**** Zoo Mass market paperbacks - 2015

Grand Central Publishing, April 2015. Mass Market Paperbacks . 2020&FreeVIB/Good. GOOD CONDITION: Book may have creases on spine. May have discreet tape and/or bent corners on cover or pages. Moderate edge/shelf wear. FOUR-STAR BOOKSELLER FAVORITE **** Nine years ago, my partner and I listened to Patterson’s “Zoo” together on audiobook because we wanted to watch the upcoming television series that was being released the same year. To my recollection, it was a science fiction book about the effects of technology on Mother Nature and her inhabitants. Animals, not previously known to communicate through pheromones and other nonverbal means, were beginning to unite all over the world and carry out coordinated attacks on humans, who were now considered the apex predator and, therefore, biggest threat to the survival of the animals and their ecosystem. It was a gory, horrific train wreck of a story that brought “man versus nature” to an unignorable level, and we just couldn’t stop listening. “Zoo” was, arguably, an extreme example of the hive mind but had interesting implications concerning the potential power of communication, unity, and a good old-fashioned uprising as well as the power of the oppressor in preventing such communication and revolution through means of division and disinformation. What happens when you can no longer keep the “enemy” in cages? What happens when the animals realize that they never belonged in zoos or cages to begin with? What happens when they refuse to go on living as imprisoned spectacles and decide to take back their rightful place in this world wherein they were meant to live in the wild and roam free? It becomes almost impossible to ignore the bark of an animal or perceived enemy that’s both willing and able to bite back. The history of humankind comes with baggage that is sometimes difficult to unpack or even explain, especially when humans have acted like or been treated like animals, but dealing with the baggage of our ancestors is important if we ever hope to rectify the imbalances and someday maintain a balance of equitable power among all of humanity. I am beginning to think that I may not read enough science fiction as it so often raises valid questions concerning what makes us human and what separates us from animals or extraterrestrials. SAVE ON SHIPPING: Additional books ship for $1.00 each Between the Covers!