Evolution's Shore
   Ian McDonald
   (Associate Reviewer-D. H. BROWN)
  1995 Bantam Spectra Books, New York USA
   ISBN: 0553374354


In the year 2002 strange things happened on one of Saturn's moons & a meteor strikes Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa casting an alien infestation of vegetable life-form all about. Gaby McAslan & her SkyNet news team set out for the story of a lifetime.

Ian McDonald makes the case that “first contact” may not take the form of little green men in flying saucers but maybe more strange than we can imagine; that evolution happens, with pitiless logic & unsentimental grandeur. Evolve or die.

Our bias toward the material sciences leave us woefully unprepared to face invasion by something we almost instinctively rebel against; taking Man back to its primal jungle roots. Ian McDonald's description of Africa will make you sweat in the heat, sneeze in the dust & breath the dank air of jungle passages.

...inexorable, relentless...this is what i am...you can do nothing to stop me...from nuclear weapons to agent orange-type defoliants. There is nothing you mere humans can think up; the Chaga not only changes the landscape, it transforms all who come in contact with it. Evolve or die.

Our human story has become one of constant battle against the natural world around us & in Evolution's Shore the human race meets with its betters. In Africa, the birthplace of humanity, the white man has relentlessly transformed the core of what Africa was. The UN takes control to contain this infestation, to evacuate everyone in its path. By drips & slips the cordon is broken as those who travel into this alien vegetation have their DNA manipulated. To every individual who becomes part of the Chaga it gives back according to their needs, it becomes omnipresent - imagine life without genders. Fascinating ideas!

We think of life as mammalian & the product of the story of a world & we have to understand that vegetation is 100 times older than mammalian life. There was algae long, long before there were creatures

I think one of the greatest fears of the Creationists is they cannot tolerate the idea that we are descended from bacteria.

The Chaga is one form of plant life that doesn't & can't be stopped with a few gallons of herbicide.

It definitely responds to sentiments & behaves in its response as if there's thought.

Gaby presents the reporting side of standing outside of this phenomenon & watches the battle, not with the invader so much as within the human race. Acceptance means we have to be willing to evolve further in the physical world in order to survive. The invader doesn't give the humans a choice. Evolve or die.

I found the writer's recounting of the tale to be absolutely riveting, his imaging of our human frailties & prejudices totally engrossing.

It was a thought-provoking read that will definitely be reread for its depth & breadth. I hope another generation discovers this gem.

More from Ian McDonald: The Broken Land; Desolation Road; King of Morning, Queen of Day; Out on Blue Six; Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone; Terminal Cafe
Short Fiction: Empire Dreams & Speaking in Tongues.
(090300)

David
A RebeccasReads.com Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
D. H. BROWN is the author of the critically acclaimed HONOR DUE and the Citizens Warrior Series. The son of missionary parents and with the help his Uncle Sam, he has touched base in more than 40 countries.  In 1986 he produced the independent children's film Lessie's Rainbow.  During the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote the book Common Sense and delivered the seminars of the same name for the Community Action Network of Seattle (CAN).  While doing his early Vietnam recovery work, he counseled Veterans and spoke widely to men's groups in Washington state, and was a founder of The Lodge of the Wolf.

D. H. BROWN has worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Viet Nam; day laborer; Director of Security; Armored Car Driver; Police Officer; Professional Hunting Guide; Trapper; Dog Sledder; Homesteader; Truck Driver; General Contractor; Minister; Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Movie Producer; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor; Webmaster and Web Designer. "I write about what I know."

He lives deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife, author and editor Rebecca and Buddy Dog, working on his next book.
Visit him at: www.dhbrownbooks.com