Humans

Humans (Neanderthal Parallax #2)
by Robert J. Sawyer



Humans, the second books in the Neanderthal Parallax series is a disappointment compared to the first book (which I gave three stars).


The book begins with a prologue in which Ponter bemoans his guilt for a crime he committed, and will never be judged for. This part of the story telling is completely unnecessary and doesn’t add a thing.

The story starts with Mary on our side pining for Ponter while Ponter and his man-mate Adikor try to convince their people to allow them to re-open the portal. With no evidence that the portal will ever open again, Mary takes a job with the Synergy Group, leaving behind her academic job.

The topic of the magnetic field of Earth reversing in the near future is brought up several times which will be important to Sawyer’s ‘big idea’ toward the end of the book.

The portal is of course opened, after all it wouldn’t be much of a story otherwise, though Sawyer could have spent the entire time in the Neanderthal side. Ponter crosses back over and introducers the new ambassador to the humans.

There is a subplot of the rapist who raped Mary victimizing more women. I guess it is meant to add drama but it really doesn’t work for me. It leads to the infamous panty sniffing by Ponter whereby he identifies the rapist, really? Sigh, I will never forget it it was so ridiculous the first time I read it.

The Neanderthal delegation brings a gift that is the cast of the skull of the Australopithecine called Lucy on our side…seriously? How unlikely is it that they would have found the same fossil? Beyond unlikly.

Unfortunately, Ponter is shot by a human. The ambassador (a female named Tukana) runs down the assailant and kills him with her fist much to the horror the human around her. They admit it was self defense as the man had a gun and was trying to shoot her but they are still horrified at the brutality of seeing her smash a man’s skull in.

The ‘Grays’ (the ruling body of elders) want to shut down the portal after the incident. Those who want to continue relations, cleverly contrive to send some of the worlds most respected elders over to the human side ensuring the Gray Council won’t just shut the portal stranding anyone on the other side.

As with the first book there is much back and forth between Ponter and Mary about religion. Then there is the super explicit but completely not erotic sex scene between Ponter and Mary - yuk. Seriously, I must have read this originally in 2003 or so but I have never forgotten it was so awkward.

Mary goes across to the Neanderthal world to meet Ponter’s family, including his lover Adikor. While she theoretically knew they were lovers, seeing them together freaks her out. She stays with Lurt (Adikor’s woman mate) while she is there. There she witnesses’s Ponter’s daughter get ‘married’. There is a bunch of talk about the impossibility of Ponter and Mary (between Adikor and Ponter; between Mary and Lurt; between Mary and a rival female) then they go back to the human side.

The last of the book is wrapping up the rape story line which is where the infamous panty sniffing scene comes in. Ponter track down the rapist who happens to be Mary’s coworker. Ponter then drugs him and cuts off his balls. Yup, that happened.

So then the personality sculpture and Ponter go round and round about the crimes and punishments and the right or wrong of the way things are done in each of the universes. Much is made of the system in the Neanderthal world where not just the perpetrator but all of their closest relatives are punished.

In the epilogue, Ponter asks Mary to make a life with him.