The Pleistocene Redemption [Paperback]

Dan Gallagher (Author), Ed Stackler (Illustrator), Gene King (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1998

Cloning sheep, cattle, and chimps is only the beginning. Using Fossil Gene Redemption (FGR), geneticist Kevin G. Harrigan experiments with genes from a frozen "Ice Man." His work prompts Iraqi leader Ismail Mon to provide resources for exciting new research that enables Harrigan's team to regenerate extinct animals and human sub-species from the Ice Ages. But when it is discovered that FGR is also the basis for genetic weapons of mass destruction, United States intelligence and defense leaders must act.

The Pleistocene Redemption, radically different from Jurassic Park, deals with two new methods of species regeneration. Will FGR trigger the Resurrection of the Dead? The major religions' prophecies portend the regeneration of humankind as both physical and spiritual. What physical mechanisms could manifest this new dawn? Might they instead herald the terrifying sunset of humanity?

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this debut, Kevin Harrigan is a brilliant, obnoxious scientist who figures out how to splice missing sequences of DNA and re-create creatures of the Pleistocene era. Sound familiar? After Harrigan and his colleagues are caught working on illegally obtained remains of one of humankind's ancestors found frozen in the Alps, hoping to reproduce the missing link, an Iraqi officer hires them for what appears to be a scientific enterprise. The scientists learn, too late, that the Iraqis are actually pursuing a new type of biological weapon. After 300 pages of ponderous philosophy and overwrought violence, the story reaches a limp conclusion. Despite a few good action sequences, this too-familiar story is lumbering and poorly written. Not recommended.?Robert C. Moore, DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals Co. Information Svcs., N. Billerica, Mass.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"... A scary, yet thrilling adventure in exploring our own roots... profound... A wonderful job of connecting philosophy and the humanities with science... surprising... intense... sobering...." -- Bookwatch (Glodowski)

"... Hard to put down... hauntingly close to real possibilities... terrifying. I truly enjoyed the action, excitement, politics, human drama, all mixed with enough science to make me think that perhaps this could really happen."END -- Scott R. Woodward, Ph.D., geneticist and microbiologist, Brigham Young University

"... Intense... harrowing... will grip the reader from the first page to the last.... Another of those science fiction masterpieces... so hard to put down." -- Midwest Book Reviews (Cox)

"... Thoroughly compelling.... The climax, containing one of the finest action sequences in recent fiction, approaches apocalyptic dimensions.... While Michael Crichton's Jurassic stories were interesting, Gallagher ups the ante dramatically and intellectually." -- Richard Woods, OP, author of Mysticism and Prophecy and fiction works

"... Thrilling new insight.... Not only is the style of writing riveting, but the scientific and ethical infrastructure of this remarkable work is faultless. A brave new voice is heard...." -- Bernard Nathanson, MD, author of The Hand of God

"An engrossing confluence of cutting-edge science, thought-provoking ethics, and storytelling that moves at the pace of a Gatling gun." -- Lincoln Child, best-selling co-author of The Relic and Mount Dragon

"The Pleistocene Redemption... uses just-beyond-current science to plausibly, forcefully and vividly place the reader amongst astounding extinct animals. As your muscles tense and your heart pounds, wipe the sweat off your brow and try to tell yourself that it's only a story!" -- Larry G. Marshall, Ph.D., paleontologist, The Institute for Human Origins

"This fun... tale is hauntingly profound. Accelerating powerfully within natural and supernatural realms, it enthralls, consoles and terrifies. This important thriller melds biotechnology, espionage, spiritual challenge, adventure and more. The Pleistocene Redemption joins the ranks of Shelley's Frankenstein, Huxley's Brave New World and Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz." -- Russell Smith, STD, KHS, 1992-96 President, The Pope John Center, a bioethics institute

"Thoughtfully addressing critical issues confronting humanity, this geopolitical thriller leaves Jurassic Park way behind. It's an intellectual adventure in... molecular biology, species regeneration, paleozoology, and spirituality. An assured classic and a 'must' read." -- J. R. Greenwell, Secretary of The International Society of Cryptozoology

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 407 pages
• Publisher: Ancientprophecies.Com; Revised edition (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966692926
• ISBN-13: 978-0966692921
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,716,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What a Disappointment!, February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pleistocene Redemption (Hardcover)

