Publisher's Synopsis
From their inception, humans followed a path that would ultimately lead to their destruction and
that of the planet they inhabited. To prevent such a catastrophe, a mysterious Force decided humans
needed to be replaced with a species more empathetic, an abstract-thinking species that valued all life.
But how to do that peacefully and without causing undue suffering? Could that guiding Force - natural
selection, superior alien, gods or goddesses - introduce a species that bred with humans and brought with
it a new form of consciousness, heightened empathy, and unique powers? Could the destructive human
genes be diluted to insignificance? What would it be like for the first few generations of advanced
individuals to be surrounded by a sea of slow-witted but resourceful humans? How would they survive
the human penchant for fearing otherness and the relentless instinct to exterminate it?
It began with the Voices, strange expressive Voices that humans mistakenly diagnosed as
schizophrenia. Such eerie stirrings were actually the emerging consciousness of a superior species,
confusing and disorienting to those in whose minds they arose, and misunderstood by the Homo sapiens
surrounding them. In time, the Voices were joined by astounding predictive abilities and even more
shocking powers. The end of humanity had begun.
The replacement of one species by another is nothing new. Homo sapiens interbred with and
replaced Homo neanderthals. Human biologists eradicate dangerous pests by introducing
mutations with desirable genetic traits and allowing the two to interbreed. The Stillness Series
chronicles how the same thing could happen with humans and lead to their replacement by an
advanced, empathetic species.
The Hunchback's Gift, Book IV in the series, follows descendants of the original
disoriented individuals as they develop their extraordinary powers on the way to ultimately
replacing humans and becoming the dominant species on Earth.
Thus goes humanity, gentle into that still night. . . .
