Review of Darwin's Blade by Dan Simmons

For whatever the reason, despite not having any sort of personal relationship, we readers feel a touch of sadness when a writer we enjoy, passes. Dan Simmons took his pie to the sky in early 2026 and in tribute, I decided to dust off a novel of his I've had on the shelf for more than a decade, Darwin's Blade (2000).

Simmons has written—sorry, I must adjust my grammar going forward. Simmons wrote in a wide variety of genres, including space opera, fantasy, historical fiction, science fiction, horror, and neo noir. Darwin's Blade is yet another: straight-forward action/thriller.

Front and center is Darwin Minor, a Vietnam vet who, after the war, has made a name for himself as the best accident reconstructionist in southern California. Running a private business, he uses knowledge of physics and the latest computing tools to help the police and victims identify what really happened at accident scenes. It's business as usual until somebody tries to kill Darwin as he drives home from an accident scene. Next thing he knows, a statewide investigation is underway for fraudsters staging accidents for insurance claims. That proves to be just the tip of the criminal iceberg.

Darwin's Blade is a Bad Boys or Lethal Weapon-type novel (for those who remember such things). Chase scenes, slick moves, shoot outs, bits of romance, bro humor, organized crime, assassination attempts—it runs the gamut. Simmons was clearly trying to write a mainstream criminal thriller, and succeeds, if that's your bag.

Technique-wise, Darwin's Blade is overwritten. The prose is sharp, clear, but there are gads of spurious side story and exposition. Some is funny (see the courtroom scene involving a woman suing her former boss for sexual harassment) and some is plodding, slow, obviously extraneous. Action scenes do occur (both by surprise and as expected), but it remains a padded novel. Simmons could have cut 25-30% of content and the novel would have been more effective for it.

In the end, Darwin's Blade is an action/mystery/thriller novel that does not transcend its time. Despite Simmon's prose and attention to detail, the main character Darwin cannot escape the mold of competent, intelligent, gadget-guy with a fast car that gets the girl. It's a product of its time. If you enjoyed Simmons' Joe Kurz hardboiled noir trilogy, try here. It's not the same, but it is, if you know what I mean.

R.I.P. Dan.