Hey Bookworm friends! It’s time for the Old Review Dust-Off and this month I’m featuring a book I read last January: The Tusks of Extinction. I’ll also be linking up with Teaser Tuesday, which I’ve been wanting to do when I post reviews on Tuesdays but I keep forgetting! Well, not today!!
If you’re reading this review I invite you to leave a link to an old review of yours and I’ll show it some love!
Link-ups
Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker.
1: Grab your current read 2: Open to a random page
3: Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author, too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Teaser Tuesday
And I understood: I know what it is like to be from an extraction zone. What it is like to grow up in the place where the taking begins. But an elephant knows what it is like to be an extraction zone. That is their history. The elephant is enormous, but it is not as gigantic as the history of human exploitation.
The Tusks of Extinction, Ray Nayler
About The Tusks of Extinction
Author: Ray Nayler
Genre: Science Fiction, Eco-Fiction, Speculative Fiction
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Tordotcom
Format Read: E-Book
Year Published: 2024
Cover Artist: Faceout Studio
Content Warnings
Graphic: Poaching, Animal Death, Death, Grief
Moderate: Gore, Gun Violence, Colonization, Murder, Death of Parent,
Minor (Mention): Classism, Alcoholism
Diversity
Kenyan Characters. Russian Characters.
Pace: Medium Pace, Mix of Character and Plot Lead
Tone: Reflective, Dark
Review
I requested this ARC because I wanted to read more eco-literature and the blurb piqued my interest. Mammoths have been brought back from extinction but they don’t know how to survive in the wild. Damira is the foremost elephant behaviour specialist and her consciousness has been uploaded into the brain of a mammoth to save them. Unfortunately de-extinct mammoth is an even more valuable prize for poachers so survival is not guaranteed.
Even though it might be obvious from the blurb, I need to give a content warning for poaching/hunting and to set expectations that even though this is a novella, it’s not a light read. As an animal lover, there were several sections that were hard to read but they served the overall message. The novella covers heavy subject matter but the themes are especially relevant right now in a world where capitalistic greed rules all.
My favorite element is the way that Damira’s personal experiences were layered on top of the mammoth’s brain and memories so that the life she experiences is a unique blend of human & animal via technology. This leads to a great comparison between human’s tendency for revenge vs. an elephant’s peaceful nature. I wish the ethics of backing up human memories was more deeply discussed, however.
Click here to see all of my Old Review Dust-Off posts
This book is marketed as an eco-thriller which is a disservice; the tone and pace is not that of a thriller but rather more contemplative and ideas focused. The saying “An elephant never forgets” is doubly meaningful in this book because the theme of memory is explored both through technology and elephant biology.
Nayler witnessed some of the impact of the ivory trade when he was an Environment, Science, Technology, and Health Officer at the U.S. consulate in Ho Chi Minh City and was deeply affected by it. Certainly, the passion for the subject shines through which I really appreciate. I recommend it if you like ideas-heavy Sci-Fi.
Let’s chat in the comments!
Have you read The Tusks of Extinction? Or, Do you have any memories associated with a smell?
I’m glad you enjoyed this one. I’m not sure that it sounds like my kind of read (maybe once I get more into sci fi 🤔) but I do appreciate that it covers such important topics. It’s awful to think of the way that animals have suffered for ivory over the years. I can imagine how tough some parts of it must have been to read.
Sci-fi is not entirely my genre (yet) either but am glad you enjoyed it!
Also, I find the Old Review Dust Off a nice idea!
Out of curiosity: What are your requirements to put a review on the list? Like, how old would it at least have to be for you?
(I hope to get a notification on your reply! Otherwise just please remind me on my blog, if you want to ❤️)
Happy reading!