The Murder of Adam and Eve

Ratings: 3.59 out of 5

In this fast-paced and though-provoking thriller, two teens time-travel to prehistoric Africa to judge whether to save our ancestors: the genetic "Adam" and "Eve" whose descendants will go on to populate the world. When 16-year-old Nick Brynner explores an old fort on a forbidden island for a school history project, he stumbles onto a time wormhole. What follows is a mysteriously deserted village with a prowling sentry that looks like a gargoyle, and narrow escape with the help of fellow teen Eleanor Terrell. The two are hurtled into a grim series of challenges by an alien race called the Xu, which are considering a Reset of human history because of our poor planetary stewardship. If Adam and Eve are murdered, will another couple, or another species, do better? Nick and Ellie are ruthlessly deposited onto the African savanna of fifty thousand years ago, and the hunt is on. The Murder of Adam and Eve is a coming of age story, a love story, a war story, and an environmental fable with a deliberately provocative ending, inspired by such books as "Walkabout," "Ishmael," "Lord of the Flies," and the author's own "Getting Back."

The Murder of Adam and Eve by William Dietrich is a young adult, science fiction thriller combining aliens and time travel. What started out as sixteen year old Nick Brynner researching for his History Day project on an out of bounds island, leads to him falling through a wormhole, meeting an alien – a Xu, and eventually finding himself in prehistoric Africa.

Before finding himself in a completely different era, Nick meets a biology-loving teenager, Eleanor Terrell, who tells him she had been abducted by aliens. Initially thinking she is crazy, Nick believes her once one of the said aliens appears to them and claims they have been chosen to try and save mankind. The Xu intend to wipe out humanity by travelling back in time and killing the two people from whom the human race descend from – the people named Adam and Eve in the bible. However they are giving Nick and Ellie a final chance to prevent this from happening.

Once transported to ancient Africa, Nick and Ellie start a desperate search for Adam and Eve in order to protect them from the Xu. But in order to do this they need to be able to take care of themselves in a place where water, food and shelter are not easily come by. Once locating the people they seek for they begin to realize the enormity of the task they have been given; whatever they do will have a massive impact on the future of the world.

The Murder of Adam and Eve is an interesting concept that really gets you thinking about the way in which the world has developed. Despite the usage of the biblical names Adam and Eve this book is not based on religious theory at all. It is a science-based idea maintaining that the human race can eventually be traced back to two people.

Many readers may be able to relate to both Nick and Ellie’s personalities. Nick in particular is a quiet, unnoticeable boy without any great talent, however during the book he grows into a more confident person and becomes the leader needed in order to save mankind.

Overall this fast paced book is fun to read. Although a little too far-fetched to take seriously, it makes the reader think more about the ways humans have behaved over the years but also highlights the positives and our ability to make things and learn. The clash of the two different time periods makes it a thought-provoking novel that many teenagers will love to read.