#BookReview The Himalayan Codex by Bill Schutt (@draculae) @FreshFiction

The Himalayan Codex by Bill Schutt
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

In the wake of World War II, zoologist and adventurer Captain R. J. MacCready is sent to the frozen mountain valleys of Tibet to find a creature of legend that may hold the secret to humankind’s evolutionary future—or the key to its extinction—in this explosive follow-up to Hell’s Gate.

It is 1946, and the world is beginning to rebuild from the ashes of the devastating war. Marked by the perilous discoveries he encountered in the wilds of Brazil, Captain R. J. MacCready has a new assignment on the other side of the globe—a mission that may help him put the jungle’s horrors behind him. He is headed for the Himalayas, to examine some recently discovered mammoth bones.

Arriving in Asia, Mac learns the bones are only a cover story. He’s really there to investigate an ancient codex allegedly written by Pliny the Elder, a fascinating text filled with explosive secrets. The Roman naturalist claimed to have discovered a new race of humans, a divergent species that inspired the myth of the Yeti and is rumored to have the ability to accelerate the process of evolution. If Pliny’s assertions are true, this seemingly supernatural ability holds unlimited potential benefits—and unlimited potential for destruction.

Charged with uncovering more about this miracle species, Mac sets off into the remote mountain valleys of Tibet, using the codex as his guide. But the freezing climate and treacherous terrain are only the beginning of the dangers facing him. He must also contend with the brutal Chinese army and a species of native creature even the Yeti seem to fear. The deeper he plunges into the unknown, the more certain it appears that Mac and the associates who join his odyssey may not make it out alive.

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THE HIMALAYAN CODEX is a fascinating book. We get to follow Mac in 1946 as he and his team are investigating the codex and also, and we also step back in time to Pliny the Elder's time and follow Pliny as he together with a group of Roman soldiers travelers to the Himalayans. Both storylines are intriguing and I was quite captivated by the book. The myth of the Yeti has intrigued me for years and I was fascinated by this story, about a human race that is said to be able to accelerate the process of evolution. Of course, this process could be very dangerous in the wrong hands, and Mac and his team are not the only ones looking for this race of people. Both the Soviets and the Chinese are also trying to get access to the remote mountain valley of Tibet where the race is said to dwell...

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