Nice review! I loved that book when I first read it back in 2018... may be up for a reread soon. My own assessment of its scientific validity is "half-true". There WERE ape-men running around while anatomically modern humans were evolving (H. erectus, H. naledi, late-surviving australopithecines like Paranthropus, etc.), and they certainly contributed to our lingering genetic fear and disgust of things that look like them. Neanderthals specifically probably didn't look like that, but they did likely eat humans, since they were mostly carnivorous, and they were certainly fantastic at war, since it took so long for humans to defeat them.
That said, the idea of Neanderthals themselves being responsible for so much of human-specific behavior and physiology is simply false; otherwise modern sub-Saharan Africans, who have no Neanderthal DNA, would have visible estrous cycles and would lack many of the other sapiens-specific adaptations Vendramini attributed to Neanderthal predation. Neanderthals themselves also PROBABLY didn't look like that, even if other prehistoric hominids did. Still, a really, reaaaally cool theory which has been a big inspiration to my own writing.
Yupp, couldn't sum it up better. I tend to agree with your assessment on pretty much every point. I also thought the sub-Saharan africans with regards to internal estrous seemed like a bit of a plot hole. Although, if I were to try to play devil's advocate I think I could get some mileage out of the notorious big butts vs big boobs debate and how that typically plays out along racial lines. Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed, I've driven pretty much everyone I know nuts talking about Neanderthals for the last month.
Nice review! I loved that book when I first read it back in 2018... may be up for a reread soon. My own assessment of its scientific validity is "half-true". There WERE ape-men running around while anatomically modern humans were evolving (H. erectus, H. naledi, late-surviving australopithecines like Paranthropus, etc.), and they certainly contributed to our lingering genetic fear and disgust of things that look like them. Neanderthals specifically probably didn't look like that, but they did likely eat humans, since they were mostly carnivorous, and they were certainly fantastic at war, since it took so long for humans to defeat them.
That said, the idea of Neanderthals themselves being responsible for so much of human-specific behavior and physiology is simply false; otherwise modern sub-Saharan Africans, who have no Neanderthal DNA, would have visible estrous cycles and would lack many of the other sapiens-specific adaptations Vendramini attributed to Neanderthal predation. Neanderthals themselves also PROBABLY didn't look like that, even if other prehistoric hominids did. Still, a really, reaaaally cool theory which has been a big inspiration to my own writing.
Now do Unseen Realm 😎
Yupp, couldn't sum it up better. I tend to agree with your assessment on pretty much every point. I also thought the sub-Saharan africans with regards to internal estrous seemed like a bit of a plot hole. Although, if I were to try to play devil's advocate I think I could get some mileage out of the notorious big butts vs big boobs debate and how that typically plays out along racial lines. Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed, I've driven pretty much everyone I know nuts talking about Neanderthals for the last month.