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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Mammoth by Chris Flynn is a different, funny and imaginative book. It is narrated by a 13,000 year old mammoth called Mammut – wait what? Yep Mammut is a fossil and tells his story to a bunch of other fossils while they are waiting to be sold at auction. In this story once the bones or fossils of an animal are unearthed somehow they can begin to remember their lives and also what happened to them after being dug up. It also allows them to communicate with other fossils through telepathy. Weird but it does work.
Mammut’s bones were found in the past couple of hundred years and he tells the other fossils the story of his death and what happened to his fossilised remains after he was dug up. He is interrupted constantly by his fellow fossils a tyrannosaurus, a pterodactyl and others. Each have snippets of stories to tell and speak in different ways depending upon when they were dug up and which humans they have listed to since. The tyrannosaurus speaks like a teenager since he has only been dug up for sixteen years!
This was a somewhat bizarre way to approach a book but Flynn has managed to pull it off. The dialogue back and forth is interesting, though at times I felt the narration of Mammut dragged a little too slowly for my liking. There was also no speaking punctuation which I have enjoyed in other books but found a little confusing in Mammoth. It was hard at times to work out who was speaking – especially when it was one of the characters other than Mammut who had a definite “voice”. Overall though the approach to the narration works. The humour in the book is sarcastic and dry and there was some very funny moments. References to the size of the tyrannosaurus’s hands springs to mind!
Throughout Mammut’s story there is an undercurrent of unease about the way humans have impacted the natural world. By telling us what has happened to the mammoth’s bones over time we see a view of the state of the planet that is uncomfortable. Despite bearing witness to the environmental impacts of humans, Mammoth does though leave us with a glimmer of hope. It was a completely original and quite quirky book.
Mammut’s bones were found in the past couple of hundred years and he tells the other fossils the story of his death and what happened to his fossilised remains after he was dug up. He is interrupted constantly by his fellow fossils a tyrannosaurus, a pterodactyl and others. Each have snippets of stories to tell and speak in different ways depending upon when they were dug up and which humans they have listed to since. The tyrannosaurus speaks like a teenager since he has only been dug up for sixteen years!
This was a somewhat bizarre way to approach a book but Flynn has managed to pull it off. The dialogue back and forth is interesting, though at times I felt the narration of Mammut dragged a little too slowly for my liking. There was also no speaking punctuation which I have enjoyed in other books but found a little confusing in Mammoth. It was hard at times to work out who was speaking – especially when it was one of the characters other than Mammut who had a definite “voice”. Overall though the approach to the narration works. The humour in the book is sarcastic and dry and there was some very funny moments. References to the size of the tyrannosaurus’s hands springs to mind!
Throughout Mammut’s story there is an undercurrent of unease about the way humans have impacted the natural world. By telling us what has happened to the mammoth’s bones over time we see a view of the state of the planet that is uncomfortable. Despite bearing witness to the environmental impacts of humans, Mammoth does though leave us with a glimmer of hope. It was a completely original and quite quirky book.
This is history; but not as you expect it to be. Mammut is a mammoth who has been extinct for 13,000 years but that doesn't stop him from sharing a stunning tale of his life, death, and his observations of humanity since he was unearthed in 1805. Along with his fellow fossils, Mammut tells mostly true stories about how he came to be in a warehouse in New York, as they all await their sale at a natural history auction in 2007.
Mammut's life and afterlife has taken him from the ice-age tundra of North America where ancient megafauna encountered the encroaching humans and changing habitats, to the politics of post-revolutionary United States and the political boiling pot of Ireland in the 1800's. Along the way I learned about ancient species, racial tensions, political machinations, and pieces of history I had no idea about.
This is a great book for book club discussions and there are going to nuggets of information in this book even the most widely-read history buff will learn from. This is a truly unexpected book that no short review can prepare you for.
Mammut's life and afterlife has taken him from the ice-age tundra of North America where ancient megafauna encountered the encroaching humans and changing habitats, to the politics of post-revolutionary United States and the political boiling pot of Ireland in the 1800's. Along the way I learned about ancient species, racial tensions, political machinations, and pieces of history I had no idea about.
This is a great book for book club discussions and there are going to nuggets of information in this book even the most widely-read history buff will learn from. This is a truly unexpected book that no short review can prepare you for.
Mammoth is narrated by the fossilised remains of a 13,000-year-old extinct American Mammoth (Mammut Americanum), who is simply addressed throughout the story as Mammut. In early 2007, Mammut is awaiting the auction of his skeleton at a warehouse in New York. He finds himself in a room with several other creatures and their remains, specifically that of Tyrannosaurus bataar. As the night progresses, Mammut tells the story of his life walking the earth with ancient humans and other animals; his dramatic death; the exhumation of his bones; and his journey as a fossil over the last two hundred years.
