Mendel’s Ladder Book Blurb
The Earth will never be the same. Ravaged by climate destruction, nuclear devastation, and other cataclysmic events, the planet and its people continue to undergo radical changes in order to survive.
Journey across the Earth of 2099 through three unique POVs:
A pair of cybernetically enhanced warrior women bound by love and loyalty clash with mutated monsters to protect two human-like girls known as the Virus and the Cure.
The last Huntress and Hunter, lethal creations of the old world, hunt to eradicate the few remaining pockets of humanity on Earth's surface.
Aboard the city-size utopian space station of Astrea, a tireless worker and son of a notorious revolutionary discovers the harrowing and deadly truths of his so-called utopian society.
While these characters' paths intersect in surprising and explosive ways, ancient powers lurk in the shadows, wielding god-like influence over their lives. Dive into book one of this epic series and prepare for an adrenaline-fueled journey set on a post-apocalyptic future Earth, brimming with high-stakes action, adventure, and mystery.
Overall Analysis of Mendel’s Ladder
Mendel’s Ladder (The Collected Histories of Neoevolution Earth Book 1) by E. S. Fein is a breakneck, grimdark, science-fiction epic taking place in a post-apocalyptic Earth where a mad scientist forces a cataclysmic event to precipitate evolution through harsh environments and technology. The story follows three main characters: 1) Shira, a cybernetically enhanced warrior traversing Earth’s harsh climate, 2) Volya, a lethal invention whose purpose is to wipe out the remnants of humanity, and 3) Samuel, an average, everyday worker aboard a utopic space station.
I have never quite experienced such unique worldbuilding. In fact, the worldbuilding was so comprehensive I didn’t quite wrap my head around many of the concepts until one-fifth of the way through the book. While I am not sure if that was intended, it did not affect my ability to understand the plot. Furthermore, once I understood the concepts of flesh trees, hybrids, nomads, huntresses/hunters, mutants, biofreaks, and the like, it really amplified the reading experience and allowed me to truly appreciate the incredible depth of Fein’s worldbuilding. Interspersed between each chapter are excerpts from the mad scientist’s (Mendel’s) journal that really helped me understand the more advanced and philosophical concepts of the story.
Though Mendel’s Ladder takes place on Earth, there is very little about our planet that is recognizable. The entire ecosystem has been restructured into a practically inhospitable hellscape for humans, dominated primarily by nomads (plant/fungus-like humanoids) and mutants (mutated animals). The characters that inhabit the Earth and the space stations, Astra, are wonderfully fleshed out. Despite not getting many chapters to get to know each POV, I felt an instant connection with each of the main characters.
Given the lethality, speed, and unimaginable destruction wrought by some of the characters in Mendel’s Ladder—namely the Huntress and her Hunter—it was initially difficult imagining how an actual fight would play out. The Hunter was described as having the capacity to wipe out millions of humans and nomads and travel at twice the speed of sound, so I was unsure what an actual battle with this creature would entail. However, the battle scenes were incredibly detailed, and Fein truly gives you a perspective of the high-speed and primal carnage.
Knowing that this was the first book of a series, I wasn’t expecting a satisfying conclusion. That said, many of the plot’s elements converged in a gratifying climax. One thing I would say about this book is that it seems more of an episodic installment given the length and the minimal chapters per POV, but this did not detract from my enjoyment.
Final Thoughts
You will want to dive into Mendel’s Ladder when you are completely free of distractions. It requires you to pay close attention to the details to understand its advanced concepts and intricate world building. However, it is well worth the staunch mental focus as it is truly an epic tale. And even though I described it as an “episodic” entry into the series, the next two installments are already available, so you will not need to wait to discover what happens following the cliffhanger ending. Mendel’s Ladder, and the extended Neoevolution Earth universe, is a must read for fans of hardcore science fiction. The author, E. S. Fein, has an unmatched knack for unique world building.
Commenti