Talus

Talus is a science fiction novel by Erol Ozan.

Deep in the wild and dangerous forests of Madagascar, Rylan and his anthropologist partner Ursula Deiss find a population of cryptic man-like primates. This discovery quickly escalates and draws them into the vortex of an ancient conspiracy that could ultimately change mankind's destiny.

Enriched with extensive facts drawn from the fields of anthropology, swarm intelligence, and information science, Talus takes the readers from one vibrant location to another, zapping them from Madagascar's uncharted rain forests to Oxford's dark libraries and from Paris's melancholic back streets to Sicily's sunny vineyards.

Talus is a very accomplished novel, on the surface you have this thriller-esque story through the jungles of Madagascar but just under the surface is a very technically impressive tale that's very much in the style of the late great author Michael Crichton with the same high octane action with well planned out scenes and intelligent, believable characters. As with Michael Crichton the author isn't afraid of killing of characters when the situation demand it, which I find a nice refreshing change from many other novels.

I really like the way the author makes use of the real life locations in the novel and the attention to detail is just great, as is the way the latest understandings in anthropology etc are blended with the science fiction elements.

The plot is quite surprising, on a bigger scale than expected with a lot of twists, turns and surprises. Just as you are getting used to the way you think the novel is going to go, everything changes, the action explodes and the plot just races along. The ending is also both powerful, compelling and leaves much to the interpretation of the reader.

Talus is a very accomplished novel of scope and hidden depth, with a number of important messages spread throughout the story, not only that but it also happens to be a great read, recommended.