Orphaned by an earthquake and driven by hunger and fear, 5-year-old Ayla makes her way into the great unknown. She is found, wounded and delirious, by the medicine woman of The Clan, a band of Neanderthal, or perhaps even Australophithecene nomadic cave-dwellers. This story is about Ayla's will to survive despite all that life throws at her. The story is deeply touching, the characters lively and intense.

Something another reader once said about the protaganists of the series, Ayla & Jondalar, are that they are pre-historical super heroes. I think it a fitting description.

Fans of historical (and pre-historical) fiction. Auel's painstaking research of all things Ice-Age shows. This book speaks those universal truths that all peoples share--the desire to live, not only in this life but into the next age.

Auel's characters. I have yet to find a reader who doesn't comiserate with Ayla, and who is untouched by her step-mother's or surrogate father's deaths.

The tedious descriptions of the scenery. Though this book is by far the least offensive in this arena out of the entire series, editing the boring descriptions could have taken the page count down significantly. Especially as the series wears on I find myself tempted to skip all pages that don't have quotation marks. A few of the plot points felt forced (was it really entirely necessary to have Durc? I don't think so, but it helps the author expound the differences and similarities between The Clan and The Others)

Read the sequel.

Five books later I'm less and less hooked by Ayla, but still hold to the hope of learning what has become of the original Clan that picked her up.

I cried and cried for Ayla, but felt myself soar with her spirit and desire for survival at the same time.

Is at times quite tedious. I am not in love with her writing style, and would not recommend anyone copy it. Her ability to create relatable characters and to tell a fantastic adventure story, though, are commendable.

It's an adventure, pure and simple. Survival of the fittest to the nth degree.

Tedious descriptions, the sometimes forced realizations (at times I really thought the author was assuming her readers dumb and had to spell out important plot facts in agonizing detail)

Despite however this book is marketed, make no mistake that it is pre-historic FANTASY. The MC's of the series are larger-than life heroes of their time, inventing practically everything that ushers in the modern age. As the series goes on it gets to be a little silly, but for the most part it is forgivable.

If you don't feel the deep sadness and understanding of the Clan's imminent fate at the end, I don't know what to tell you.

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Created May 21, 2007 at 2:08pm • Submit your own review...