Extinction by Bradley Somer | ARC Review

"We should expect the mind to reel with echoes from our deepest past . It takes the most extreme trauma to trigger the unforgotten forgotten. Our conscious brain says “yes”, but the brain who’s only responsibility is our very survival says, “fuck no”..

Synopsis : 

In a lonely valley, deep in the mountains, a ranger watches over the last surviving grizzly bear.

With the natural world exhausted and in tatters, Ben has dedicated himself to protecting this single fragment of the wild.

One night, he hears voices in the valley – poachers, come to hunt his bear.

A heart-pounding chase begins, crossing forests and mountainsides, passing centuries of human ruins. Sometimes hunter, sometimes prey – Ben must choose the bear’s fate and his own.

Is he willing to lay down his life for a dying breed?

Is he willing to kill for it?

Review : 

Reading this novel was the ultimate literary shot in the dark for me, as I knew nothing about the author. But seeing one of his previous novels, “Fishbowl” ( about the observations of a goldfish plummeting past the windows of an apartment building ), I knew I was in for an unconventional reading experience. 

And in this respect, “Extinction” didn’t disappoint. On the surface, it is a pulse-pounding thriller about one man’s fight to protect one of the last vestiges of the ravaged natural world against hostile forces, but this being Bradley Somer, there is also an otherworldly feel to the narrative that offers an unconventional and rewarding reading experience.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable, exciting and in places beautiful. I felt as if I could smell the clean pine trees and hear the rippling river whilst I read.

I was pulled towards this book by the title and the dystopian end of the world topic which appealed greatly to me , I have read a few novels with these subjects. In the case of this book I really didn't feel it needed the short sections about space travel and the end of life on earth. It felt to me like these had been used as a way to make us feel more strongly about the fate of the last living bear. Sadly, it is too near to the truth that we have to be on the verge of leaving the planet to care deeply for its wildlife . 

Having said that, the book stands up without this device and we share the narrators desire to protect this lonely bear from being hunted to extinction.

The book is so well rooted in nature. The characters are beautifully rounded and described in great detail making their reactions in the story feel real and understandable. 

The book was fast paced and exciting in sections with gun fights and stealthy stalking making for exciting passages.

I empathised quickly with the lead male character whilst also feeling for his partner in her isolation and was glad when she made an appearance late. I also loved the mountain lady in her cabin deep in the woods where she had retired to get away from it all.

Overall, it was a beautifully immersive read set in the American wilderness in the perhaps not so distant future . I would recommend the book for lovers of adventure and dystopian and wilderness.

A big thank you to the author Bradley Somer, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and HarperVoyager for the ARC!