The Tusks of Extinction - A Fascinating Eco-Thriller
“Extinction has only one cause, and that cause is older, even, than the wheel. That cause is human greed.”
Mammoths have been resurrected but they struggle to survive in the wild. Dr. Damira Khismatullina has spent her life studying and protecting elephants but is brutally murdered by poachers. How are these two things related? Damira’s consciousness is uploaded into the mind of a mammoth to allow her to be the matriarch for this herd and lead them to live free and healthy lives. But poachers are hunting mammoths, and this plan isn’t as simple as it seems. When Damira’s herd is attacked, she finds herself torn between her past and her present and what’s morally right.
The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler hits shelves on January 16th, 2024.
“The elephant calf became a symbol for her of the entire lost war against the poachers, and against the system that supported them. Whenever she needed a reason to continue, the calf was there, behind the lids of her eyes.”
Here’s what I loved:
There’s a lot of story packed into this small novella. I find a lot of times with novellas, I’m left wanting more once it’s finished, but Nayler has managed to tell a complete and satisfying story in just over 90 pages.
There’s a lot of big issues discussed here from human greed, extinctions, hunting, wealth, and impact on climate. The novella is not preachy in any way but instead gently feeds you bits and pieces throughout leaving you with a sense of deep understanding for the animal world and for the risks we face in the future. It’s a dark look at the potential we may face. It’s an incredibly smart story that confidently knows what it’s set out to do and it will leave you thinking for days after completion.
The world building in this story is spectacular. The science side of things is never ultra complicated, and the world that this story is set in is somehow bleak and also hopeful. The characters that we follow are deeply fleshed out and feel real. Damira’s rage and pain are screaming from the pages, while Syvatoslav’s hopelessness and vulnerability are whispered through his internal monologue we read. And then we have Vladimir who is faced with realising a terrifying truth about his mega rich partner and the dark and very real side of wealth.
Overall, The Tusks of Extinction is an incredible and important read that I implore you all to pick up when it hits shelves on January 16th. A massive thank you to Tor for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
“We come from our own pasts. We rise up out of our memories, and once there are enough of those memories to stand upon, we move forward with their support beneath us, drawn toward the future they allow us to conceive. We are continually shaped by our past, and we continually reshape it.”
