I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler Published by Tordotcom on January 16 2024
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 98
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Short but powerful, The Tusks of Extinction is an emotional journey through time and memory.
“Damira was there again, listening to uncle Timur read to her. This was the gift of the mammoth mind, the elephant mind; to be where she was and elsewhere as well. To be in this present and yet inhabit the past.”
The Tusks of Extinction is one of the most unusual, complex and beautifully written stories I’ve read in some time, which is surprising to me because it’s less than a hundred pages long. Ray Nayler’s story weaves in and out through time and introduces the reader to several sets of characters who don’t seem to be connected at first, but later become intertwined with each other in surprising ways. This is also an emotional tale that’s hard to read at times, as it deals with animal poaching and murder. And while I normally hate reading stories with animal cruelty elements, this one worked for me, probably due to the author’s writing skills and his ability to balance all the elements.
The story is told in two different time lines. In the past we meet a scientist named Dr. Damira Khismatullina, who is the world’s leading expert on elephant behavior. She and her colleague Wamugunda are both passionate about ending the elephant poaching trade for good, although it seems to be a losing battle. Unfortunately, Damira’s work ends in tragedy, when she’s brutally murdered by poachers. But before this happens, she agrees to a controversial procedure—to have her memories uploaded to a computer so that her vast knowledge won’t be lost upon her death.
One hundred years later, the once extinct Woolly Mammoth has been brought back, thanks to the magic of science. In order to teach these creatures how to survive in the wild, Damira’s consciousness has been melded with the matriarch mammoth’s brain so that she can guide and teach the rest of the pack.
But the mammoth project is expensive, and in order to fund it, the director sets up exclusive mammoth hunting parties. Two Russians names Anthony and Vladimir have joined the latest expedition, which will test their relationship. At the same time, a group of modern day mammoth poachers are hot on the trail of the mammoths. Svyatoslav is a young boy who followed his father into the poaching business, but he wants nothing to do with it and is trying to find a way out.
All these groups eventually converge—Damira’s mammoth, Anthony and Vladimir, and Svyatoslav—in a brutal, emotional confrontation. For such a short book, Nayler packs a lot into his story, including multiple timelines and flashbacks, and several points of view. And he doesn’t hand feed the reader. It takes a while to understand the groundwork of the story, but once the pieces start to come together, I was mesmerized by the different narratives and the growing tension among the three main characters.
I was especially taken with Damira’s story. We see her love of elephants develop in flashbacks, when her uncle gives her a cheap elephant toy as a child. That gift changes her life, for better or worse, as she becomes an expert in her field and passionate about saving the elephants. I loved the scenes with Damira and Wamugunda as they fight against poachers in Africa, a dangerous job that eventually costs them their lives. These were some of the most emotional scenes for me, as you can imagine. When Damira’s mind becomes enmeshed with that of a mammoth, we see another side of her. She is no longer human and must think like an elephant in order to help her pack survive.
I also loved the scenes with Anthony and Svyatoslav, where we follow Svyatoslav’s point of view as he struggles to connect with his partner, who has always been gentle, kind and considerate, but now seems to be a completely different person who wouldn’t think twice about killing a mammoth for sport. Nayler’s observations about the illegal ivory trade are horrifyingly real. It was awful to see history repeat itself in the future, where poaching once again rears its ugly head.
The author also touches on the importance of memories. Damira not only has her memories of elephant behavior from her previous life, which she’s using to help the mammoths, but being inside a mammoth’s head seems to bring back so many poignant memories from her childhood. I thought these sections were beautifully handled, and they added so much emotion to the story.
This was my first time reading Ray Nayler, and I’m excited to see what he does next.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Nice
I’ll have to try to snag a copy. Sounds like a tough read but a good one.
It was tough but the way he wrote it made it OK for me.
Wonderful review. I agree with everything you said! This really was a surprisingly powerful and beautiful read, painful in many parts, but so compelling that I wanted to read straight through.
I love his writing, and now I must read The Mountain in the Sea!
Wow Tammy, this sounds like a really amazing book, especially for one so short. Not that short books can’t be good but it all depends on the author. And Ray Nayler sounds like a great author. I would love to read it as well!
It was so good! I think you’d love it:-)
Sounds great. And I’m usually hesitant trying a new author with 500pages or more, so that’s perfect!
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Yes, it’s much less of a commitment!
Aw yay I am so glad you liked this one so much! I liked it, though less than you did I think. Honestly? I think I just had a really hard time with “girl in mammoth”. Like- I appreciated the concept, but… Idk, it just was really hard for me to connect with? Or something I can’t fully articulate? I was actually tempted to rate it higher, because I think objectively it IS good, but then that felt disingenuous, I think? Idk man, ratings are hard. I DID really like the way the author wrote though, and I have one of his other books that I of course bought a few years ago and, like all other books I bought, never read. I definitely will be giving it a try!
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Reviews in a Minute: Jumping Into January
Ha ha I get it, the uploaded consciousness was a strange concept and it sort of clashed with the other themes? But still, it worked for me!
Such a wonderful review!!! I’m never able to articulate so much about even the most amazing short books. I’m feeling very envious of your writing right now
But this novella does sound like nothing I’ve ever read. Maybe I should checkout if my library has a copy and give it a try.
Thanks Sahi! I would try it if you have time, I loved his writing and it gave me a lot to think about:-)
This sounds like it has so much going on for such a short number of pages. Glad you enjoyed it so much 😀
Pages and Tea recently posted…Book Review: Death and the Conjuror (A Spector Locked-Room Mystery #1) by Tom Mead
There is a lot going on, but it worked!
What an unusual story! From your words it’s clear this is a very engrossing tale on many levels, and one I will have to keep on my radar. Thank you so much for sharing this! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…SWORDHEART, by T. Kingfisher
It’s worth trying, I’m anxious to read his backlist now:-)
Sounds so good. In fairness I don’t read a lot of short stories but you’ve made this one sound like it packs a lot in.
Lynn 😀
It was packed, lol. But I think he did a great job despite the length.
I love this book’s concept and I have it coming up on my reading list soon, so I’m happy to see the positive rating!
It was very unusual, I’m glad I finally read this author:-)
What a lovely review, Tammy! And it also confirmed that right now – it’s a smart move on my part to avoid this one. I’d find it far too emotional as I’ve seen elephants in the wild and couldn’t cope with the brutality around poaching them for their tusks.
It was hard at times, so I think that’s a smart choice:-)
A lot of interesting topics and ideas weaved together in such a small package. Very glad to see you enjoyed this, and I suspect I’d enjoy trying it, as well.
I was surprised how well it worked for me:-)
Wonderful review, Tammy! I agree with you about avoiding books with animal cruelty elements–it’s the one content warning I’d really rather avoid. But I honestly didn’t even think about it because, as you said, Nayler handles it all so well. I think it helped that the reader doesn’t “witness” the cruelty happening, but rather the aftermath of it. The author did a great job with this story for just 100 pages!
Celeste | A Literary Escape recently posted…ARC Review: The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
This sounds wonderful. I hope I manage to read it this year.
Jen | Book Den recently posted…Review | The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Oh heck yes! This sounds so cool!
All the reviews of this one make me want to read it so much! Yours even more! Great review!
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