A review by ddechenb
Evolution by Stephen Baxter

3.0

The early chapters, which offered vivid reconstructions of Earth's environment and its inhabitants at various junctures of evolution, were intriguing, even though I was put off by the consistent focus on individual (personally named!) animals within a species. This may be a good storytelling device, but evolution doesn't operate on individuals, and it has no guiding agenda. Evolution happens to populations over many generations based on which sets of genetic traits enhance not just survival but reproduction and the survival of offspring as well. It was when the author reached his reconstructions of hominin evolution that I finally stopped reading. I'm aware of the fact that he was trying to incorporate actual scientific evidence and assessments of the meaning of such evidence, but I was uncomfortable with the direction he took some of it. Anyway...as an anthropologist who hasn't been academically active in a few years, that's my take. "A" for effort.