Silver Hair

Britain's finest writer of hard SF takes a headlong dive into the unknown with this series that reaches back millions of years into the past and which features a longtusk as its mammoth hero. It is interesting to speculate what drove Baxter to move into what is, for him, uncharted territory. His work always emphasizes the intelligent application of science rather than the more airy-fairy elements of the fantasy genre. Moreover, Baxter has openly criticized the excesses of the latter on several occasions. But mere pages into the first volume, and his strategy becomes clear: the approach is rigorously intelligent, with none of the whimsy that often disfigures the fantasy genre. Silverhair is one of the last surviving mammoths, living in a remote Siberian refuge. The breed has existed since the dawn of history, but their survival is now on the line: mankind has discovered them and is bent on their destruction. All the aspects that distinguish the best fantasy world (culture, religion, speech patterns) are realised in this first book. (Kirkus UK)