Charles Darwin meets Silurians. L.D. Lapinski was very limited in what could be done in this book. Darwin's history is known, the Galapagos are still there, and we know enough about the history of Silurian interaction with humans that there weren't many options about what the outcome of this interaction could be. In a sense, despite the Silurian element to it (or partly because of it), this story is very true to the type of historical the show presented at the very beginning.

Somehow it all works. I never met Darwin myself, so I can't say how accurate the portrayal here is, but young Charlie is a very enjoyable character to spend time with. The Silurians...

Oh, side note: I don't know why the Doctor refers to them as Silurians here, and I especially don't know why the reptiles themselves never comment on the misnomer. That's just wrong.

...the Silurians come across as real people, true to what we've seen of their race. The story wraps up quickly at the end. It's easy to see where more plot (or more running around) could have been added in a longer book, but the Icons range are rather short, so for once promises made are actually kept without the betrayals that usually extend the narrative. Nice change of pace, that.

I do like the cover as well, even though the image of Darwin reflects his appearance later in life, not the much younger version seen in the book. Looking back, the same could be said of the Frida Kahlo offering, though in that case it did not strike me at the time.

I'd recommend this one as a light read. Just make sure you don't go into it expecting something meaty.