Deep Past

A Novel

By: Eugene Linden

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

If nature could invent intelligence of our scale in a blink of geologic time, who’s to say it hasn’t been done before....

A routine dig in Kazakhstan takes a radical turn for 32-year-old anthropologist Claire Knowland when a stranger turns up at the site with a bizarre find from a remote section of the desolate Kazakh Steppe. Her initial skepticism of this mysterious discovery gives way to a realization that the find will shake the very foundations of our understanding of evolution and intelligence.

Corrupt politics of Kazakhstan force Claire to take reckless chances with the discovery.

Among the allies she gathers in her fight to save herself and bring the discovery to light is Sergei Anachev, a brilliant but enigmatic Russian geologist who becomes her unlikely protector even as he deals with his own unknown crisis.

Ultimately, Claire finds herself fighting not just for the discovery and her academic reputation, but for her very life as great power conflicts engulf the unstable region and an unscrupulous oligarch attempts to take advantage of the chaos.

Drawing on Eugene Linden’s celebrated nonfiction investigations into what makes humans different from other species, this international thriller mixes fact and the fantastical, the realities of academic politics, and high-stakes geopolitics - engaging the listener every step of the way.

©2019 Eugene Linden (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Lots To Contemplate

Everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask about archeological digs, academic politics, mammalian evolution, and the evolution of intelligence. Parts read like a textbook. Worth a credit. (I listened via Audible.)

A well-told tale

I didn't think this was likely to win stuffy awards for Great Literature, but I did think it was Good Entertainment.

There seemed to be some disagreement among reviews here at Audible, so I was apprehensive, but I found this book really solidly written and excellently performed. It's exactly the kind of story I am so often wanting when I plug into an audiobook.

It was easy to become immersed in. I liked the characters--well, those of them I was meant to like. The story was thoughtful and intriguing. The cultural aspects of it seemed properly researched.

The story ends in nicely wrapped up form, but I was sad that it ended. I would have liked it to go on, both because of the plot and because of the characters. It left enough room for a sequel, and I'll be crossing my fingers for that.

Excellent!!!

Eugene Linden has done it again! Ancient bones from the deep past, petroleum industry intrigue, and Russians meddling in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan - a timely story - anytime.