Extinction – Douglas Preston
Forge Books
384 Pages
I love the Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child Agent Pedergast books series. I started reading the series way back in 1995 when the first book came out and have been a loyal reader since. I’ve even read their other series as well as their individual efforts. So, reading Douglas Preston’s new solo novel, Extinction, was a no-brainer. I quickly grabbed it off the shelf at the Lockport Public Library when I saw it.
The action opens with a guided hike through a controversial nature preserve in Colorado. The innocence is broken the first night when the trio is presumably kidnapped or killed. Local authorities are called in for an investigation at the urging of one of the hikers’ billionaire father. Initially believed to be the work of eco-terrorists protesting the preserve, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash arrives to lead the search for answers. Paired with a cantankerous local sheriff, Cash dives headlong into working out what happened only to be stymied every step of the way.
Representatives from the Erebus Corporation, owners of the preserve, are seemingly helpful at first glance. However, they are holding something back. Cash can feel it. That withheld information could be the key to unlocking the mystery. Cash and the sheriff dive headlong into their work and find themselves in the midst of something far more sinister than eco-terrorism. Danger lurks in the shadows and the truth is terrifying.
Extinction seemingly stars out as an almost clone of Jurassic Park but it very quickly becomes something else. And that something else is just plain scary. As science makes cloning and reconstituting DNA of extinct species more likely, the results could be simple science or horrifying experiments gone awry. Preston takes the latter path and leads the reader on a tale of science gone bad. There is a fine line, and the author takes us to the wrong side of the tracks in these experiments.
There is enough actual science in this novel to make it very believable. And very scary. While some of the procedures in this book have not yet been invented, the possibility is there. We are just on the cusp of some of these discoveries. Preston gives us a glimpse at where we’re heading and spells out the dangers that could happen if we’re not diligent. In the end, the story is won, so to speak, by the good guys. Or is it? Once the genie has been let out of the bottle, it is nearly impossible to get it back inside.
Extinction by Douglas Preston is yet another book by this author that entertained me greatly. The biggest detriment to this book was the character development. The cast was flat and bland this time. It is not like Preston to go stingy on his characters. Typically, this could be a deal breaker for me, but the plot around the characters made for a fantastic story. Good development of the people in the book would have pushed this one over the top into a really, really good book. I still give this one high marks, though.
If you’re a fan of Douglas Preston’s other works, both solo and with Lincoln Child, you will find this one enjoyable, too. While you may wish for some more character development, you will find the plot engaging and frighteningly close to reality. Preston has a way of making the mundane seem exciting. He does it again with Extinction.
Craig Bacon wants to bring back the wooly mammoth. That seems like an easy one to try first. He thinks scientists are actually working on it right now.
Originally published on Niagara’s Water Cooler. Republished with permission.