Product Description

At the behest of a wealthy geneticist researching the minute genetic differences that separate humans from chimpanzees and control the way the two species think and learn, a number of U.S. scientists have been asked to raise and study bonobo chimpanzees in their homes. One such chimp is Umber, placed with Dr. Jim Dutton, an anthropology professor. Umber, however, is startlingly different from the other chimpanzees Dutton has studied. Quick to learn, Umber soon acquires a prodigious sign language vocabulary and manipulates the computer, tools, and kitchen appliances with remarkable ease. After comparing notes with other host families, Dutton starts wondering if the chimps were somehow altered. The question galvanizes Dutton and Canadian journalist Valerie Radin to seek the trutha truth that will soon lead to a horrifying discovery An anthropological/archaeological writing team, the Gears have achieved international success with their USA Today bestselling First North Americans prehistory series, whose 10 titles in print have sold over eight million copies in the U.S. and Canada. The Visitant (Tor, 8/99), the Gears modern-day archaeological mystery, has over 50,000 hardcover copies in print.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #881422 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 519 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The animal genetic engineering at the heart of this well-constructed novel is hardly a new idea, but the authors (the First North Americans series) use their considerable scientific expertise (he's a physical anthropologist, she's an archeologist) to give it a fresh spin. A huge British pharmaceutical corporation has secretly invested hundreds of millions of pounds in experiments to raise the intelligence level of a species of chimpanzee in Equatorial Guinea. The company has also placed primates with specialists, such as American Jim Dutton, whose bonobo ape Umber is figuratively a sister to his 13-year-old daughter. Umber can't speak human language but understands and communicates both by sign language and with a handheld computer. When Dutton's former wife, a widely known TV investigative reporter, looks into the company as it unexpectedly starts exerting its heavy-handed influence, it's inevitable that their paths will collide. The species-altering gene replacement is as convincing as the danger the heroes ultimately face at an exotic but harrowing African research site. Less persuasive are the tardily revealed reasons for the company's expenditures or the fate of a new species of ape in the human world. That, nor wooden characters and clunky writing, don't stop an exciting, provocative story, however. Agent, Matt Bialer.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-The 21st century meets H. G. Wells's The Island of Doctor Moreau and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in this latest venture by the Gears. The length may seem daunting, but a few pages should be enough to capture the attention of most scientific-fiction lovers. Anthropologist Dr. Jim Dutton has raised a Bonobo pygmy chimpanzee for the past 12 years alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Brett, as part of a research project for pharmaceutical giant SAC (Smyth-Archer Chemists). As it turns out, Umber not only knows sign language, but she can also read, speak through a computerized voice synthesizer, and write. Even more alarmingly, she ponders God, her soul, and the consequences of actions. Dutton fudges results to SAC for fear of losing the animal to experimentation if her true abilities were known. Worried, he consults an old friend and colleague to determine why Umber seems so mysteriously human, and those inquiries bring the attention of SAC on his family and friends. In their attempt to keep Umber as part of their family, Dutton, Brett, and her estranged mother (a well-known investigative reporter) end up in Africa, battling for their survival against an insane blue-eyed ape and the greedy director willing to kill to preserve the SAC financial empire and the secrecy of the ape project. The action-packed story is fascinating, but its real value is the questions it poses, including: Does one have to be a "human" to be a "person?"-Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Anthropologist Jim Dutton raised his daughter, Brett, and a research ape, Umber, in the same house, practically as sisters. Umber's human skills and intelligence result from her genes having been spliced with human DNA in a secret plot by the pharmaceutical company heading the project. When the company wants to send Umber back into the wild, Jim must intervene. Paul Boehmer takes a somber approach to this sci-fi thriller, presenting the fast-moving plot at a measured pace. His characterizations, including accents from Boston, Scotland, Ireland, and Africa, as well as that of the ape herself, are distinct, believable, and subtly polished, lending credibility to the outlandish premise. His studious approach to the narrative passages suits the same purpose. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

great read
I agree with most of the earlier reviews - good and bad. Is it a rip off of Michael Crichton's Congo as well as Robin Cook? Heck yeah. But does that make it bad? Nope. It's a well-written rip-off and certainly entertaining.