The story has a totally unique and bizarre premise but is far from being gimmicky. It is structured through flashbacks of Mammut’s life/afterlife and the banter between the fossils in the present. The flashbacks provide a view into different historical periods and blend fact with fiction. Mammut’s journey as an exhibition piece with real life figures, Moses Williams and Georges Cuvier, offering a journey into Napoleonic France. Here Mammat can convey the racism that existed, not just between people, but within naturalism and natural history circles. Similarly, when Mammut is stolen by the fictional Irish rebel Caiomhe O’Neill and her brother, his journey with her to conflict ridden Ireland and then back to America works to bring attention to the silencing of women’s voices in history.
Narrative voice is used exceptionally effectively. Mammut, who was first exhumed in the early C19th has a formal, esoteric, and didactic speech that reflects the time he first learnt to speak English. This is off set by the contemporary American slang T-bar uses having been discovered in the 1990s and learnt English from a small group of young Americans. The seriousness of Mammut and his story is often complemented by the lightness and humour of the other creatures around him. Despite the novel not using speech marks and minimal punctuation, it is not difficult to ascertain who is speaking at any given time due to the strength of the characterisation and character voice.
Despite its highly imaginative premise, Mammoth has been incredibly well researched. The detail is often meticulous, but never dull. There is so much to offer about man’s relationship with nature; the purpose and ownership of history; the cyclical nature of history; racism and its legacy; and sustainability and conservation. However, the novel also offers hope that for all those who want to thoughtlessly squander the Earth and her natural resources, there are just as many who are willing to create positive change and save the planet. All of this is executed with real wit, humour, tenderness, and intelligence.
The story has a totally unique and bizarre premise but is far from being gimmicky. It is structured through flashbacks of Mammut’s life/afterlife and the banter between the fossils in the present. The flashbacks provide a view into different historical periods and blend fact with fiction. Mammut’s journey as an exhibition piece with real life figures, Moses Williams and Georges Cuvier, offering a journey into Napoleonic France. Here Mammat can convey the racism that existed, not just between people, but within naturalism and natural history circles. Similarly, when Mammut is stolen by the fictional Irish rebel Caiomhe O’Neill and her brother, his journey with her to conflict ridden Ireland and then back to America works to bring attention to the silencing of women’s voices in history.
Narrative voice is used exceptionally effectively. Mammut, who was first exhumed in the early C19th has a formal, esoteric, and didactic speech that reflects the time he first learnt to speak English. This is off set by the contemporary American slang T-bar uses having been discovered in the 1990s and learnt English from a small group of young Americans. The seriousness of Mammut and his story is often complemented by the lightness and humour of the other creatures around him. Despite the novel not using speech marks and minimal punctuation, it is not difficult to ascertain who is speaking at any given time due to the strength of the characterisation and character voice.
Despite its highly imaginative premise, Mammoth has been incredibly well researched. The detail is often meticulous, but never dull. There is so much to offer about man’s relationship with nature; the purpose and ownership of history; the cyclical nature of history; racism and its legacy; and sustainability and conservation. However, the novel also offers hope that for all those who want to thoughtlessly squander the Earth and her natural resources, there are just as many who are willing to create positive change and save the planet. All of this is executed with real wit, humour, tenderness, and intelligence.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
First part with focus on prehistoric animals is great. The next part about scientific advances in knowledge about prehistory is also ok.
But then plot just wanders off and side story becomes the main story. Well written - but just side plot.
Seems like a huge missed opportunity to discuss present day extinction, biodiversity loss and climate catastrophe in a novel way - in favor of what?
First whiskey breweries in Kentucky and a superficial look at history of Ireland, frontier and other bits and pieces?
Ending was meh - just seemed like a deus ex machina happy ending. Also did not do justice to the interesting story - and back story - of Pleistocene Park in Siberia. There are documentaries on YouTube that are worth a look.
But then plot just wanders off and side story becomes the main story. Well written - but just side plot.
Seems like a huge missed opportunity to discuss present day extinction, biodiversity loss and climate catastrophe in a novel way - in favor of what?
First whiskey breweries in Kentucky and a superficial look at history of Ireland, frontier and other bits and pieces?
Ending was meh - just seemed like a deus ex machina happy ending. Also did not do justice to the interesting story - and back story - of Pleistocene Park in Siberia. There are documentaries on YouTube that are worth a look.
adventurous
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
funny
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
