Wow! I have to admit it took me a while to get into this book, but mostly because my laptop was on it's last legs and I did not have an e-book reader. But I recently got a new laptop and I was able to read the story comfortably. Anyway, the story is very powerful and has many of the elements I enjoy reading - some mystery, danger, action, and psychological drama. What I didn't really expect was the politically charged nature of the story. Once I got into the story, it was truly gripping and I just had to keep reading. I would have liked a better ending for Akiah, but I can see how this is not a "happily ever after" kind of story. The real happy ever after here is the countries of the world working together to help solve the problem of global warming. There were some issues with the writing, like the character development. I felt like he did a decent job of providing Sonja and Darcy with some depth, but so many of the others were flat. It would have added so much to develop some of the characters, especially Akiah and Kali. Good story - just sorry it took me so long to read. ( )

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Sonya Adams is a model who thinks she's on her way to another catalog shoot. On arrival, however, she discovers the modeling job was just a set up for a kidnapping! Her abductors are members of a group environmental extremists who live a minimalist lifestyle as a means of reducing their carbon emissions, and they hope to use Sonya to draw attention to their message.

Primitivehas a very interesting concept: a cult-like group of environmentalists kidnap a model, a symbol of modern indulgence, for propaganda purposes. Global climate change is definitely a relevant issue, and the book depicts the spread of ideas through the internet and modern television coverage very believably. Unfortunately, the book has some major issues with getting its points across.

The biggest problem with Primitive is the characters. There is very little development, and most are one-dimensional stereotypes. The "underground" of activists depicted in the novel are all pot-smoking hippie cliches with names like "Kodiak," "Calypso," "Sorrell," and "Lotus." There's also the rebellious daughter, the evil military commander, and the "bad-ass" above-the-law bounty hunter with the ridiculous name of "Johnny Bracer."

The author also has a bad habit of using sentence fragments. Like this. For emphasis. Political messages are also hit over the head by the story. For example, all the law enforcement and military characters are above the law and all too ready to abuse their power in pursuit of potential "terrorists."

While the issue of climate change is a major issue, as are current US military operation, Primitive is so full of stereotypes that it is hard to take any of the book's messages seriously.

A review copy was provided by the publisher.

Where do I start?
There was so much in ‘Primitive’ that I didn’t like, didn’t understand, couldn’t suspend my disbelief for, or just found offensive.

American cultural hegemony is reaching a point where it seems as if citizens of the USA can be outraged by the innocent behaviour of people of other cultures, while they themselves clumsily trample all over the sensitivities of others. There are two aspects of this in ‘Primitive’ which astounded me with their ignorance and nastiness. No one in Australia (where I live) would dare call a place ‘Aboland’ unless they were determined to cause outrage and upset in as many people as possible. It is an appallingly offensive choice of name, and made me cringe every time I read it. The second was the dreadful way Canadians were spoken of by the US military and FBI. I can’t for a moment imagine that that was a fair way for FBI agents and the US military to be depicted. Torture? Of their own people? In a way that could never be hidden? Oh, please. It seems such an ugly way to make a point.

It’s hard to imagine so many one-dimensional characters. Just in the opening chapters, there was the driven careeer woman, her rebellious daughter, the ‘Prada’ boss, the gay assistant, the lone wolf bounty-hunter. And so it goes on. And the names of the hippies! I was waiting for Mudbrick or Cowdung to make an appearance.

How do hippies in a commune, living a primitive ‘back to nature’ life (with an underground - literally- digital film editing suite and high-speed internet upload facility; oh, yeah) have a mortgage on truth? For goodness sake, their minds would be too addled from all the ‘herb’ in the story to know the difference between methane and a lentil fart.

Ultimately, I think the only character I liked even a little bit was Tip/Wenona. There’s even a chance she won’t grow up to be such a dead-head as the others in the story.

Enough! Now for two (sort of) positives: 1. I managed to read it all the way through. In a masochistic sort of way I suppose I wanted to see what else I could find ludicrous or offensive. 2. The episodes where Sonya was crawling through that very narrow tunnel, and getting stuck, I found particularly unnerving. But that may have more to do with my own phobias than anything else.

