A Prehistoric Epic by Jean M. Auel
Books
- The Clan of the Cave Bear
- The Valley of Horses
- The Mammoth Hunters
- The Plains of Passage
- The Shelters of Stone
- The Land of Painted Caves
Synopsis
An historical epic set in upper paleolithic Europe. This series follows Ayla, an anatomically modern human girl. She is orphaned at a young age, and adopted and raised by a clan of Neanderthals. As hard as she tries to become one of them, she cannot and eventually has to leave.
She spends three years alone, unable to find any other humans and worried by what they will think of her and the animals she’s adopted. Then she meets Jondalar. After falling madly in love with her, Jondalar decides to stay with Ayla or take her with him; either way, they decide to spend their lives together. However, Jondalar almost loses her to another man before they realise the extent of their feelings for each other.
Jondalar takes Ayla and her animals with him to his home. His family quickly accept Ayla, and they are officially mated and have a daughter. Together, they create a great life, complicated only by Ayla’s training in the Zelandonia.
Review
The Earth’s Children series started great but gradually worsened. The first book was great. The last books were drawn out and repeated a lot of stuff that had been said earlier; the story wouldn’t have lost anything if the last bits were condensed into fewer books. I only read right to the end because I wanted to see what happened to the characters.
The characters are very well written. It is difficult not to care for the good characters. Major characters are very gripping; I was well drawn into their stories. The few characters who are not good (Broud, Marona, etc.) are well developed and I found that I understood them, but didn’t like them.
The world that the author creates is very plausible. It easily matches what is known about Europe at this time. I loved learning about the prehistoric world, not just from the books themselves but also from the additional reading that they encouraged me to do. As I learnt more, I saw just how well researched all the little details were.
A major theme in these books is the similarities and differences between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. These are shown in the first book with Iza and Creb trying to teach Ayla, and their speculations about ‘the Others’ while they’re at it. Through the rest of the books this is mostly shown with Ayla telling others about the clan and comparing them to the people she meets.
I was struck by the parallel between the attitudes people in these books had towards Neanderthal and racism in the modern world. The people in the books saw the Clan people as hated animals, just as people of colour were seen as sub-human up until about 50 years ago. Similar to how we have come to treat coloured people more equally, the Zelandonii and others learn that the Clan are people too and start to treat them better.
I was disappointed to not find out what happens to Durc and the Clan after Ayla leaves. Reading ‘Clan of the Cave Bear’ I became really invested in the lives of Uba, Ona, and the rest of the Clan. I want to see what happens to them. While it wasn’t possible for Ayla to return to the clan, a spin-off book about Durc might do the trick.
Conclusion
Have you read the Earth’s Children series? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments. Please also check out my reviews for individual books in the series: The Valley of Horses, The Mammoth Hunters and The Land of Painted Caves.
Yes the series is crying out for a final episode. I imagine a book in which Ayla, is deputy to the number one Zelendoni. As a result of certain incidents where Clan and Others occasionally rub shoulders, she finds herself in the role of ambassador, teaching Others the silent language, and teaching Clan the ways of the Others, so they can get on better.
Meanwhile, Broud has cast Durc out of his Clan for being too much like his mother, and Durc has become the leader of a gang of nomadic ‘mixed spirit’ folk like himself, wondering aimlessly (but generally westward), sometimes causing hostility, but sometimes helping people of either race, eventually by chance coming in contact with Jondola’s people, and meeting his mother. He rejects her until she finally is able to prove, not only that she’s his mother, but she is worthy of being his mother.
Ohhhh. That would be soooo good!
I would recommend you read “Journey of the Grey Wolf” on FanFiction. This is a story about Ayla’s first son, Durc, and what happens to him.
There has been quite a few excellent reviews about this story.
The plot of “A Prehistoric Epic” sounds incredibly detailed and immersive. The way Ayla’s journey is described makes me feel like I’m right there with her, experiencing her struggles and triumphs. The relationship between Ayla and Jondalar seems both intense and genuine, but I wonder if their connection could have been explored even deeper. The idea of blending historical facts with fiction is fascinating, and it really makes me curious about the actual differences between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. I’m also intrigued by the dynamic between the characters, especially the contrast between the good and the not-so-good ones. How accurate do you think the depiction of prehistoric life is in this book? It feels like the author really did their homework, but I’d love to hear more about the historical accuracy.
I’m not an expert in prehistory, but the Earth’s Children series does agree with everything I’ve read, even things that have been discovered since the books were written. There are a few things where I think Auel has stretched the truth a bit, but what she wrote is within the realms of possibility. For example, there is no physical evidence (that I’m aware of) that horses were domesticated this early, but they were domesticated not too much later. It’s entirely possible that someone could have domesticated a horse at this time but any evidence of it hasn’t survived or been found.