I wanted so much to like this book. It's obvious that Dan Gallagher really, really cares about his writing and his subject. He has aimed high, and deserves credit for that--too many science fiction writers these days are cranking out books that are simple entertainment but nothing more, ignoring the social issues and big questions that make science fiction important as a genre. For example, I just finished McDevitt's "Moonfall" which, while a good read, might just as well be another disaster movie such as "Deep Impact" or "Armageddon," with the twist being that the comet/asteroid hits the moon, not the Earth. However, that said, I cannot fathom why this book has gotten such good reviews on amazon.com, much less why it was able to land on the Science Fiction Writers of America preliminary Nebula ballot. Based on the amazon.com reviews, and on the smothering number of endorsements which Gallagher's off-brand publisher pumped into the paperback edition, I was really looking forward to reading "The Pleistocene Redemption." I hoped it would be a rewarding "big issue" novel along the lines of Robert Sawyer's "The Terminal Experiment" or Mary Doria Russell's "The Sparrow." Was I ever disappointed! I've tried to get into this book on five separate occasions, but each time the wretched, amateurish prose stopped me cold. The writing is so annoyingly bad that it is distracting. While I'd like to know what the book's big message is, I can't force myself to keep reading long enough to find out. Just one excruciating example of the many bad passages in the book: "Harrigan raised his eyes from his study notes. His eyebrows raised in interest then lowered in a frown as Chrissie pranced into the doctoral genetics lab. Her brown hair waved from her slender five-foot-eight figure like a banner in a slight breeze. She alighted on a stool across from Harrigan and shed her white lab jacket, revealing a low-cut red blouse. Her face brightened with a smile--in Harrigan's opinion, a vacant yet sexy grin. She leaned toward him and rested her chest definingly upon the shiny black laboratory table. It seemed to Harrigan that generous portions of her breasts were peeking at him even more engagingly than her flashing brown eyes. "'Hi, Kevin! There's not much going on now 'cause classes are over. And I, like, dropped a hint to Dr. Wentz that I finished all his precipitations...and I even got myself to draw his mean-old blood samples from those cute little fuzz-bunnies and could I get the afternoon off?! And do you know what he said?' She paused to tempt a response..." Jesus Christ, man! Do you really think women talk like that? Even women with more bodily attributes than brains? In your dreams, maybe, but nowhere else! Also, exactly how does one go about resting their chest on a table definingly? What is that supposed to MEAN? While we're at it, although eyes may occasionally roll when in the hands of an amateurish author, breasts do not peek! Count all the cliches and hackneyed phrases in just this short passage. Take note of the awkward structure and word repetition in the first two sentences. Count the commas Gallagher should have used but didn't. Note the inexplicable hyphenation of "mean-old." Also, breathless sentences, even when spoken by a cardboard bimbo character straight out of a horny teenager's idea of central casting, do not end in "?!" As for the cute little fuzz-bunnies... oh please! At the beginning of the book Gallagher has inserted an unbearably pretentious section entitled "Questions on The Pleistocene Redemption for Thoughtful Readers and Book Discussion Groups." Look, a real writer like Mary Doria Russell can get away with this sort of thing (and she puts it at the BACK of the book) but not an inept beginner. I wonder why none of the major science fiction publishers picked up this book... The best thing Dan Gallagher could do would be to attend one of the yearly Clarion science fiction writing workshops held in East Lansing, Michigan or in Seattle. If by any chance he is a Clarion grad, he should go back for a remedial session. With luck, he can translate future ideas into prose that is not the literary equivalent of fingernails scraping across a blackboard. Science fiction needs more writers who care, but they must be able to write. It's one of the requirements for the job.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wretched, July 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pleistocene Redemption (Paperback)

Not everyone can be an author. This books proves it beyond words. You can publish anything these days, but it doesn't mean that the result if worth reading. In this case, it certainly is NOT.

Mr. Gallagher's attempt to be a published author falls flat from the first sentence. The ideas are nothing new, and the characters never take shape. I forced myself to read the whole thing so that the person who gave it to me could not claim it got better later on in the text, which it definitely does NOT. This is a book written with the skill of an amateur 13 year old but with an impressive cover. The cover gets the single star in this review. The rest has been pulped and is mulching my wife's tomato plants.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No redemption possible for this book, November 13, 2000

By 

Greg McElhatton (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pleistocene Redemption (Paperback)

I wish I could say good things about this book--Dan Gallagher is clearly very proud of his work. Unfortunately, this self-published novel is amateurish at best. The text is full of cliches, the plot meanders and is unfulfilling, and the prose style is hideously underdeveloped.

Gallagher may have possessed the best of intentions for this novel, but in the end it's possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. I'd sooner watch "Land of the Lost" reruns than ever open this book again.