The novella is set in a future where the woolly mammoth has been resurrected from extinction through advanced cloning. However, rather than roaming free, the animals are confined to a reserve in Siberia funded by wealthy individuals who pay for the privilege of hunting them in a regulated, though controversial, environment.[4][5]
The resurrected herd struggles to survive because they lack the experience and learned behaviors of their ancestors, essentially existing as biological replicas without a culture. To address this deficiency, the consciousness of an expert in elephant behavior is digitized and uploaded into the herd's matriarch.[6] Inhabiting the mammoth's body, Dr. Damira Khismatullina—who was murdered by ivory poachers while attempting to protect elephants—teaches the herd how to forage and defend themselves, eventually turning her hard-won knowledge against the human hunters pursuing them.[7] This transformation shifts the narrative from a survival story into a visceral confrontation between the exploited species and their creators.
Themes
In interviews, Nayler has stated that the book explores the complexity of "de-extinction," questioning whether an animal can truly be brought back if its original ecosystem and culture no longer exist. This focus on "animal culture" suggests that identity is not merely genetic but communal.[2] The story also critiques the commercialization of nature, depicting a scenario where conservation is funded solely by those who wish to destroy it, creating a moral paradox for those involved in the project.[8]
Reception
A review in The Washington Post highlighted how Nayler's narrative gives the mammoths a dignity and agency rarely seen in animal-centric fiction, allowing the reader to empathize with the non-human perspective.[9]Locus praised the work for its density, noting that it manages to critique the nature of capital while remaining an effective, fast-paced thriller.[4]Grimdark Magazine commended the unique perspective of the mammoth protagonist and its exploration of memory and loss, describing the book as both heartbreaking and necessary for modern science fiction readers.[6]
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