Lightening Days

Lightening Days
Colin Harvey
Swimming Kangaroo Books
ISBN: 1-934041-10-6
Fiction, Science Fiction
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

Archaeologists have told us that Neanderthals have been extinct for thirty thousand years. It is also believed that Neanderthals were quite primitive and never really developed any cities or advanced technology. But everything we ever thought about Neanderthals was completely wrong.
A group of British soldiers (mostly weekenders) is sent on a mission into the Afghan desert. The men have absolutely no idea what they are supposed to be looking for but soon find themselves in a life or death situation that will determine the fate of the earth. It would seem that Neanderthals had been surviving through “shifting”. Certain members of the Thals had the unique ability to transport themselves into alternate earth realities and live peacefully with the indigenous life forms. This process worked fine until the Thals met a civilization called the Sauroids who decided that shifting was disrespectful to their God. The Sauroids decided that the only course of action was to get rid of all of the alternate earths (including our Earth) except their own.
I thoroughly enjoyed Lightening Days. So much speculation has been made about Neanderthals that it is nice to see a book that uses that potential and lack of solid data to create a great science fiction novel. I also thought that the type of technology used by the Thals fit well into the story making it more believable while creatively providing background information on the Thals’ history.