Natural Selection by Dave Freedman

Ok this is a first for me and I will do my best. If anything I want everyone to know, this book is a Top 10 for me. The book was fast which I loved, and it stayed with the story. There wasn't skipping and moving around in the plot, it kept to the point. I guess I have already proved I am simple minded.

If you are a reader who wants to break books down and find inaccuracies then I am sure that you will be able to do that with this novel, but for me I am not a scientist, I am not a biologist, I am only a person who reads for enjoyment, and I don't want to look for everything wrong in a book, only for how the author presents his case. I could see what the author was trying to portray in the evolution of the rays and it didn't matter if you could find it to be bologna. Mr. Freedman did a great job of hooking me in the story.

If I have to say anything negative, I will say it took him a while to start to nix off the characters, it almost seemed like he really wanted to build them up and not get rid of them. Once the story hit its tense point, you didn't know who was up for the Freedman wrath and who was going to be spared, again kept the read moving. I don't want to give anything away so I will keep it at that.

If I had to suggest to a friend, it is an immediate must read, and I look forward to the next novel by Mr. Freedman.

Although I can honestly say that Natural Selection is not the best book I have ever read, I found it to be a very engaging read. I think Dave Freedman did a wonderful job with his story. I found the characters likable and believable. I at least care about what happens to each of them. That is an important point to some when reading a story of any kind. Freedman provides us with an impressive amount of scientific information when explaining how the demon rays came about, including a theory on the development of their lungs. The possibilities he puts forth in this work are terrible to contemplate indeed. That such a creature could actually exist is an unsettling thought to say the least. The idea that these creatures could adapt to be predators of human beings is very frightening indeed.
If you are the type that likes to disect a book for every little literal meaning and make sure it applies to all the general rules of fiction, then this is not the book for you. However, if you would like to read something you can't put down because you simply have to see what comes next, then read this one. I read it from cover to cover without stopping. I wasn't disappointed in the least. I will certainly be looking for Dave Freedman next book.

I enjoyed this book very thoroughly. I was a solid techno-thriller fiction. I liked the premise and the plot had numerous dimensions. Often, you would be rooting, wondering or saddened – all the pre-requisites for an enjoyable novel. The author’s style of weaving the science and the thrill was very well done. Also, the tempo was quite good. In terms of style, the author tells us “what is not” a great deal. I prefer to be told “what is;” but other than that eccentricity, the dialog and style was rich and you always believed you were in the scene.

The science and assertions in spots stretch believability for a hero. For example, when the hero Jason free-dives to 40 meters without fins; the world record for free diving (free immersion) is 106 meters. There is another time when a supporting character is shooting a bow with arrows in rapid succession. The world record for such a feat is 21 arrows in one minute and then only at a 15 meter stationary target.

I actually listened to the book on my iPod. Sometimes I found myself sitting in my car (in the garage) after my drive home in rapt suspense. I listen to six to eight unabridged novels per month and I feel that Natural Selection was definitely worthwhile. I would like to see a sequel or a trilogy where Natural Selection is the first of two or three (on Audible.com please)