Just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean it couldn’t become a successful TV series. They’ll just have to tone down some of the torture. Otherwise it’s no less brain-dead than a lot of other stuff on TV that parades as drama. ( )

Take a model who symbolizes American consumerism, mix in one extreme primitive group with their own agenda. throw in a daughter with a shaky relationship with her mother. Add a government with their own agenda and a bounty hunter into the mix and what you have is a thriller that will keep you turning pages. Sonya Adams is a middle age model who is kidnapped and used as a spokesperson for an extreme environmental group. They count on her former career to get their environmental message across. Darcy is sonya's daughter and she is determined to rescue her mother even though they have not had the best relationship. Suddenly both mother and daughter find themselves fighting to survive. They are caught between the terrorists on one side and the government on the other side. Both sides believe they are in the right. This is an excellent must read book. Although I usually read and review young adult books, it is a book like Primitive that leads me back to adult books. ( )

It took a number of attempts for me to make it through Primitive, while the story has an interesting basis the characters never quite meshed and the writing made the experience stodgy and difficult to push through. It's certainly not something I'll be going back to read again at any point, which is something of a shame as the core ideas are strong. ( )

I read approximately 160 pages (out of 312) before the battery on my Palm Pilot died and I decided that was a really good sign to stop and not start again. While the premise was intriguing, I found that the only characters I had any sympathy for were the mother and daughter. Law enforcement was being painted too thoroughly with the "Hey guys, we're EVIL! EVIL I say! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha! Let's relax in my villainous, um, cabin, and torture little kids and bunnies because we're ALL psychopaths" brush. Very irritating. Likewise, the tribal folks (who I guess are supposed to seem like the good guys in comparison) were just too calculating and sinister to garner real sympathy from me.

The shear dislikability on the part of all the secondary characters also tainted their message about the environmental crisis.

I suppose if you are already thoroughly in support of the tribal folks point of view, you would be more likely to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, as someone who is deeply concerned about the environment, but not particularly enthralled with the more radical groups, it fails as a reach out. The "whack over the head" stridency of the message combined with the character of the messengers was an even bigger turn-off than the last quarter of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. ( )

I had a very hard time getting through this book. I found the premise to really be lacking and difficult to believe. It wasn't what I thought it would be but that isn't why I have given it two stars. I could rate it higher if I just didn't like it's plot, if I could at least complement the writing. But I just can't. I found the writing to be very stilted and simplistic. I just couldn't care about any character because they all read as the same voice. Not one real difference between them.

Sorry - I just couldn't get into it and struggled to finish it. The ending was totally unsatisfactory and the only reason I give two stars is that it's at least a different premise for the most part. ( )

Mark Nykanen's Primitive was the first and last ebook I read (for a while). Unfortunately I don't have a dedicated e-book reader, which meant that the reading process was the equivalent of staring at the computer screen for hours upon hours. I don't want to repeat this experience, as my neck and eyes got strained a bit. Unless the future holds a Kindle or some other ebook reader for me, I won't be doing this again.

I was also keenly aware of the contrast between the book's content and the media I was absorbing it. After all the major theme of the book was a diatribe against rampant consumerism; showing how people living in industrial society and enjoying its comforts are "raping the planet." So I or my computer using a lot of electricity just to read a book wasn't exactly aligned with this idea and it made me self-aware of my action. If that was the author's goal he succeeded.

The book's speed, tone and focus kept changing. After a slow start we learn a lot about the principals and methods of the extreme environmentalist group that kidnapped a fashion model and tried to force her to live their way of life. The latter being a combination of neo-primitive (hence the title)--where only tools created by themselves are used, only food they gather, grow or kill is eaten and only objects they made is in their surrounding--and what they call post-industrial. The latter involves using high tech to conduct their PR, including video podcast of the model to share the world their agenda. Later the thriller speeds up with chase sequences, explosions, shooting and at the end a huge, unbalanced battle. These include both the model's attempts of escape and her daughter's attempts to fin and rescue her.

I enjoyed both the high speed parts of the book and the environmental exposures. I was happy to see the names of Buckminster Fuller and Gregory Bateson in the book. Hopefully their ideas will spread a little bit more, along with the awareness of what the hidden methane reserves can do to our planet. After all that's what the Terra Firma, aka Aboland group, or as I suspect Nykanen wanted to point out. It had my attention.

Minor note: towards the end of the book (page 288 and 289) there are two URLs that was supposedly used by the group. However they are unregistered. If you use a URL in a book you better make sure it's yours and use it for promotion of the book. Not doing so would show that you may not be on the top of your game. (On the other hand the book has a video trailer, put together by the publisher ) I am strongly tempted to register them for myself and profit out of it. If I am to do it, I should do it now, before/if the book becomes popular. Neh, I am too lazy.

