SELECT * FROM uv_BookReviewRollup WHERE recordnum = 1019 Natural Selection, by Dave Freedman Book Review | SFReader.com

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Natural Selection, by Dave Freedman
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Hyperion
Published: 2006
Review Posted: 2/18/2007
Reviewer Rating:
Reader Rating: 8 out of 10

Natural Selection, by Dave Freedman

Book Review by Sheri Fresonke Harper

Have you read this book?

Natural Selection by Dave Freedman is an enjoyable read, with an interesting premise involving a manta ray species that has evolved to be the nastiest creature alive. The author keeps the pace tense by first their appearance and second by their deadly capabilities that are slowly discovered by a team of scientists hired to document them for the man financing their operations.

The author's ability to convey the creature's intentions, thought patterns, and responses to stimuli are well executed. Documentation of the creature's aging involves a deep-sea dive in a deep sea suit accompanied by a submarine. Also well done are the many explanations about the feeding patterns of sea creatures, a strange disease mid ocean, and understanding the creature's brain. The feasibility of the new manta ray's long-term existence provides a creepy ending.

The protagonist for the story, Jason Aldridge is a self-involved scientist that is unable to accept help from others with grace. His involvement with Lisa Barton, a biologist that studies sea nutrition is nice. More intriguing for the readers is supporting cast members Darryl and Monique Hollis who provide the tough expertise to lead the hunt for the creature on land. A secondary subplot related to the financier provides additional interest without being overly intrusive to the overall story.

Overall, I'd rate this book 4 stars because some of the political details weren't quite convincing enough, i.e. the financier for the project seemed much too like Donald Trump but without any property and the reader felt somewhat detached from the problems of the main characters. Readers who like mysteries, biology, the ocean, action and science fiction will like this book.
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Comments on Natural Selection, by Dave Freedman
Posted by jas on 4/7/2008
i am not into sci-fi, thriller type of novel. but with this book i got so engrossed, taht i dream of it every night since i have read it. superb!
Posted by Chris on 1/29/2008
Loved the book. A top 10 for me. This book probably can be discredited by scientific readers, but for my simple mind the book was eady so read and I could see what the author was trying to portray to the reader. Would definitely suggest to a friend.
Posted by PB on 10/28/2007
I finished it yesterday. It was a thumping good read. However; I want to know why the Demonrays didn't explode when they went from their high pressure depths to surface...
Posted by Me on 6/28/2007
this book was scary, i had nightmares for a week after reading it.