Book Review: Darwin's Radio

Author: Greg Bear
Spiritual Bias: Unknown
Origins Bias: Unknown
Rating: Top Shelf
Level: Intermediate

Comments: This is the first fictional origins book that I've reviewed for this website. Darwin's Radio is perhaps one of the most engaging books that I've read in some time. Bear is an excellent writer. The pace, style, and wording of the book is great and is a welcomed change from the often "dry" technical or science books that I typically read. Darwin's Radio is fundamentally the story of the next phase of human evolution brought about by, you guessed it, auto-evolution - which is an idea gaining popularity in origins circles. The mark of a good sci-fi writer is one that takes the known science and blends it well with the unknown science. Bear jumps into the current void of knowledge regarding retroviruses (a form of Junk DNA) and posits a grand purpose for them - the change mechanism for evolution. This is a very good book which receives the highest rating. The only *minor* concern that I must point out is the length - it's over 500 pages, for some, maybe too long.