FLORES MAN
It sounds too incredible to be true, but this is not a hoax. A species of tiny human has been discovered, which lived on the remote Indonesian island of Flores just 18,000 years ago.
Researchers have so far unearthed remains from eight individuals who were just one metre tall, with grapefruit-sized skulls. These astonishing little people, nicknamed 'hobbits', made tools, hunted tiny elephants and lived at the same time as modern humans who were colonizing the area.
For the Mods: I don't know where to put this but you can move it. I have a few relevant questions as to the above announcement as it pertains to genre and pubication.
AWers--You're all familiar with what Jean Auel did with CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR. I can certainly see this story in novel form, and no one has touched it yet. It's a recent discovery. These tiny humans lived on the volcanic island of Flores in Indonesia. They were contemorary with 4ft-tall elephants (that they hunted), 10--15 ft long Komoda dragons (which must have been nothing short of dinosaurian in dimension), giant rats and all manner of indigenous calamities. They made sophisticated tools and weapons and apparently were active hunters and organizers. It has also been surmized that they had speech to some degree, even though their brain cases held nothing larger than a chimp brain.
Would this make a good story idea? (Novel)
I ask this because it has all the elements--survival, conflict, lore, competition, sociology etc. Apparently normal sized humans interacted with these teeny people, and they all disapeared around the time that the local volcano blew its top some 13,000 years ago. It has potential, but the research so far is sparse and certainly controversial. The logistics of putting something together like this is nightmarish, no doubt. But I think it's fresh, new and certainly timely. I mean, here we have tiny dragon slayers but it's no fantasy! Of course, culturally, you'd have to fill in all the blanks. It certainly makes Easter Island look like a kiddy carnival by comparison. (I invite anybody to google this story with the keywords: Hobbits of Flores)
Now, suppose this got written. What the heck genre is this? What's CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR? Is it action/adventure? Historical fiction? Prehistoric fiction? Could this hit mainstream racks?
And I guardedly confess, if any novel screamed for a platform, it most likely would be this one. I'm an amateur paleontologist and science writer, but do you think an editor would drag me across the carpet if I didn't have a degree in archeology, anthropology or similar core science? Auel did nothing more than research the Stone Age. Am I headed for trouble with this, or would there be any roadblocks?
I'm not saying it's got best seller written all over it, but you have to admit that the discovery itself is mind-bending and the possibilities...well...the sky's the limit, wot? All you have to do is imagine your naked little three-foot-tall self on an island full of real dragons and giant rats, and I think you get the idea.
Anybody REALLY interested in writing something like this, email or pm me.
Appreciate any opinions,
Triceratops
It sounds too incredible to be true, but this is not a hoax. A species of tiny human has been discovered, which lived on the remote Indonesian island of Flores just 18,000 years ago.
Researchers have so far unearthed remains from eight individuals who were just one metre tall, with grapefruit-sized skulls. These astonishing little people, nicknamed 'hobbits', made tools, hunted tiny elephants and lived at the same time as modern humans who were colonizing the area.
For the Mods: I don't know where to put this but you can move it. I have a few relevant questions as to the above announcement as it pertains to genre and pubication.
AWers--You're all familiar with what Jean Auel did with CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR. I can certainly see this story in novel form, and no one has touched it yet. It's a recent discovery. These tiny humans lived on the volcanic island of Flores in Indonesia. They were contemorary with 4ft-tall elephants (that they hunted), 10--15 ft long Komoda dragons (which must have been nothing short of dinosaurian in dimension), giant rats and all manner of indigenous calamities. They made sophisticated tools and weapons and apparently were active hunters and organizers. It has also been surmized that they had speech to some degree, even though their brain cases held nothing larger than a chimp brain.
Would this make a good story idea? (Novel)
I ask this because it has all the elements--survival, conflict, lore, competition, sociology etc. Apparently normal sized humans interacted with these teeny people, and they all disapeared around the time that the local volcano blew its top some 13,000 years ago. It has potential, but the research so far is sparse and certainly controversial. The logistics of putting something together like this is nightmarish, no doubt. But I think it's fresh, new and certainly timely. I mean, here we have tiny dragon slayers but it's no fantasy! Of course, culturally, you'd have to fill in all the blanks. It certainly makes Easter Island look like a kiddy carnival by comparison. (I invite anybody to google this story with the keywords: Hobbits of Flores)
Now, suppose this got written. What the heck genre is this? What's CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR? Is it action/adventure? Historical fiction? Prehistoric fiction? Could this hit mainstream racks?
And I guardedly confess, if any novel screamed for a platform, it most likely would be this one. I'm an amateur paleontologist and science writer, but do you think an editor would drag me across the carpet if I didn't have a degree in archeology, anthropology or similar core science? Auel did nothing more than research the Stone Age. Am I headed for trouble with this, or would there be any roadblocks?
I'm not saying it's got best seller written all over it, but you have to admit that the discovery itself is mind-bending and the possibilities...well...the sky's the limit, wot? All you have to do is imagine your naked little three-foot-tall self on an island full of real dragons and giant rats, and I think you get the idea.
Anybody REALLY interested in writing something like this, email or pm me.
Appreciate any opinions,
Triceratops
I'm sure you understand.
