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“Extinction” by Douglas J. Preston
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“Extinction” by Douglas J. Preston
Review by Yvonne Selander, collection development librarian
There’s been an incident at the Erebus Resort, set in a valley of thousands of acres in the Colorado Rockies. Two tourists have disappeared, taken, it seems, from their tents in the middle of the night. Their guide heard a scream, but by the time he got to their tent the couple was gone. Left behind was a lot of blood and a couple of headlamps. The local sheriff and FBI are called in and based on the crime scene they are positive they are dealing with a murder (it was a LOT of blood) but can’t figure out why the bodies would have been removed from such treacherous terrain. There is a sense of urgency to the investigation. One of the presumed dead is the son of a billionaire and Erebus Resort caters to the upper, upper class. Because Erebus is where the extinct mega-fauna roam. You can enjoy a cocktail in the enclosed lounge overlooking the waters and watch wooly mammoths, giant sloths and other huge extinct creatures gather for their evening drink as well. No predators are in the property, all of them were removed and none were brought back from extinction. So what killed and removed the tourists?
Preston will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow in the footsteps of law enforcement trying to puzzle this one out. The sheriff and agent in charge are both capable people, and you’ll find yourself liking and trusting their skills, but the answers elude them and it will eventually all make sense. And it’s not what they, or you as a reader, would expect. You may be wondering why you’d want to read another “Jurassic Park” – while you can’t help making the comparison they are very different in every way. As cool as it would be to see a wooly mammoth walking around the Colorado Rockies, I am going to hope that they stay extinct.