Vol.1 : Silverhair (Mammoths)
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Description
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Mammoths and Monsters
Mammoth - Book One: Silverhair is a good mix of research-based facts, speculation, and the author's own fantasy to add a bit more fun to it. Stephen Baxter has done research on the life and behavior of elephants but also included assumptions and facts about what was known about mammoths back in the day. Those things are well-intervowen and are sometimes not easy to pick apart. (Although there were some things in this book that made me raise a sceptical brow). All in all, this book is entertaining and, in part, educational. But even more so, it gives the reader a mostly believable view into the life of mammoths. The writing was pleasant, and the pacing a little slow, although still enjoyable. About halfway through the book, the pace picked up drastically and I accidentally ended up reading until 3am one night, because I wanted to know how much further things will go south. 😵💫 My favourite aspect of this book is that Baxter portrays these mammoths as animals, in the way they behave and even think. But he also added a very complex emotional and intellectual intelligence to them that is still very different from humans. There is also a deep connection between the mammoths, the world, and their past generations. It is known that elephants have good memories and that they teach their calves known paths, locations of waterholes, etc. Bexter takes these facts and explores them even further. It's all speculation, of course. But a part of me thought, how could we know this isn't the truth? We could never look into the complex mind of an elephant, let alone a mammoth. A blurb in this book compared it to Watership Down and I agree. There are some intense and bloody events in this book, but it is a good story that explores the connection between nature and animals. (Or the lack of connection.)
Description
Book Information
Posts
Mammoths and Monsters
Mammoth - Book One: Silverhair is a good mix of research-based facts, speculation, and the author's own fantasy to add a bit more fun to it. Stephen Baxter has done research on the life and behavior of elephants but also included assumptions and facts about what was known about mammoths back in the day. Those things are well-intervowen and are sometimes not easy to pick apart. (Although there were some things in this book that made me raise a sceptical brow). All in all, this book is entertaining and, in part, educational. But even more so, it gives the reader a mostly believable view into the life of mammoths. The writing was pleasant, and the pacing a little slow, although still enjoyable. About halfway through the book, the pace picked up drastically and I accidentally ended up reading until 3am one night, because I wanted to know how much further things will go south. 😵💫 My favourite aspect of this book is that Baxter portrays these mammoths as animals, in the way they behave and even think. But he also added a very complex emotional and intellectual intelligence to them that is still very different from humans. There is also a deep connection between the mammoths, the world, and their past generations. It is known that elephants have good memories and that they teach their calves known paths, locations of waterholes, etc. Bexter takes these facts and explores them even further. It's all speculation, of course. But a part of me thought, how could we know this isn't the truth? We could never look into the complex mind of an elephant, let alone a mammoth. A blurb in this book compared it to Watership Down and I agree. There are some intense and bloody events in this book, but it is a good story that explores the connection between nature and animals. (Or the lack of connection.)