published July 15th 2007
by Earthshaker Books
details Paperback, 160 pages
isbn 0979035708
3 stars
Product Description from Amazon.com
The hero, Zan-Gah seeks his lost twin in a savage prehistoric world, encountering suffering, captivity, conflict, love, and triumph. In three years, Zan-Gah passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a position of leadership among his people. Themes: survival, cultures, gender roles, psychological trauma, nature’s wonders and terrors.
I received a signed copy of this book in the mail from the publisher for review on our blog. I must say I had never heard of preshistoric fiction so it was a completely new genre for me. The first couple of chapters which describe Zan’s encounter with a lioness and becoming a man in his tribe were a little slow. As he grows into a man and travels in search of his twin brother, things pick up. The landscapes and people he encounter are fascinating and vivid. I found myself wishing there were more detail about red haired, green eyes Lissa-Nah the priestess, her culture and background. I also was disturbed by the graphic detail in chapter 10 as Dael starts to reveal his psychological scars and kills a man. I really think the gory details could have been left out to make it more applicable and suitable for a younger reader age 11.
What caught me were the wasp people and the interesting conditions of life that Zan-Gah comes across. The portraits nature will stick with you after you put down the book. I give it three stars and congratulate author Allan Shickman for going out on a limb to incorporate the themes of anthropology, psychology and coming of age.
