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Synopsis
Stretching from the distant past into the remote future, from primordial Earth to the stars, Evolution is a soaring symphony of struggle, extinction, and survival; a dazzling epic that combines a dozen scientific disciplines and a cast of unforgettable characters to convey the grand drama of evolution in all its awesome majesty and rigorous beauty. Sixty-five million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, there lived a small mammal, a proto-primate of the species Purgatorius . From this humble beginning, Baxter traces the human lineage forward through time. The adventure that unfolds is a gripping odyssey governed by chance and competition, a perilous journey to an uncertain destination along a route beset by sudden and catastrophic upheavals. It is a route that ends, for most species, in stagnation or extinction. Why should humanity escape this fate?
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Review
Following up his cosmic Manifold series, Stephen Baxter peers back on a more prosaic history in the worthy yet uneven Evolution. The book is nothing less than a novelization of human evolution, a mega-Michener treatment of 65 million years starring a host of smart, furry primates representing Homo sapiens's ancestry. Each stage of our ancestry is represented by a character of progressively increasing intelligence, empathy, and brain size, who must survive predation and other perils long enough to keep the natural-selection ball rolling. While Baxter carefully follows some widely accepted theories of evolution--punctuated equilibrium, for instance--he also strays from the known in postulating air whales and sentient, tool-wielding dinosaurs. And why not? There's nothing in the fossil record to contradict his musings about those things, or about the first instances of mammalian altruism and deception, which he also lets us observe. From little Purga, a shrewlike mammal scurrying under the feet of ankylosaurs, all the way through Ultimate, the last human descendant, Baxter adds drama and a strong story arc to our past and future. But he spends too much time on details of the various prehumans' lives, which can become repetitive: fight, mate, die, ad infinitum. And readers eager for a science-fictional adventure will only find satisfaction in the posthuman chapters at the end. Despite these flaws, Evolution grips the attention with an epoch-spanning tale of the random changes that rule our genetic heritage. Recommended. --Therese Littleton
From the Inside Flap
Stretching from the distant past into the remote future, from primordial Earth to the stars, Evolution is a soaring symphony of struggle, extinction, and survival; a dazzling epic that combines a dozen scientific disciplines and a cast of unforgettable characters to convey the grand drama of evolution in all its awesome majesty and rigorous beauty. Sixty-five million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, there lived a small mammal, a proto-primate of the species Purgatorius. From this humble beginning, Baxter traces the human lineage forward through time. The adventure that unfolds is a gripping odyssey governed by chance and competition, a perilous journey to an uncertain destination along a route beset by sudden and catastrophic upheavals. It is a route that ends, for most species, in stagnation or extinction. Why should humanity escape this fate?
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- PublisherGollancz
- Publication date2002
- ISBN 10 0575073411
- ISBN 13 9780575073418
- BindingHardcover
- LanguageEnglish
- Edition number1
- Rating
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Evolution (GOLLANCZ S.F.)
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002194071
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Evolution (GOLLANCZ S.F.)
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Evolution (GOLLANCZ S.F.) This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780575073418
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Evolution (GOLLANCZ S.F.)
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
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Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. Ex library copy with usual stamps & stickers. Seller Inventory # wbs3718065516
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Evolution (GOLLANCZ S.F.)
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780575073418
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Evolution
Seller: Anybook.com, Lincoln, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has hardback covers. In good all round condition. Dust Jacket in good condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,1100grams, ISBN:9780575073418. Seller Inventory # 8527686
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Evolution
Published by
Gollancz, London, 2002
ISBN 10: 0575073411
ISBN 13: 9780575073418
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Godley Books, Hyde, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hard Cover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. No marks or inscriptions. A very clean very tight copy with bright unmarked boards, slight tanning to page edges and bumping to lower corners. Dust jacket not price clipped or marked or torn with slight indenting and creasing to some corners. 585pp. A novel from evolutionary scientist Stephen Baxter which turns the story of Darwinian evolution into a constant drama - from the time of the dinosaurs to life on a changing dying world. We do not use stock photos, the picture displayed is of the actual book for sale. Every one of our books is in stock in the UK ready for immediate delivery. Size: 9.5 x 6.25 inches. Seller Inventory # 026681
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Evolution
Published by
Gollancz, 2002
ISBN 10: 0575073411
ISBN 13: 9780575073418
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Signed
Seller: Nicholas J. Certo, Newburgh, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Signed by author on title page with the typical squiggle. Minor reader lean to spine else fine in a fine dust wrapper. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 20-7 sf baxter digges
Quantity: 1 available
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Evolution, Signed
Seller: Kazoo Books LLC, Kalamazoo, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Included. Blue cloth covers with siver gilt lettering on spine. Dust jacket in protective cover. Black spine. Appears to be signed on title page. Photo upon request. Page edge has begun to darken. 9.5x6.25 with 585 pages. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 131015
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Evolution
Seller: Barclay Books, York, WA, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardback. From their beginnings foraging at the feet of the dinosaurs, through the apocalypse of an asteroid strike, through countless years of the day to day life and death dramas of survival of the fittest, to the rise and fall of mankind and the final destruction of earth by the expanding sun, the primates have survived. This is their story. EVOLUTION follows the ebb and flow of the fortunes of one group of creatures as they change and adapt to their world somewhere on the horn of Africa. It turns the story of Darwinian evolution into a constant drama, a daily life and death struggle, a heroic story of life¿s endurance. It is a story that transcends generations, species, mankind and, in the end, the Earth itself. In the tradition of Olaf Stapledon and HG Wells. 2002, First edition. A very good copy only marked by age tanning of the pages and some short lines in pencil in the margins. The d/w is unclipped and fine and now in a protective cover. 5.4 Centimeters X 16.7 Centimeters X 24.6 Centimeters. Seller Inventory # 25952777
Quantity: 1 available
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Evolution
Published by
Gollancz, 2002
ISBN 10: 0575073411
ISBN 13: 9780575073418
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Signed
Seller: Grayshelf Books, ABAA, IOBA, Tomball, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First UK Edition/First Printing; A Near Fine book in a Near Fine dust jacket with only light rubbing to the edges and a gentle foxing to the page edges, else Fine/Fine. SIGNED by the author to the title page. An outstanding copy by one of our SciFi masters; this novel being one of this bookseller's favorite looks at the history and processes of evolution. Uncommon signed and in this condition. Not remaindered, not price clipped, not ex-library; in a fresh Mylar sleeve and will ship carefully wrapped in a sturdy box. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 2859
Quantity: 1 available