29/4/2007: I've just reading finished my other copy of this book, and this is what I thought of it.

Set in a disintegrating Britain of the near future, brought to its knees by global warming, rising sea levels, disease, unemployment and pollution. The rich live in enclaves surrounded by electrified fences and security cameras, mobs of urbanites roam the country looting and pillaging and the government maintains a shaky control over the county by controlling the dissemination of information and discouraging travel. It's a very believable future, and all the more disturbing for that.

The main characters are ex-rock star Richard Sommers, living in a mansion in Dorset in the enclave centred on the village he grew up in, and his sister Hannah-Rose, the proprietor of a travelling dance troup. When Hannah-Rose finds a computer disk containing an unpublished novel written by their author father, it precipitates a crisis that forces them out of their comfort zones, and changes both their lives. The novel (although it doesn't seem much like a novel to me), is the story of man's evolution, based on the aquatic ape theory.


When I finished, I had a look on my bookcase and found that I still have my copy of "The Aquatic Ape" by Elaine Morgan, which I bought in a library sale in 1989 and which is one of Thomas Somers' sources for his novel.

I am swapping this for one of Beebarf's books when I see her at Saturday's Nottingham BookCrossing meet.

Given to me by Kittiwake in a swap. I think I've got the better deal - she took five of my books (and carelessly let slip she'd been tempted by more!) - and I've come home with one compact volume :o)

Given to me by the lovely Beebarf, to fuel my love of dystopian futures.

Was told I would like this book owing to the dystopian future motiff, and indeed it was excellent. Set in an all too believeble near future, the characters remained believable throughout.

I loved this, I just forgot to journal it before I gave it first to my boss, and then to my boyfriend - so given how evangelical I've been about it, it's fairly safe to assume I thought it was an excellent book. Although I wasn't hugely keen on the opening chapter, the book picked up pace and was a tightly written thriller with many thought provoking moments. The dystopian future the novel portrays seems all too feasible.

Happy trails, little book! I hope you have an interesting journey!

Moved to Caffe Nero, as the shelves in Coffee Link were full.

Local BookCrossers meet, from noon on the second Saturday of every month, at Coffee Link, on Neptune Quay. Why not come along and join us? We're easy to spot - we're the people sitting round a table covered in books!