ADAM

Primitive hominids get caught up in a titanic war between heaven and hell in this bombastic fantasy.

Gordon’s novel centers on Adam, the son of African Homo Erectus parents, who sports a Homo Sapiens-ish prominent chin, bulging forehead, hairless body, and mechanical aptitude that lets him invent a nifty spear thrower. He also has the marks of a Chosen One: His birth is attended by apocalyptic fireballs; he gets bitten by a demon-headed snake; and he has visions of a flying dragon. Growing up, Adam weathers starvation and cannibalism, a diet rich in bugs and bats, the loss of loved ones to a lion, and a blood feud with his domineering stepfather, Hanok, that leads to violence and estrangement from his clan. Adam then heads eastward to a land called Eden with a demon named Mephistopheles, who promises him knowledge of all the world’s secrets and, more importantly, an introduction to a beautiful woman who shares Adam’s physical traits. Unfortunately, Eden proves to be a sulphureous labor camp where hominid slaves are ruled by preening devils, from Moloch to the winged scorpion Beelzebub. On the bright side, Eve is indeed pretty and nice. After a harrowing tour of Hell, Adam and Eve get an audience with Lucifer himself, who tells them that they will play a leading role in his plan to bring God to the bargaining table—after they undergo a torturous “cleansing” that will remove all love and compassion from their souls. Gordon’s yarn shines in its first part, which paints a gritty portrait of Stone Age life, from the constant search for food and fire to Hanok’s campaign to usurp clan leader Kren, which is told in shrewdly psychological prose (“He would bide his time and lay the groundwork by assuming a self-important bearing, and began to undercut Kren’s authority with a questioning look, or a sad shake of his head, to Kren’s every decision”). The book’s Dantean second part feels less original, with overblown demonic caricatures chortling at their own villainy and a climactic battle of thunderous superpowers. Still, Gordon’s vigorous writing and rich evocation of a Paleolithic world make for an absorbing read.

An imaginative, entertaining, sometimes over-the-top mash-up of Paradise Lost and The Clan of the Cave Bear.