Earnest, slightly hokey Michael Crichton style adventure tale that poses an extraterrestrial origin for some of humanity's best and worst traits. Newcomer Becker's grasp of speculative anthropology is surprisingly down-to-earth he appends a solemn afterword on unanswered questions about human origins, including a bibliography ranging from Charles Darwin to Carl Sagan. But such high seriousness is undermined by gratuitous gunplay, turbid romance, and spy-versus-spy plotting. A better-than-average debut that evokes suspense and moments of gee-whiz wonder from a tired science-fictional premise. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Sagebrush Education Resources (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613292839
• ISBN-13: 978-0613292832
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (154 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,773,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun, but flawed, February 27, 2001

By 

Jeffrey W. Griffith (Newport Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Link (Mass Market Paperback)

If you spend time on UFO sites on the Web or if you read books positing iconoclastic hypotheses about ancient civilizations by authors such as Graham Hancock, Zacharia Sitchen, Erich von Daniken and others of that ilk, then this is the novel for you. If you are a stickler about the science in science fiction being accurate, then this book will probably offend your sensibilities, since whatever Walt Becker studied at UCLA and USC, it clearly was not anatomy or physics. The most glaring knee-slapper in the book is where the hero slashes the "aorta" of one of the baddies, which, curiously, is located in his throat (your aorta and mine are located in our chests, as in directly connected to our hearts). The discussion of thermodynamics and nukes is likewise clearly uninformed, which is a distracting flaw in an author who appears to aspire to Michael Crichton's mantle by the mixing of science and fiction.

The problem is, as noted in many of the other reader reviews, much of the science is dead wrong and much of what is passed off as science is the sort of New Age babble on which many authors make a good living. And some of the good science is misrepresented, following the lead of the New Age babble authors referenced above.

Having said all of that, the novel is not as bad as the worst reviews on here would lead you to believe. Sure, the characters are one-dimensional. Sure, the action is basically Indiana Jones meets Michael Crichton meets Erich von Daniken. And, sure, Becker could have used a few more characters on the good guy team so that the Sancho Panza-like scientist sidekick of his protagonist did not have to be a polymath (this guy was so expert in so many different disciplines at the age of 30, he must not have had time to sleep).

But, hey, it was still interesting and entertaining for what it was: a flawed first novel by a guy who hopes to get rich the way Crichton did. I read it and enjoyed it even though bothered by the superficial writing, shallow characters and predictable action. The ideas were interestingly presented and were a familiar echo of the X-files. It is not great literature and would be an inexcusable fifth novel, but, hey, this guy not only got published but got reprinted in paperback. Do I wish he'd written a better book to support his theme of alien "improvement" of humankind? Sure, but it's still entertaining.

One final note: many of the criticisms leveled at this book could be made with equal force as to Crichton, Tom Clancy and John Grisham, just to name a few. Anyone who read Airframe or any of Clancy's or Grisham's later novels knows what I'm talking about. These guys also broke faith with their fans by offering up shallow characters, predictable, formulaic rehashes of well-worn plots and unlikely premises. Why? For the same reason Becker did: to make money.

I recommended this book to others and still do. It's fun, which is more than I can say for some of the recent offerings from those established, prosperous authors. To those who were vituperative in their reviews, I say, "Lighten up!"

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother, April 16, 2001

By 

Robbie L. Brewington (League City, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Link (Mass Market Paperback)

A friend of mine recommended this book because she wanted my opinion on the science. What science? This author has no respect for the actual science he purports to have researched (for a whole 18 months, no less!).

The paleoanthropological search of humanity's origins is actually such as fascinating story, but you won't find it here. With fiction allegedly based on science there's no excuse for the basic science to be dead wrong--especially with this author's afterword. Carbon dating volcanic flows? Civilizations springing up from nothing? I recommend Becker take a few basic archaeology and/or anthropology classes--or read some of the basic literature--before he tries again with this topic.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The most awful adventure novel I have ever had the misfortune to buy, July 22, 2007

By 

Aminata Kane "maligirl" (Fuerth, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Link (Mass Market Paperback)

When I picked up the book and saw that the action took place in Mali and dealt with paleoanthropology, I just had to have it. To my disappointment, the chapters about Mali are so frought with mistakes(e. g. the Dogon are not a warrior society but peaceful farmers. They don't hop up and down like Massai. The Songhai don't live close to the Dogon but in the North of Mali. Mali is not in Central but in West Africa. Etc. etc.) Add to that the gratuitous violence and hairbrained action about the anthropologists being armed with machine guns and having South African guards. I spent four years in Mali as a Peace Corps volunteer and can guarantee that the author never set foot there or even did careful research. An awful book I don't recommend to anyone.