3 out of 4 stars
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The Evolution of Adam is a novel by Dan Ford. In this story, Zenithian Spirits watch over humans, whom they may only guide because humans have free will. Adam, who is part of the spirit Dorad, and his copilot Buck are on a plane that collides over the Bahamas. They should have died in the crash, but somehow they survived. This leads them to question whether a higher power was involved. They search further into this matter, and in doing so, become more aware of their spirits. Adam, for instance, has an out of body experience where he essentially becomes one with a seagull. This is all a part of their spiritual awakening, and the spirits who watch over them are quite pleased with their growth.
Adam, Buck, and his boyfriend Antonio then go on a fishing trip to Bimini, where they discover that one of the major cities of Atlantis is at its base. As they learn more about what caused Atlantis to fail, they meet new friends who share a common objective. They also eventually meet Diana. She is a powerful businesswoman in this lifetime who initially appears as a benefactor to the other characters’ research, but they become suspicious about her underlying motives.
The book is 539 pages on Kindle, and the chapters are similarly long. The book is incredibly descriptive and very existential in its themes. The presence of the spirits is described in occasional italicized sections of the text. There are some erotic scenes, but they’re not exactly typical. There is a very analytical nature to them: “She was drawing out the primal masculinity in his nature and he would have to work to keep it under control. For her part, she was letting down all barriers that society had attempted to ingrain his sexual makeup and became totally wanton in her responses to his needs.” The dialogue doesn’t always sound very natural or believable, but I got used to it for the most part. It fit with the overall tone of the book.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is that it manages to stay grounded in reality. For instance, one character says: “I may be able to find my way around the spirit world, but Miami is an entirely different story.” The reader learns a lot of the spiritual nature of the story at the very beginning, but more is revealed and expanded upon throughout the text. The characters question others who have more knowledge about the spiritual realm because they’re further along in their growth. This led to many lengthy explanations. I’m not the biggest fan of outright exposition and preferred when such information was conveyed during the conversations the Zenithian Spirits have among themselves.
Adam and his girlfriend Tanya have a compelling relationship. In the beginning, we learn that they aren’t considering marriage because they don’t want to ruin what they have. As the story goes along, their relationship is tested when she goes off to do research in Ecuador, then her skepticism over his newfound spirituality, and these instant connections he has to females he’d known in past lives. In general, many of the characters knew each other in past lives and sometimes they were of a different gender than they are now.
One of the author’s strong suits is character introductions. When we first meet Melanie, she is described as a nineteen-year-old prostitute whose clients “dumped their physical and emotional wastes on her thinking they cleansed themselves in the process.” As much I was invested in Melanie's story line, I would have to say that Diana was my favorite character. She had the most consistently strong characterization throughout the book. She has a fascinating backstory that I probably shouldn’t give away, and in this lifetime she’s just as determined as she’s ever been. Her logic and reason are the exact opposite of the other characters, and I weirdly found myself rooting for her. I love a well-drawn villain, and I found her to be very relatable due to the great character work put into her.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. There were many recurring grammatical errors, most of which had to do with punctuation. The book combines many creative ideas, like jumping in and out of the Spiritual Timeline, into one fascinating tale. Overall, these grand ideas are presented in a comprehensible manner. I wasn’t fully satisfied with the execution, but it was an enjoyable read.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about underwater exploration, reincarnation, and a host of other cool ideas that are sure to ignite your imagination.
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The Evolution of Adam
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