Knocking on Heaven’s Door

This conflicted postapocalyptic tale of sparse but still civilized humans in a world of cloned mammoths and telepathic saber-toothed tigers tries to find the balance between preservation and progress. Clare, a hunter and writing instructor, guides Brad, a lab rat who discovered an important principle of the universe, on a wilderness quest. It leads not to enlightenment but to bigender loner Luke/Lucia and mutated dire wolf Dog. Wishing for fame in a world that frowns on individual aggrandizement, Brad takes peyote, links minds with Dog, and discovers the long-sought secret of how DNA broadcasts consciousness. Aided by Luke/Lucia and Dog, he constructs a device that can resurrect the dead, including Clare’s baby daughter. Russell happily sets up a “Paleoterrific” primitive utopia and then allows the gritty reality of dying young and the discomfort of conforming to social norms in a small community to wear away at an eco-friendly life with nature. Big cats may mentally howl “I love you,” but they still want to eat you. (Jan.)