The Neanderthal Swan Song

  • Title: The Neanderthal Swan Song
  • Genre: Science Fiction
  • Length: Approximately 2000
  • Written: October 1999
  • Published: Planet Magazine, October, 2000


    • Excerpt:
    My Dearest Akira,

    I must confess to you that the past six months have been the best of my miserable life. You are the one break in the clouds. But, as much as I love you, I must end our relationship. Once I describe myself to you more fully, you will see that I cannot allow this relationship to happen. Some of this story you know; the holes will be filled in by this letter.



    Discussion
    This was my first published story, something I gave away to Planet Magazine and have regretted ever since. The story is good enough for a paying market, but what happened, happened. Impatience is something a new writer needs to overcome. I eventually did, but not before letting this one get away.

    This is the original version of my Neanderthal clone in the modern world story, and the basis of my novel Neanderthal Swan Song. Much has changed between this story and the novel, but the basic premise and story line remain the same.

    I had the idea while taking a walk over lunch at work one day. From time to time, the issues raised in Jurrasic Park come back to the surface, and occasionlly, well preserved finds of prehistoric men get discovered. I folded the two into each other and this story evolved.

    So, my first. I wrote this story long before I knew how to write. I think it was during my Long Ridge Writers Group training. The story is definitely a character story, but at the time, I hadn't the skills to pull it off.



    (c) 2005-2007 by Rick Novy

    Last update: 24 March 2007