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A review by andrew61
The Inheritors by William Golding
4.0
This is an inventive and interesting story of Neanderthal man as the emergence of homo sapiens threatens (albeit the Neanderthals are unaware of a threat ) their existence.
The neanderhals are non meat eating (save in extreme hunger) and communicate by mind pictures and this family with the main character Lok are leaving the plains to move to higher ground as the seasons change. the relationships are unclear but they appear to be family group with a few younger and some older individuals as well as children, the apparent leader and elder Mal becomes ill as he falls in the river and the story then follows Lok as the group slowly disperses with some of the group apparently captured by the homo sapiens.
The book culminates in the penultimate chapter when Lok and Fa (female) try to save the captured child Liku , as they hide in the trees they observe the new species in its cruelty and drunkenness with scenes of ritualistic sacrifice and horror. The final chapter then is from the perspective of the leader of the homosapiens , who with the creation of a boat are able to escape onto the water presaging their movement and with the captured Neanderthal the intermingling of the species.
At times difficult to read this book is well worth persevering with as some of the writing is poetic and worth rereading but the underlying story of the destruction of a gentle group by a more powerful race gives this story greater meaning.
it is certainly interesting to look at articles about the book on line and the author's daughters reflections on its inspiration including Golding's experience in world war two, the effects of hunger and his own parents relationship.
A book that I am really glad I read which opens up the author's fiction beyond the classic Lord of the flies which I read many years ago . I have read The Spire which is equally excellent so I will head into his further works soon and from the brief historye I will also try and read the biography.
The neanderhals are non meat eating (save in extreme hunger) and communicate by mind pictures and this family with the main character Lok are leaving the plains to move to higher ground as the seasons change. the relationships are unclear but they appear to be family group with a few younger and some older individuals as well as children, the apparent leader and elder Mal becomes ill as he falls in the river and the story then follows Lok as the group slowly disperses with some of the group apparently captured by the homo sapiens.
The book culminates in the penultimate chapter when Lok and Fa (female) try to save the captured child Liku , as they hide in the trees they observe the new species in its cruelty and drunkenness with scenes of ritualistic sacrifice and horror. The final chapter then is from the perspective of the leader of the homosapiens , who with the creation of a boat are able to escape onto the water presaging their movement and with the captured Neanderthal the intermingling of the species.
At times difficult to read this book is well worth persevering with as some of the writing is poetic and worth rereading but the underlying story of the destruction of a gentle group by a more powerful race gives this story greater meaning.
it is certainly interesting to look at articles about the book on line and the author's daughters reflections on its inspiration including Golding's experience in world war two, the effects of hunger and his own parents relationship.
A book that I am really glad I read which opens up the author's fiction beyond the classic Lord of the flies which I read many years ago . I have read The Spire which is equally excellent so I will head into his further works soon and from the brief historye I will also try and read the biography.