Review: Entertaining, fast read that makes you suspend disbelief!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2014
The content of this novel-a huge conspiracy theory regarding the origins of humankind--reminded me somewhat of the Da Vinci Code.  It hooked me right away because the Dead Sea scrolls, ancient knowledge, dead languages, and secret codes, etc. have always fascinated me. The main character is an archeologist turned fiction writer after finding some scrolls that hint that human beings originated on Mars.  This is the second novel in the series and it focuses on the archeologist's attempts to share her new knowledge with the world in a non-fiction book (instead of fiction, as in her first book), without becoming the laughing stock of her peers, and while being thwarted on every side by those opposed to that knowledge becoming public. With elements of intrigue, murder, and danger, this is a page-turner, and I finished it in two sittings, staying up late into the night to do so. The novel is well researched, which allows for a suspension of disbelief with regards to the idea of humankind originating on Mars, and which allows you, as a reader, to become a believer for the duration of the novel and go along for the ride.Overall, the story is fast-paced, interweaving fact and fiction until you can't tell the difference anymore. I would have liked a little more guidance as to which side of the arguments for and against bringing back advanced technological knowledge I was supposed to be on, as for much of the novel I felt like the main character was foolhardy in wanting to bring back the knowledge that destroyed an entire planet, although obviously she is the one we are supposed to be rooting for. Also, there are insidious references to an ancient one-world government on Mars without explanation of why this would be a negative thing (overall in keeping, I suppose, with conspiracy theories in general).One thing that I found off-putting was the reference to Indians being engineered as a regressed race--I feel like the author could have achieved the same result by clarifying that this is meant only in terms of technical knowledge and not intelligence. Given the histories of colonialism, it is quite awkward to advance the idea of regression, which is not much different from calling a people primitive. In the same spirit, I would have also preferred that the human race not be referred to as Man. However, even with these reservations, I enjoyed the novel as an entertaining "What if" story, and I will be reading the next installment in the series.