In ‘The Uprights’, an epic story about life at the beginning of humanity, James Hill has invented a genre - and it works.

With a freshness and honesty that pounds through the narrative like the protagonist’s club, Hill has brought a brave new heartbeat to the eternal plight of man versus his surroundings, his contemporaries and his own feelings.

Writing entirely in the present tense, Hill allows no scope for the reader to distance himself from the dilemmas and dangers faced by his characters. The world he has created is vivid and present - it is impossible to resist the immediacy of his language and the honesty of the souls that he portrays in this harsh and fatal landscape.

All of what matters to humanity - life, love, food, health, duty, loyalty, family, power - is masterfully tackled in this unlikely telling of our very beginnings. Hill has written a compelling story that challenges not just the lives of our prehistoric heroes, but also our understanding of right and wrong - of good and evil - and compels us to consider not just where we have come from, but to ponder where we are destined to go.

It is impossible not to be enthralled as Tahk and Dhi, father and son, struggle to interpret the signs their world throws at them. The reader is instantly drawn to them as they fight to comprehend that which is so far unknown and mysterious.

Hill’s bravery and ruthlessness with his characters keep the reader unsure, on edge and guessing, right until the very last sentence. His book engulfs the reader in what it means to feel alive again. From the first page to the last, we are exposed to our animal needs and our human nature in such a naked way, that by the end of this delicious narrative, our minds are racing and we, the reader, want more. A real breath of fresh air.