This is a fascinating and useful overview of the latest findings related to the discovery of the Denisovan fossils.

The book gives a much needed and surprisingly detailed summary of the latest finds and theories. I really liked the way each chapter carefully laid out the findings, put them into context and then built on those ideas in the next chapter. For a relatively short book, nothing felt rushed or dumbed down. I am by no means an expert in this area, but this book was really good at guiding me through a complex story. I think I even grasped the key things related to the DNA findings, which is essential to our understanding of the Denisovans. I am in awe of how much we now know about the Denisovans and the extraordinary advances that have been made in the study of DNA that has allowed their story to be told with so few actual remains.

And what an incredible story it is. The authors take us through the various pieces of evidence to tell an awe inspiring tale of humans coming out of Africa - the Neanderthals eventually populating the west and their Denisovan cousins populating the east. It's a story of adaptations to both high altitudes and tropical areas, of changing sea levels, of meeting up with long lost relatives, both fellow Denisovans and Neanderthals, and finally of meeting our own ancestors, Homo sapiens allowing their DNA to continue to modern times.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book and I'm looking forward to buying the final version when it is published later in the year.

This was a really good "pop" paleoanthropological read on Denisovans and the recent discoveries and interpretations of Denisovan spread and migration through the East. I learned a lot about the genetics behind Denisovans so anyone interested in evolution and genetics should give this a read!

The writing was well done and it read at a good pace without too much jargon. My only complaint was the lack of footnotes, however each chapter has its own references at the end of the book.

A huge thank you to The Experiment Publishing for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for my review!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I've been super fascinated by Denisovans since the first time I've heard about them. I immediately went on a binge of reading about them and this book would have been exactly what I was looking for back then.

I love that one of the authors is a scientist and the other one is a journalist. I always like that dynamic for nonfiction books, it always makes for an informed, enjoyable read.

And this book was definitely both of those things! The writing style was super approachable and easy to read, but I also learned a ton from reading through this book. I read the whole book in a single day and it kept me engaged all the way though.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that's at all interested in the Denisovans.