I like the premise of this book - a basically benign group of environmental activists kidnaps a popular model to boost awareness of methane stores in Antarctica which the government is hiding from the public.

It just took me a long time to feel any kind of empathy with the protagonist model and her bratty (with a good reason) daughter, Darcy. I found other characters in the primitive community, along with people that Darcy meets on her quest to rescue her mother more compelling.

The ending was somewhat unsatisfying to me, as I hoped for a more happily-ever-after bout of butt-kicking and justice dealing. However, I am decidedly less disturbed by the story's lack of satisfactory conclusion than I am by the environmental issues that it brings to light. These story lines are on-going... ( )

This is a phenomenal story written with skill and insight. Mark spent a career investigating all manner of stories, including undercover assignments followed by on-camera reporting. He obviously developed a special interest in environmental matters and the often shadowy groups that seek to give voice to their political views through action, terrorist in nature or otherwise.

In this captivating story, Sonya Adams is a middle-aged model who is a personification of consumerism. She is kidnapped to become an icon on podcasts from a remote area on the border of the United States and Canada. The tree-huggers who abduct her, and live, in primal conditions have an agenda that requires utilization of all the means of contemporary communication, as well as terrorist destruction of energy facilities done in a manner to prevent direct loss of life.

Sonya’s daughter, Darcy, is a neo-hippie lost in her own culture. Bound to rescue her mother, Darcy starts off on her own adventure, delivered into the underground world of her lover’s bretheren.

Strong and determined in their own ways, mother and daughter embark upon an exciting, page-turning adventure to overcome their respective adversity.

Like the ambush in Waco, the Feds become the bad guys as the kidnapped and rescuer find common ground with their abductors.

Primitive is a great read! Mark Nykanen leads the reader on an exciting and thought-provoking journey. How would I respond? the reader keeps wondering, as the pages turn to reveal one paradox after another. What is true and what is false in this domain of environmental matters and those who seek to raise the level of consciousness about the reality of those issuest? Regardless of your politics, you will find this to be an enjoyable ride. ( )

This is an interesting book, but was a little hard to get into. I haven't read any other "eco-terror" books but this seems like a good intro to the genre. Good for a quick read and light entertainment. ( )

Mark Nykanen’s book “Primitive” is centered on an intriguing plot line: What if a strange cult-like group kidnapped a celebrity in the attempt to promote their own agenda? I did find this concept interesting. I was also fascinated with Nykanen’s treatment of issues like Stockholm syndrome and what thoughts a captive might have when the captor isn’t completely evil. Unfortunately, these were the only elements of the book that I actually enjoyed.

First, I felt that a good chunk of the book was extremely didactic. There were entire sections that read as if they were borrowed from a textbook or a lecture on the dangers of our modern world.

Second, in my opinion there were entire plot lines and characters that seemed not only unnecessary but subtractive to the larger work.

My final main complaint about Nykanen’s work was that just simply didn’t hook me. Honestly, I’m not sure if this is due to the subject matter, the writing, or a combination of the two. I might have enjoyed this as a short story but as a novel, I struggled to justify the time it took to read it with the little that I got out of it.

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program. I would not normally have read a book with such a strong sermonising message about the environment, but skipping some of the denser sections of climate change 'education' I found the book fairly enjoyable. As an e-book I had some challenges finding a device to read from and this prevented me getting into the story initially, but once I did I enjoyed the pace, and the writing is quite atmospheric at times. But on the basis of this book alone I can't say that I will be looking out for other works by this author. ( )

I still haven't received the book to review it. ( )

A good read ... I liked the climate change angle and enjoyed the dialogue and plot. A little farfetched at times - but I think I would enjoy reading other works by the author. ( )

I received this book as part of the early reviewers program. As other reviewers have stated in previous posts, I didn't care for the conflict between the mother and her daughter. I am currently only 1/3 of the way through the book but don't have a desire to finish it. I feel the climate message distracts from the story and seems preachy. I know climate change is bad and to read another 200 pages of how climate change is evil doesn't interest me.

On the positive side, I felt the book was well written and easy to read. The dialog was well written. I would be interested in reading other books by this author. ( )

Sonya Adams is a mature age model. She has been a model all her life and it is all that she knows. She is kidnapped by eco-terrorists, or thats what they appear to be. Her daughter tries to rescue her.

