I’ve written on how The Land that Time Forgot and The Lost World inspired all the books and films about lost lands and hidden creatures that came after them.
These books appeal to our fascination of the mysterious and unknown. No matter how far we advance, there is always something tugging at our minds. That’s why we explore. An that’s why many write. J. Allan Danelek‘s new book, Serpente Gigante, is the latest in this legacy of stories.
There are a lot of over-the-top books out there with Indy-clones or people where the impossible always seems to happen to. Yes, the whole point of fiction (or one, anyway) is to explore the impossible. Alternate realities that most likely never will exist. On the other end of the spectrum are those books that present their fantastic tale in a more plausible fashion. These books are just as interesting and that is where Danelek’s resides.
Brazilian jungles. Giant snakes. It may sound familiar, but the characters make it real. They aren’t quite as perfect or lucky as some other heroes. One subplot — let’s just say man’s tampering with what he shouldn’t — is not of uncommon territory. Yet it fits well because it is an increasingly real danger in our world.
Danelek has created a fast-paced diversion that considers various ideas without the heavy-handedness seen in other books. This is the first of a series, a decent first entry. So here’s the question:
Are you afraid to explore the unknown?
And on 
Darrick Dean 