Cryptid: The Lost Legacy of Lewis & Clark

Eric Penz
iUniverse (2005)
ISBN 0595359744
Reviewed by Audrey Hauser for Reader Views (11/06)

While health problems took me away from this book for awhile I did finally get back to it.   The story was not what I had expected it to be.  It was difficult for me to get into the plot because the time span jumped back and forth.  The characterization was well done, but I did feel it was a slow process in connecting the characters.  Samantha was the character who caught my attention the most, probably because we are both women.  She had a very interesting background and a great thirst for more knowledge of the Gigantopithecus americanus.  She also had a struggle as to whom she should place her trust in.   The fact that her father was dying of cancer at this time added drama.  I was glad she was able to reach his bedside before he passed away.

The author gave us a picture of greed and the total disregard for human life with the events that played out in the Olympic National Park.  While it is no news to most that big business use many soiled tactics to grow and make more millions, it still was a shock at the lengths the logging industry went to, to keep the scientists from discovering the Gigantopithecus.  Added to that was the greed of Dr. Prescott to find a cancer cure and gain international attention and the riches it would bring. 

I found myself drawn in to the plight of the Gigantopithecus to remain alive and the cold calculations of those who wanted him dead.  It was a surprise to learn that there were two of them.

When Secretary Mason discovered the lost journals of Lewis and though dying himself, took some steps to publicize them, it added a new twist to the story.  I found the many murders conducted by those wanting to covers the discovery and line their pockets to be sickening.  The story ending left it to the reader to decide what they want to happen.  Perhaps that is a good thing because the legend of the Sasquatch is not done.

My feeling about the story in “Cryptid: The Lost Legacy of Lewis & Clark” is that the plot moved much too slowly and took too long to connect the characters.  I would have preferred to have had this written in regular story form rather than as journals (by several people).  Being a woman I was happiest that Ian did not die and he and Samantha came together again with some mystery still remaining.

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