What do You think about Before Adam (2006)?
I've always loved London for his naturalistic adventure writing; here, he's applied that to the prehistoric age, the Pleistocene in specific, a time when three separate groups of humanoids exist. First are the Tree People, arboreal humanoids closer to savage apes. Next are the Cave People (the “Folk”), a race on the verge of culture, living both in trees and cave shelters, developing the seeds of language and tools. Last are the Fire People, who have yet to master domestication but whose tools include fire and the deadly bow and arrow. The easiest task for a writer would be to follow the Fire People, but London took the more challenging route—the one more suited to his talents—and made his protagonist one of the Cave People, a race lacking a real language (and therefore dialogue). Here, we follow the adventures of Big-Tooth and Lop-Ear, of the Swift One and the atavistic Red-Eye, roaming among the many wild carnivores and dangers of the Younger World.After an intriguing first chapter, the second bogs down in London’s (now archaic) rationalizations for the novel as buried racial memories portraying a long-lost evolutionary ancestor to humanity, from a time “before Adam.” It’s a neat frame-story device, though one lacking conviction. Soon enough, we're back to the forest primeval of the Pleistocene, and follow the protagonist's ancestor Big-Tooth on his adventures. Apart from a few critical weaknesses--referring to Red-Eye as "an atavism" every time he appears, and an emotional distance which cripples the "romance" between Big-Tooth and the Swift One---the novel is well-written and engaging.While it's rough around the edges and scientifically dated, Before Adam excels as entertainment: it’s an impressive imagination of the earliest humanoids and the brutal world in which they lived. London dies a remarkable job making the protagonists near-but-not-yet human, making the Folk unique and sympathetic yet savage and alien; he did not beautify their lives, nor did he fully humanize a non-human species. The picture of rudimentary humanity that London has is impressive, their adventures compelling. Really, the novel’s worst aspect is that it’s too short. (Full Review Found Here.)
—Chris
Jack London uses his protean intellect and imagination to tell a gripping and thought provoking story once again. There was a flurry of books inspired by acceptance of Evolution in the decades following Darwin's published theory. London sets his tale circa 100,000 BC. The story of the main character is revealed through dreams had by a modern human of what he can only conclude was a life of an ancestor. This is the first of two instances in which Jack London shows a true science fiction bent in that his ideas are consistent and indeed borne out as accurate many years after this book was written. Recent experiments have shown how so called epi genes can in fact pass genetic information about experiences had only a generation previously and that those codes "memories" persist in mice several generations later. London says, "An instinct is merely a habit that is stamped into the stuff of our heredity, that is all".He also has the amazing prescience to include three groups of human like primates so-existing at this time. Although Neanderthals had been discovered London was way ahead of discoveries only recently proving that Denisovans and possibly Homo Floriensis existed in this time period alongside our ancestors. Beyond the interesting science, London the storyteller provides a realistic tale of life in these times. He is again ahead of the curve for his time is describing our lives in this period as marked by fear, foraging in the daytime and hiding in caves from predators at night. It is a fun and fascinating read traveling through time with such a sure intellect at the helm. Our protagonist, Big Tooth, is free of the knowledge of history. "It is I, the modern, who look back across the centuries and weigh and analyze the emotions and motives of Big Tooth, my other self. He did not bother to weigh and analyze. He was simplicity itself. He just lived events, without ever pondering why he lived them in his particular and often erratic way."
—Lemar
I happened on this one during a browse session at my local used book dealer. Since I remember loving Call of the Wild, this seemed a no-brainer to try. Furthermore, thanks to the first section of Arthur C. Clarke's 2001, I was also anxious to see another fictional take on prehistoric humans. Both as a Jack London outing, and another dip into literature about prehistoric times, this book paid off.Before Adam may not be as attractive a story as other Jack London fare. The content reads even more brutal. The protagonist also seems less sympathetic than Buck, the hero of Call of the Wild. The combined effect is a book that feels quite dark, even though it focuses on daytime danger. The first person narrative provides a Poe-like feel, as we are taken into the protagonist's nightmarish memories of primitive time. Though the story contains an antagonist, a romance, and a sense of morality, the ape-like behavior makes it difficult to connect with the main characters. Nevertheless, I found myself grinning during the story's courtship chapter. Apparently females have been playing hard-to-get for eons. Kudos to Mr. London for resisting the urge to humanize and prettify the subject material. Before Adam reads as a sincere effort to dramatize the best evolutionary theory of early-1900s. It makes the story, though harder to warm up to, more legitimate. If you've read other London, I recommend giving this one a read.
—Jake
