By Guy N. Smith
1985 New English Library
Paperback, 256 pages
The
book opens with our main character Jackie Quinn in the midst of physically and
mentally reverting back to early man. Germ warfare has fallen on Britain (from who
we don’t know) and it is turning everyone into throwbacks from primitive times.
Thick brows, extra-hairy bodies and, of course, animal lust. A country filled
with cavemen. Jackie’s plight is so well-rendered that I must admit that I was
feeling a bit ill following her transformation. It felt like what happens in my
own mind sometimes, without the bodily changes.
A
handful of people have been spared the horrible germs. Jackie’s husband Jon was
in his bomb shelter with his mistress, and they remain normal. Unlike
radiation, the germs eventually dissipate and there is no fallout so the
normies are eventually safe to leave. But things aren’t quite so rosy out
there. Animals have reverted to pre-human form as well and the farmyard is full
of beasts. And what will the throwbacks do when they encounter the unscathed?
There
is plenty going on here, with tribes of prehistoric people trying to survive, a
sadistic Nazi-esque doctor trying to find a cure but reveling in torture and
annihilation, primitive “me man, you property” sex, and an army that has no
clue what to do. With the narrative being told from both the sick and the
unaffected point of view, the frustration level gets cranked up to ten. Did I
say romance? Yes, it’s there, just a little different than what you might be
used to.
This
isn’t my favorite GNS book, but it whizzes by and tells a story of great scope
in an efficient page count. It is easy to recommend to fans of the Great
Scribbler and the Terry Oakes cover on the NEL edition is pretty sweet. It
should be noted that when Arrow reprinted the book, they commissioned a new,
different (but still great) cover from Oakes.
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