The 3rd of the Earth’s children series following
on from the clan of the cave bear and the valley of horses.
Ayla and Jondalar decide to overwinter with the Mamutoi.
This newly introduced people have very
different places in which they live and
a different belief system which is not entirely alien to Jondalar.
Initially Ayla is treated with awe and interest. She is
clearly in control of her horses, not something any Mamutoi has ever seen
before. The holy man of this tribe sees something very special in Ayla, perhaps
someone with special gifts from the Mother?
Ayla for her part has mixed feelings at the outset, living
with a large group of “the others” she at first struggles to understand them,
what the say does not always coincide with what their body language is telling
her.
There is a boy who is half-clan half-other and this brings
to mind the loss of her own child Durc; a rewarding relationship ensues.
As in all of these books there are descriptive passages of
flora and fauna which will be of interest to some. The
descriptions of
Jondalar’s and Ayla’s lovemaking seem unnecessarily long and a distraction to
the tale.
Ayls’s talents and knowledge develop further through contact
with these new people, she becomes slowly accepted loved and adopted by them.
Trouble comes when Ranec falls in love with Ayla, still
barely aware of the customs of the “others”
misunderstanding occurs which leads to much unhappiness. Jondalar’s
burning desire to go home complicates matters further . There are descriptions
of mammoth and other hunts as well as a summer gathering; further illustrations
of the prejudice of ignorant people are given.