Rent Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax)

Fiction, but makes you believe it can happen. Scientifically based with a really good story. Descriptive passages build a clear picture in your head of what is happening. Includes an interesting mix of philosopy, physics, ethics, morals,love, prejudice,religion, and makes you question your knowledge and beliefs about all of them.

Hominids by Robert J Sawyer is the first in a series, and it also apparently won a Hugo Award. The book posits that there are many paralell universes. In one of them, Homo Sapiens became the dominant species of the world, but in another, Neanderthals did. A scientist from the Neanderthal world accidentally transports himself to our parallel universe. The book deals with him being here, but it also, and more interestingly, deals with his dissapearance from his own world. He was working alone underground with his partner, and not surprisingly, no one believes the parallel universe story, and charges him with murder. I loved the way the whole world was described. The whole world is bisexual. Women live with their women-mates, men live with their man-mates. Once a month, the men go to visit their women mates and the kids. So everyone has a husband and wife, and they love both of them, and even have sex with both of them. I can't say I'd enjoy a life like that, only living with women and seeing men once a month. But I bet there's a lot of other men and women who would like it! Besides that oddity, there are a lot of other profound cultural differences… I'm excited to see what the rest of the series will bring. It really brings out the anthropologist in me!