The Garden: The Unauthorized Biography of Adam and Eve by Paul T. Harry--a review

I had the privilege of getting to interview science fiction writer Paul T. Harry a few months ago about his fabulous writing skills and his book, The 5 Moons of Tiiana. I knew after the interview that he was going to be a writer to watch. When the chance to review his latest book came along, I couldn't resist! But then again, it's hard to resist a book with such a tempting title...The Garden: An Unauthorized Biography of Adam and Eve.

Here is the publisher's blurb:

Nearly every religion and society in the world today begins with the story of Adam and Eve. And yet, this most basic story is couched in mysticism, myth, and vague detail. Did such a couple really exist? Were they the first man and woman on our planet, or is there more to the story?

For two hundred thousand years the Neanderthal race ruled Earth, then mysteriously, 40,000 years ago they disappeared forever leaving behind a new race of people -- the Cro-Magnon. Why? What happened back then that changed our history forever?

                                                              

The Garden of Eden -- a perfect home built and designed for two people until the serpent arrived. Who was the serpent? And what was he doing there in the first place? Is there a chance that the serpent is actually a reference to some hidden sexual transgression?

 

Imagine traveling billions of light years across space to settle an unknown world populated by primitive barbarians. Imagine being alone, just you and your spouse, the two of you in charge of an entire world with only your faith and your mission to guide you -- and, of course, the devil waiting for that fatal mistake.

 

Could you have done things better?                                                             

THE GARDEN

A Love Story
A Saga of Good vs Evil
The Beginning of Humanity's Historic Journey

 

 

This is a clever retelling of the story of Adam and Eve with a cool sci/fi twist that I found really engaging. I was impressed with so many elements of this book, and while I've seen the Adam and Eve plot used before in science fiction, this version really played with some new ideas that worked for me.

 

So, basically Adam and Eve are aliens. Their job is to come to Terran (Earth) and fix the crazy stuff that's been happening there since another alien, Mikatta, got out of hand.  Because of Mikatta's antics before Adam and Eve arrive on the planet, the tribes already living there are not exactly the pillars of civilized society. As you might expect, the arrival of Adam and Eve brings some of the tribes joy and causes trouble with the others. There's a lot of pride going on with Earth's hottest alien couple as they strive to take command, but eventually they discover the pitfalls of being rulers.

 

The most impressive thing in this novel is the world building the author has undertaken. The alien society Adam and Eve come from is written about in great detail, and it was easy to imagine this whole other race of beings with a goal of experimenting on other planets and civilizations. I could picture Mr. Harry's description of the Big Bang vividly, as well as, the evolution of man.

 

I also liked the idea that Adam and Eve were scientists in their original world, but somewhat naive (even with all their training) when it came to life on Terran. Mikatta, who represents the Satan from the traditional tale, is brutal, sneaky, and full of loathing. An extremely well written character, Mikatta gets my vote for the Best Bad Guy That I've Read In A Long Time. Then again...he is the devil....

 

For me, there were only a few places where this story fell short. Remember that world building thing I was talking about? Well, it's pretty detailed with lots of names and places that are unfamiliar--typical science fiction stuff. Unfortunately, it was hard to keep all the names straight, and I did feel that parts of the narrative were a little slow and bogged with almost too much detail.

 

But remember folks, I'm always the first to admit that I'm blond and sometimes my brain is slow!

 

All in all, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to the readers at All Things Writing! Want more on the author? Want the link to get the book? Click below!

 

Amazon Buy Link for The Garden: An Unauthorized Biography of Adam and Eve

 

 

 

Author Bio:

 

Paul T. Harry attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas as an English major with a theater arts minor before beginning his career as a writer and music producer. He also worked as an editor with Second Avenue Songwriter’s magazine and has spent the last 30 years writing novels, screenplays and short stories. Paul is married with four children and resides in Gold Canyon, outside Phoenix.

·         Website  http://5moons.com/index.html

·         Twitter  https://twitter.com/RezCantor

·         Goodreads   http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6423562.Paul_T_Harry