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beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
I can still remember the first book I read from this author, Infected. I would say that book did what the movie, Arachnophobia did to people watching it. It gave me the chills and creeps all at the same time. Thus, I really thought that I was going to be in for a treat and get the same experience with this book. I would say that the last third of the book was just what I was looking forward too but I wanted to whole book to be that way.
The characters were fine. None that really stood out for me. Yet, some of them kept things interesting. I just kept waiting to see what the creature was that was going to possibly save humankind. Again, I was left hanging until the last third of the story. At that point I could not stop reading fast enough. Even some of your worst nightmares could not compare to what was born. This book may not have been one of my favorites but Mr. Sigler is still a top favorite author of mine.
The characters were fine. None that really stood out for me. Yet, some of them kept things interesting. I just kept waiting to see what the creature was that was going to possibly save humankind. Again, I was left hanging until the last third of the story. At that point I could not stop reading fast enough. Even some of your worst nightmares could not compare to what was born. This book may not have been one of my favorites but Mr. Sigler is still a top favorite author of mine.
narzack's review against another edition
2.0
Basically airport trash, with a lot of gore. The dialogue was pretty bad, but it would definitely make a pretty fun movie.
ltg61's review against another edition
2.0
This is my second foray into Scott Sigler, and frankly, this came pretty close to killing my interest in him. I previously read 'Nocturnal' and loved it in all its cheesiness. 'Ancestor' on the other hand, just feels hollow and dull.
The story is imaginative enough - laboratory made monsters and over-ambitious pharmaceutical execs making a mess of things...for, well, like 10 people give or take. 10 seriously uninteresting people. It seems like Sigler decided to rely entirely on backstory to develope each character, without giving them much actual character. Despite reading a bunch of unnecessary details about each characters past, I didn't feel any closer to knowing them. Every aspect of this story has the same issue; it feels so hollow yet simultaneously overweight, like it's been fleshed-out in all the wrong places.
The only positive thing I can say about this is that it wasn't quite bad enough to turn me off Scott Sigler permanently.
The story is imaginative enough - laboratory made monsters and over-ambitious pharmaceutical execs making a mess of things...for, well, like 10 people give or take. 10 seriously uninteresting people. It seems like Sigler decided to rely entirely on backstory to develope each character, without giving them much actual character. Despite reading a bunch of unnecessary details about each characters past, I didn't feel any closer to knowing them. Every aspect of this story has the same issue; it feels so hollow yet simultaneously overweight, like it's been fleshed-out in all the wrong places.
The only positive thing I can say about this is that it wasn't quite bad enough to turn me off Scott Sigler permanently.
melledotca's review against another edition
4.0
I came across Sigler via the Nerdist podcast, and liked the cut of his jib. I was also interested in how he said he would have readers contact him to correct errors in his books. Because he writes science-heavy fiction, there's a lot he can get wrong, and when a lot of his audience are SME nerds, there are a lot of folks to notice small screw-ups. Ahh, crowdsourcing. :) I appreciate his attention to the craft, though.
I reserved the first two books of his "disease" series: Infected and Contagious, as well as Ancestor, at the library. I definitely agree that his work is science fiction, heavy on the science, with a dash of action adventure. It's not much of a mental leap to believe any of the stuff in the book could happen -- hell, probably has. I also appreciate his sense of humour. You may never look at a Holstein the same way again is all I'm sayin'. :)
It's a fairly testosterone-heavy read, but doesn't really tip over into an orgy of violence porn like Maberry books do. And hey, there's even a Strong Female Character. Even if she is the love interest...
All in all, an enjoyable page turner, and I'm looking forward to burning through the "disease" books while travelling this week.
Oh, and I did find a screw-up. Maybe. There's a dog in the book (who, I gather, is a stand-in for Sigler's own, now-deceased dog). He refers to her as a) a cattle dog, b) a border collie, and c) an Australian Shepherd at various points. These are three different breeds. However, he also refers to her having a long, poofy tail, and to her being black and white, which would make her a border collie most likely, since Australian Shepherds don't have tails (unless they're mutts, like Gordie). And while it's possible to get a black and while only cattle dog or Aussie, especially if mixed, at best they're usually merle, which tends to look more grey. Hey, we dog nerds are useful, too.
I reserved the first two books of his "disease" series: Infected and Contagious, as well as Ancestor, at the library. I definitely agree that his work is science fiction, heavy on the science, with a dash of action adventure. It's not much of a mental leap to believe any of the stuff in the book could happen -- hell, probably has. I also appreciate his sense of humour. You may never look at a Holstein the same way again is all I'm sayin'. :)
It's a fairly testosterone-heavy read, but doesn't really tip over into an orgy of violence porn like Maberry books do. And hey, there's even a Strong Female Character. Even if she is the love interest...
All in all, an enjoyable page turner, and I'm looking forward to burning through the "disease" books while travelling this week.
Oh, and I did find a screw-up. Maybe. There's a dog in the book (who, I gather, is a stand-in for Sigler's own, now-deceased dog). He refers to her as a) a cattle dog, b) a border collie, and c) an Australian Shepherd at various points. These are three different breeds. However, he also refers to her having a long, poofy tail, and to her being black and white, which would make her a border collie most likely, since Australian Shepherds don't have tails (unless they're mutts, like Gordie). And while it's possible to get a black and while only cattle dog or Aussie, especially if mixed, at best they're usually merle, which tends to look more grey. Hey, we dog nerds are useful, too.
hayleyscomment's review against another edition
3.0
This book was absurd and I liked it. Most of the dialogue and all of the romance are cringe and it’s a little slow to pick up, but the action was really fun—lots of gore—and I enjoyed the Michigan connection. I had nightmares about the creatures, they were pretty scary!
bbboeken's review against another edition
4.0
Sigler weet overduidelijk te entertainen. Deze science-techno-thriller met de betere elementen uit Jurassic Park laat zich lezen met een rotvaart. Ik had het lastig het boek naast mij neer te leggen op de momenten dat ik niet verder kon lezen. Er komt een vervolg, _Descendant_
alwroteabook's review against another edition
DNFed at 30%. The characters were irritating.
tanya_the_spack's review against another edition
3.0
Love the premise and the monsters, but too many of the characters make no sense. The average ones and the ones who had no clue what was going on make sense. But the supposedly smart/brilliant people who know more are just so stupid. But it was, overall, a fun read, if a bit of a bloody gore-fest. Also, I know the author's later works are better in the character department, so I'm still a fan.
gregtrob's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as Infected or Contagious but a great fun albeit somewhat predictable read.