This is a great action thriller. Lots of twists in the plot, keeping the ePages turning. Nothing is what it seems, and at times it is difficult to tell the goodies from the baddies.

This is my first eBook, and not having a dedicated reader I read it on my netbook. I will be waitig for a proper reader before trying my next eBook. ( )

This is one of the best thriller I've read in a few years. The characters are very well written and most of them you "Love to hate". I loved the relationship of Sonya and Darcy because many mothers and daughters have a troubled relationship, but when something drastic happens, they will stop at nothing to help the other. The story is so suspenseful that you can't help but keep turning the pages. You have to know what happens and where the author is taking you next. It's like being on a roller coaster and it's hard to put the book down. I love suspense/thrillers but this one verges on horror. Which is fine with me, I love scary too. I know I'll be reading this again and would recommend it to anyone who likes white knuckle reads. I hope to read more from Mark Nykanen. ( )

A good eco-terror novel where the people fighting to save the planet are the good guys with questionable methods on getting their message across. I liked the amount of action and the character detailing. Interesting concept. ( )

From the prologue through to the epilogue I was hooked. The descriptive style Mark Nykanen conveys just enough to make you think you are really in the shoes of Darcy and her mother Sonya without drowning you in details. The narrative conveys a sense of urgency and action without losing focus on the two main characters and thier ordeals. Plenty of peripheral characters round out the story in a fully fleshed way without ever veering too far away from the story and mysteries at hand. Other than the overly preachy nature of the novel this was a great book filled with wonderful characters I almost wish I could revisit. I will definately be reading more of Mark's novels in the future.

This is one of those books that can be compared to marmite - you either love it or hate it. I loved it, but it took a while to come to that conclusion. It starts out slow, but soon takes the reader on an exhilarating journey through a bleak yet beautiful landscape.
Some reviewers criticise the characterisation of the book seeing the main character as shallow, but to me, that was the point. In order for Nykanen to make his reader understand the ecological theme, we had to dislike the main character to start with, growing and learning with her as she understands more about herself and the world we are destroying.
Yes, it was cliched in parts, and you had to suspend your disbelief throughout, but Nykanen has written a terrific story that leaves the reader with issues to think about. ( )

I don't normally read thrillers but this sounded original and topical, and I received an Early Reviewer's copy. Environmental issues should be of concern to us all, I reckoned, and I thought it would be interesting to see how the author handled them. I'm sorry to say that I am not going to finish the book, so I won't be sure how well he managed; I did read the Epilogue, to see how it turned out and, although I can see that the ending seems appropriate to the story, it hasn't made me regret my decision. I read the first third before coming to a scene which I just found too unpleasant, and some of the reviews here suggest that it wasn't the only one that was going to offend me.
I thought the writing was okay for the genre, but I didn't much enjoy the author's style, and I didn't find any of the characters appealing; furthermore, we were told too much about them, rather than letting the reader discover things. I admit, though, that it just wasn't my cup of tea, and I wouldn't want to put off anyone who enjoys thrillers. I'll go back to non-fiction on ecological issues, though.

An environmental thriller, slow to begin with, but developing as the story progresses. Kidnapping and compromise, conspiracy and grass-root democracy.

This is an eco-thriller (which I generally don't read) but I was intrigued by its description and received an early reviewers advanced copy. To read it you must either agree with or get beyond the environmental politics the book is based around - if you can do that you will love the book. It is a great story with characters whom you often love and hate at the same time. You don't know who to trust and throughout the book you don't really know for whom to root. The final chapter - the epilogue does a good job of tying up all the ends. The book is thought-provoking and a fun read - give it a try. ( )

I almost gave up on this book by the end of the first chapter as I couldnt engage with the characters at all, a shallow model and her 'crusty' daughter. Whats more the author overuses similes and metaphors as well as general description which distracted constantly from the story- I had to stop and work out what colour 'sienna' is or try to remember what colour blue 'robin's-egg' could be.
Once into the story I quite enjoyed it, its a fast paced eco-thriller in which a model is kidnapped by a group who want to live a more primitive lifestyle. Parts of it did feel like I was being lectured at and John Barnes does the whole 'methane' thing much better in his book Mother of Storms I thought.
I would have given it another star but there were some incidences of violence which I would consider to be extreme, including one towards a dog which left me feeling quite sickened and didnt really add anything to the story. ( )