This is Earth in 1990. It's exactly like our Earth, except that, somewhere in the Brazilian jungle, is a half-forgotten territory populated by plants and animals entirely unlike those on the rest of the planet. And this strange environment has strange effects on the human mind.
The world building is good. There's some strong similarities to Chris Beckett's (earlier, excellent) Dark Eden series in his intense, hallucinogenic depiction of the vegetation of an alien world. And the "duendes" are great: half formed creatures somewhere between human, animal and plant that have devastating mental effects on any humans they come close too.
Despite this, the human characters in the novel are plodding - literally in the case of the lead charater - an English policeman who doesn't ever escape stereotype. Given that the novel is essentially about human personality - it's an exploration of a world where the alien creatures and environment break down the human psyche - the failure to conjure real, believable human beings is a big weakness.
The world building is good. There's some strong similarities to Chris Beckett's (earlier, excellent) Dark Eden series in his intense, hallucinogenic depiction of the vegetation of an alien world. And the "duendes" are great: half formed creatures somewhere between human, animal and plant that have devastating mental effects on any humans they come close too.
Despite this, the human characters in the novel are plodding - literally in the case of the lead charater - an English policeman who doesn't ever escape stereotype. Given that the novel is essentially about human personality - it's an exploration of a world where the alien creatures and environment break down the human psyche - the failure to conjure real, believable human beings is a big weakness.