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The human race is about to give birth to a new species …World War III will be the war against our extinction.Christopher Dicken, ‘virus hunter’ of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, joins an emergency Taskforce on the order of the President. Around the world, what were thought to be ancient junk genes in human DNA have been stimulated to assemble encoded proteins and RNA into an infectious virus which attacks only women – and it kills unborn children. It’s called SHEVA, an apt name for a killer.Dicken needs Kaye Lang on his team. She’s the scientist who predicted the emergence of SHEVA. She knows more about SHEVA than anyone… Except for one other scientist, a paleontologist, who has intuited even more. But, Mitch Rafelson has no credibility whatsoever. The sin of overwhelming curiosity has left him an unemployed outcast – and revealed to him something nobody else knows, not even Kaye Lang.Our place on the ladder of evolution is not where we thought. All other wars in history have been in some way between the forces of good and evil. Not this war. Like a signal on Darwin’s radio SHEVA is broadcasting an extraordinary truth about the origin of species. SHEVA confirms Darwin’s view of ‘blundering, low and horribly cruel works of nature’. There are those who will want to control human destiny, and others who will fight them.The Descent of Man is at hand.At once a gripping thriller on the grandest scale and a tender love story, this is a uniquely controversial and thought-provoking page-turner.
When ancient junk DNA suddenly activates to trigger a global biological shift, humanity faces a terrifying transition that threatens the survival of the current species. Christopher Dicken, a virus hunter, and Kaye Lang, a visionary scientist, must navigate a world descending into panic as a mysterious virus, SHEVA, begins to alter human reproduction. They are opposed by government forces desperate to control the phenomenon and the societal collapse that follows. The narrative unfolds through a multi-perspective lens, tracking the scientific discovery of this evolutionary leap against the backdrop of political maneuvering and personal stakes.
This work is widely regarded as a significant contribution to the hard science fiction subgenre, praised for its rigorous attention to biological detail and its ambitious scope. Readers and critics often highlight the author's ability to ground speculative evolutionary concepts in a plausible, near-future reality. The narrative is frequently noted for its intellectual density, which challenges the reader to consider the implications of human biology as a dynamic, rather than static, system. While the scientific exposition is extensive, it serves to heighten the tension of the central mystery, resulting in a narrative that remains both cerebral and urgent.
Page Count:
439
Publication Date:
1999-05-04
Publisher:
HarperCollins
ISBN-10:
0002257319
ISBN-13:
9780002257312