Dark Inheritance: A Suspenseful Tale of Intrigue

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	• Dark Inheritance W. Michael Gear, Kathleen O'Neal Gear Topeka Bindery, 2002 average customer review:based on 20 reviews
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highly recommended

great read

I agree with most of the earlier reviews - good and bad. Is it a rip off of Michael Crichton's Congo as well as Robin Cook? Heck yeah. But does that make it bad? Nope. It's a well-written rip-off and certainly entertaining.

I bought this at a lame used book store just for something to read. I had zero expectations and would not have been surprised in the least had it turned out to be sucky. The characters were very real to the point that I was able to read a situation and know each character well enough to know how he or she would react.

A *big* failing of this book was grammar. There are several points within the book that the tense of the story changes - without meaning or explaination. The sentences go from "He walked... and he saw..." to "He walks... and he sees..." I cannot stress how annoying this was. It was like a giant neon sign saying "HEY! We've got two authors here! And yes, they write alone sometimes!" I could understand this short-coming if it were, say, a dream sequence or a flash back or a separate story within the story. But no. Just bad form. It's things like that that tend to rip me right out of my excapist fanasy and right into proof-reading mode. I'm not sure if all of their works have this horrifying flaw since this is the first one I've had the pleasure of reading, but the authors *really* need to work on this.

All in all? Run to it.

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Good story line

U.S. scientists try to raise bonobo chimpanzees in their homes - very intelligent, genetically engineered chimpanzees. The smartest is Umber, who shows intelligent that of a human being. When the truth comes out why Umber is so intelligent, she, along with her caretakers, is send to Africa to a specially prepared fascility, where the secrets are being held. What the scientists don't realize is that there are very dark horrors awaiting them there - horros created by humans themselves. Original and entertaining.

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Box of Rocks Stupid

This book could serve as a prequel to Planet of the Apes. Of course with characters as stupid as the ones in this book, then maybe the apes should take over.

Basically a fabulous rich scientist decides to genetically alter Bonobos by increasing their cranial cpacity to the size of a human, making the apes self-aware and smarter than the average character in this book.

Fine premise and you do keep turning the pages, but give me a break.

Valerie is the hard charging news reporter that walks out of the hospital after giving birth.

Jim was her love interest and he still carries a torch for Valeria, meanwhile he is raising their daughter Brett.

Brett watches mom on the evening news.

Then there is Dana the research assistant who has a crush on Jim, but gets forgotten two thirds of the way through the book.

This disfunctional family somehow manages to have a happy reunion a dozen years later. All is forgiven and there are no regrets.

All of them are more concerned about the welfare of Umber the Bonobo.

The authors did a much better job with the monkeys and are in danger of letting the monkeys outshine their human counterparts.

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Good

Interesting story. Good character development as is typical with both of the Gears. HOWEVER, the editor needed some time off before reviewing this one.

Dark Inheritance: A Suspenseful Tale of Intrigue

Even though the technological terminology makes this book challenging, I found Dark Inheritance by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear to be an excellent read. Never before have I found myself so completely engrossed in a book. Reading Dark Inheritance was a heart-pounding thrill ride with suspense and surprise at every twist and turn of the author's journey.
Jim Dutton and his two daughters embark on a harrowing flight from the powerful SAC Corporation Determined to keep it's lucrative animal testing program hidden from the public. Jim's problems begin when he becomes attached to a bonobo chimp named Umber that he is given by the SAC Corporation for research. After twelve years of working with her, Jim not only feels that Umber is his own child, he also realizes there is something extraordinary about her. She is to smart.
When Jim begins to investigate, the SAC Corp. steps in and orders him to come to Africa. When strange and murderous things begin to happen at the SAC Corp. compound, Jim must enlist the help of a reporter to get his family home alive.
Dark Inheritance has a hauntingly plausible story line. The book explores capitalism's reign in the face of cutting edge medical achievements and the ethical choices that follow. The reader should expect interesting facts accompanied by graphic violence. Only the most daring readers will enjoy such a combination of exotic and grotesque novel. Parts of this book had me shaking with fear and others had me crying.
Another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the author's portrayal of Africa. The informative description of the jungle really made me feel as if I were there with the moist hot air all around. Being taken away to an unknown world where danger lurks in the shadows proved to be a refreshing escape.
Most enjoyable to me however were the characters. Umber, the bonobo is so much like a human that several times, I found I had to remind myself that she was a Chimpanzee. The characters in this book display so much courage and such a strong family bond that I couldn't help but feel an emotional attachment to them. The last page of this book was extremely sad because I felt that I was losing friends.
For all of these reasons, Dark Inheritance is the best book I have ever read. Never have I been so engrossed and felt so many emotions while reading a book. This is definitely one that I had a hard time letting go and was upset to see the end of. I highly recommend Dark Inheritance and look forward to starting the next novel that Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear publish.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

At the behest of a wealthy geneticist researching the minute genetic differences that separate humans from chimpanzees and control the way the two species think and learn, a number of U.S. scientists have been asked to raise and study bonobo chimpanzees in their homes. One such chimp is Umber, placed with Dr. Jim Dutton, an anthropology professor. Umber, however, is startlingly different from the other chimpanzees Dutton has studied. Quick to learn, Umber soon acquires a prodigious sign language vocabulary and manipulates the computer, tools, and kitchen appliances with remarkable ease. After comparing notes with other host families, Dutton starts wondering if the chimps were somehow altered. The question galvanizes Dutton and Canadian journalist Valerie Radin to seek the trutha truth that will soon lead to a horrifying discovery An anthropological/archaeological writing team, the Gears have achieved international success with their USA Today bestselling First North Americans prehistory series, whose 10 titles in print have sold over eight million copies in the U.S. and Canada. The Visitant (Tor, 8/99), the Gears modern-day archaeological mystery, has over 50,000 hardcover copies in print.

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