AustLit

'Apparently the DNA of all cheetahs alive today is so similar that they appear to be identical–all of the thousands of them out there. The basic trope is that the cheetahs of the world have almost identical DNA because they have driven out all of the imperfect members of the species. What is fun, and what the author does very well, is to extrapolate from this to the idea that the cheetahs are actually the dominant life form on earth, and the rest of us are being ignored by, or entertaining them.

'Kudos to Mr. McMullen. He goes even further than this with interesting ideas; he invents an ecological foundation that uses DNA alteration to save wildlife, causing trouble as when "the bile from bears that's used in traditional Chinese medicine, suddenly becomes toxic to humans." And even more clever touches such as the cheetah protagonist of the story playing with her human victim, much as a house cat toys with a captured mouse.'

Source: Tangent (http://www.tangentonline.com/print–bi-monthly-reviewsmenu-260/interzone-reviewsmenu-59/1249-interzone-222-june-2009). (Sighted: 20/2/2014)