Have you ever had an obstacle in your way that required not only your full wisdom but the support of the one close to you in your life from past and present? Lorna Polk, The main character in The Altar of Eden, Starts out her day as normal not knowing that she would have to begin a long journey to not only protect what she loves but prevent the exploitation of nature its self. The Altar of Eden is a science thriller written by James Rollins. This novel was created after many of Rollins bigger hits but it exposes his true profession of being a veterinarian and a really allows him to expand the novel using his own experience and imagination.
Lorna throughout this story plays the role of and independent strong woman. The story switches for points of view’s throughout the novel but it always comes back to describe Lorna’s perspective. She comes from a family that is on a down fall as the luxury of money and friends became more and more unfamiliar as the families money steadily decreased. Now only she and her brother are holders of the family name and the Once Luxurious mansion they owned has turned into a broken down empty shell with only Lorna to live in it. The mansion resembles all of the good and bad Lorna has experienced with her family and is a part of her in a way in which she could not bare to leave it. The trials and tribulations Lorna has experienced have made her stronger and molded her into the woman she is today. Lorna has started a new in her life from her younger years, and we intersect into a time in Lorna’s life where she is very comfortable and content with the way things are. Lorna is forced to grow more than she ever wanted to or thought she could by having to overcome her next upcoming obstacles. Lorna learns to break her comfort zone and become a leader for something that is much bigger than she could ever imagine. One of those obstacles deals with the Menard family. Jack is very influencing in this story due to his past relationship with Lorna. When Jack calls Lorna to come and help him and the Coast Guard figure out the mystery of the contents of the cargo ship and the missing animal of the cargo ship he brings back up all of the past issues that were never fully resolved from their past. When Lorna was younger she went out with Jack’s brother and a horrible incident happened where it involved Jack’s brother dying. The Menard family of Lorna’s family never knew what happened because neither Lorna nor Jack would talk. Jack is a very rigorous man that confident in his actions in every situation. You can tell by the way Jack first tries to handle the situation of hunting don’t the Saber-Tooth Tiger that escaped from the cargo ship that he has been through a lot of test and he has pasted them, and he is trying to use what he knows to figure out something he knows nothing about. Jack goes through a growing period in this novel where not only does he have to become a better leader but he has to learn how follow Lorna to learn what she knows so that he can be helpful. Zoe in this novel is a very loving and