Bragging Rights, Part 1

Professional Reviews of Ember from the Sun

Madeline L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time: “Fascinating.”

Linda Lay Shuler, author of She Who Remembers: “A remarkable achievement, passionate, lyrical, stunning in concept. Rich in background detail and exciting action, this extraordinary novel lingers in the memory.”

Paul McAuley, Interzone: “Like many high-tech thrillers, Mark Canter’s Ember from the Sun seeks to depict the triumph of humanism over the soulless empiricism of science; and like Michael Crichton, the author plays on unease about the hubristic powers of biomedical technology. But while Ember starts out as a tale of an arrogant scientist brought low by his own creation, it undergoes a sea-change informed by a deep sympathy with the estrangement of its eponymous heroine, a Neanderthal girl born into the end of the 20^th century…Canter’s portrayal of this Neanderthal orphan, not as a shambling brute but a golden-skinned child of nature with heightened hearing, sight and sense of smell, and an acute affinity with wild animals, is romantic yet convincing.”

Lisa Dumond, MEviews.com: “I am never more astounded than when I encounter a new talent that seems so refined as to be mistaken for an old master. Having sampled and savored his first novel, Ember from the Sun, I am only more hungry and greedy for the next. The story moves easily from chapter to chapter, almost in the style of a campfire storytelling. In fact, the book reads so smoothly you forget that it takes a honed talent to arrange words in such a manner.”

Booklist: “Unique and appealing, with an engaging heroine, furious action, and intriguing tidbits of history, archaeology, and Native American culture.”

Library Journal: Unforgettable.”

Publishers Weekly:

“Canter emphasizes the human rather than the scientific aspects of Ember's story... In essence, this story is a classic fairy tale in which an outcast child learns her true nature when she discovers that her real parents secreted her with commoners.”

Kirkus Reviews: “Neanderthals get a new lease on life in this impressive, engrossing debut novel…An effective blend of scientific fact and shamanistic fancy, one that weaves a genuinely magic spell.”

San Francisco Chronicle: “Canter gains the reader’s wholehearted sympathy for Ember and her plight. The characters are what make this story work.”

School Library Journal: “YA. A well-written thriller set in the 1970s. The story begins as Dr. Yute Nahadeh discovers a well-preserved, frozen Neanderthal woman in Alaska. As he studies the woman, he discovers that she was pregnant at her death. He decides to implant the embryo and create a Neanderthal to study firsthand. He finds a hungry, homeless teenage couple to serve as the surrogate parents. After the birth of the child, the couple decide that they cannot give her up and raise the baby girl named Ember. Neither of the parents knows her history. As Ember grows, she begins to question her heritage because she looks and acts so differently from other girls her age. The folks in her hometown either shun her or worship her for her differences. Ember eventually seeks out Dr. Nahadeh and they travel to the area where the frozen corpse was found. Ember's search for her people, Dr. Nahadeh's fanatical study of the Neanderthal, a modern mining project, and greed bring this novel to a surprising end. Readers will learn lots about the Neanderthal, contemplate the power of science, and enjoy a fast, good read.” 1997 Linda A. Vretos, West Springfield High School, Springfield, VA