Beginning with a man wandering alone through the desert with no memory and developing into an expansive story of nuclear war, Super Intelligence and a quest to search for a new habitable planet and begin again, Hominin by Neil R McAdam is ambitious in its scope. It was almost sad to read as Telikus meets others and builds a welcoming community, but then we shift to narratives where there’s discussion of territories, war and capitalism. Like the main point is that although humanity has supposedly advanced, it’s actually being lost along the way.
As the story spans five thousand years, it spans multiple generations of characters. I most preferred spending time with Telikus in the early life Dorean and siblings Lorna and Pete, who inherit their aunt Dawn’s legacy and secrets, needing to be ethical custodians of it while on the verge of nuclear war. Also the time span allows for the gradual development and introduction of technology in a way that creates an authentic and believable setting for this sci-fi novel. It reminded me of reading Cloud Atlas in the way that the storylines are all connected but have different settings and character focuses. This is a complex yet engaging sci-fi narrative that uses its expanse to raise key questions about humanity.
This book is brilliant in its world building offering a rich tapestry of different civilizations and belief systems. The overall sense of mystery and the continuous search for truth drives the plot forward. The flashback in Kepler-186f was a fantastic piece of lore especially the deep dive into the moral dilemma tests that Pan and Agi faced. I would absolutely recommend this to readers who appreciate well researched and imaginative hard sci-fi.
This book is big. And it has a naked man's butt on the cover. Some folk would buy it just for that! I found the size off-putting and it sat for a week or two till I had space and exercised my arms. Truth is though, I enjoyed the experience and perhaps the anticipation of challenge helped to pull me quickly through the pages once I started. A good read, the boy writes well. If you like a sci-fi fantasy with linked stories steeped in culture/history/nature with twists and turns, then this may well work for you. Give it a go but get some training in for the heft :-)
Really fantastic read!!!
A epic story of human nature and civilisation.
Science Fiction at its best exploring ‘what if’ scenarios of technology and morality.
A very enjoyable read - perfect for taking on holiday with you.
Was easy to read but engaging, clever (weaving real facts into fictional stories) and thought provoking.
Not sure mankind will learn its lessons in time but this book hints that maybe we will indeed - let’s hope so for the future of us and the planet we call home.
The header is “Best Read of 2025”
Was up till 2:38 reading the final pages, a good book will do that. I appreciated the journey, the intelligence in which it was written & the lesson we all should take away from this book.I highly recommend Hominin for your next read. Your world view will change for the better & put what really matters into perspective. Enjoy
Kudos to the author Neil R McAdam🪶
Very enjoyable read.
Neil R. McAdam’s Hominin is a staggering, genre-defying epic that weaves together millennia of civilization, war, and evolution into a single, mesmerizing narrative. Part anthropological saga, part sci-fi mystery, this ambitious novel explores what it means to be human—and what might lie beyond.
The story begins with a haunting image: Telikus, a naked amnesiac emerging from the desert, who becomes the unlikely catalyst for a Stone Age community’s transformation. From there, McAdam leaps across eras, introducing a tapestry of interconnected lives—two Mycenaean-esque brothers locked in a primal struggle to prevent humanity’s first war; an Athenian-style farmer whose defiance sparks revolution; a sibling duo racing to decode their aunt’s secrets before nuclear annihilation. Binding these threads is an eerie, overarching presence: a dormant Super Intelligence lurking within an ancient spacecraft, waiting for the first “Hominin” to awaken it.
McAdam’s scope is breath-taking, yet he grounds each timeline in intimate human struggles. The prose shifts deftly between the mythic grandeur of early civilizations and the taut urgency of near-future crises, all while teasing a cosmic mystery. The recurring themes—war, progress, the cyclical nature of power—echo like a drumbeat, suggesting that humanity’s greatest battles (with itself, with destiny) are both timeless and inevitable.
The novel’s brilliance lies in its puzzle-box structure. Readers piece together connections across epochs, glimpsing how small choices ripple into seismic shifts. Is Telikus a messiah, a mutation, or something else? What does the Super Intelligence want? The answers unfold with deliberate, satisfying precision
I really enjoyed reading this as a scifi novel, it had that element that I was wanting and enjoyed in this genre. The characters were everything that I was wanting and was invested in what was going on in this universe. Neil R McAdam has a strong writing style and was glad it worked with what I was expecting.
Hominin is putting a twist on of the history of the world. For anyone that is interested in history and 'what-if' scenarios, this is the book for them. Going back and forth through time, Hominin has a cast of characters that experience events similar to those that have occurred throughout history. One of the main critiques I have of this books is that the point of views for each character go by very fast, and for that reason, I am not able to feel or relate to many of these characters. There is also a very large cast of people, and at times it was very confusing to follow along. There were chapters that felt a little rushed, with characters thst I wish were explored in depth s little more. But a lot of valuable life lessons to be learned from this book. With that being said, the chapters flew by for me. Definitely the kind of book you might want to keep an index card and a highlighter handy for.
Thought provoking sci-fi, excellent read highly recommended