I bought this at a lame used book store just for something to read. I had zero expectations and would not have been surprised in the least had it turned out to be sucky. The characters were very real to the point that I was able to read a situation and know each character well enough to know how he or she would react.

A *big* failing of this book was grammar. There are several points within the book that the tense of the story changes - without meaning or explaination. The sentences go from "He walked... and he saw..." to "He walks... and he sees..." I cannot stress how annoying this was. It was like a giant neon sign saying "HEY! We've got two authors here! And yes, they write alone sometimes!" I could understand this short-coming if it were, say, a dream sequence or a flash back or a separate story within the story. But no. Just bad form. It's things like that that tend to rip me right out of my excapist fanasy and right into proof-reading mode. I'm not sure if all of their works have this horrifying flaw since this is the first one I've had the pleasure of reading, but the authors *really* need to work on this.

All in all? Run to it.

pure trash
To summarize, the book tells the story of an English drug company's project to create genetically enhanced bonobos so that the species will have a better chance of survival and escape extinction.
To review, there's nothing to like in this book. More than half the characters are either totally disgusting, or stupid beyond belief. We have a spoiled, obsessed with sex thirteen year-old girl, a mother who abandoned her daughter to pursue her career, profit driven "hunters"/ poachers, and a colossal group of idiots pouring money, a good deal of which is obtained illegally, into an impractical, doomed-from-the-start endeavor. Even the scientific ideas become boring.
In regards to the emotional relationship between Brett (the spoiled girl) and her "sister"(Umber-one of the genetically enhanced bonobos), that feature disintegrates almost instantly due to continual overdone emotional yakking by almost every main character in the story.

If you do want to read about ape genetic engineering then look at Robin Cook's "Chromosome 6." D.I. is a complete rip-off of the latter and Cook's work is infinitely better in every detail.

Dark Inheritance: A Suspenseful Tale of Intrigue
Even though the technological terminology makes this book challenging, I found Dark Inheritance by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear to be an excellent read. Never before have I found myself so completely engrossed in a book. Reading Dark Inheritance was a heart-pounding thrill ride with suspense and surprise at every twist and turn of the author's journey.
Jim Dutton and his two daughters embark on a harrowing flight from the powerful SAC Corporation Determined to keep it's lucrative animal testing program hidden from the public. Jim's problems begin when he becomes attached to a bonobo chimp named Umber that he is given by the SAC Corporation for research. After twelve years of working with her, Jim not only feels that Umber is his own child, he also realizes there is something extraordinary about her. She is to smart.
When Jim begins to investigate, the SAC Corp. steps in and orders him to come to Africa. When strange and murderous things begin to happen at the SAC Corp. compound, Jim must enlist the help of a reporter to get his family home alive.
Dark Inheritance has a hauntingly plausible story line. The book explores capitalism's reign in the face of cutting edge medical achievements and the ethical choices that follow. The reader should expect interesting facts accompanied by graphic violence. Only the most daring readers will enjoy such a combination of exotic and grotesque novel. Parts of this book had me shaking with fear and others had me crying.
Another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the author's portrayal of Africa. The informative description of the jungle really made me feel as if I were there with the moist hot air all around. Being taken away to an unknown world where danger lurks in the shadows proved to be a refreshing escape.
Most enjoyable to me however were the characters. Umber, the bonobo is so much like a human that several times, I found I had to remind myself that she was a Chimpanzee. The characters in this book display so much courage and such a strong family bond that I couldn't help but feel an emotional attachment to them. The last page of this book was extremely sad because I felt that I was losing friends.
For all of these reasons, Dark Inheritance is the best book I have ever read. Never have I been so engrossed and felt so many emotions while reading a book. This is definitely one that I had a hard time letting go and was upset to see the end of. I highly recommend Dark Inheritance and look forward to starting the next novel that Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear publish.