Absolutely amazing, felt like I was living inside the book, its a very fast paced read from the first word. I highly recommend this book!

I picked this book up from a free library while traveling in South Africa, and had never heard of it and would likely never have picked it up in the shop. There is a bit of fun in reading something that is very much out of your wheelhouse, chosen for you by happenstance.

This is a tale of life on the Aleutian Islands of 7000 BCE at the end of the Ice Age. The story is very intimate and tightly focused on the many trials and tragedies of Chagak, a young woman who suffers from some very difficult and cruel losses early in her life. I was quite surprised by many of the specific events that occurred, Harrison doesn't shy away from showcasing violence and general misery. Interestingly, Chagak's people and most of the other tribes of the islands are largely peaceful, and aren't prepared in the least for the arrival of the Short Ones, a tribe who have adopted a novel culture of raiding and murder (a strange activity that other people, mystified, refer to as "hunting men"), a shift that unfortunately seems to point towards developments in the future of humankind.

The book has a strong feminist streak throughout, but in a more realistic and nuanced manner than something like [b:The Clan of the Cave Bear|1295|The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children, #1)|Jean M. Auel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385331302l/1295._SY75_.jpg|1584694] for instance. Chagak is a strong and resilient heroine, but she is definitely constrained by a culture that values men much more highly than women, and where she must constantly deal with male power in her life. Harrison does a great job of looking at the (fictional/hypothetical) details of a late Ice Age life which is strongly influenced by modern Aleut life (in fact, other than the element of the Short Ones violent raiding culture being a new development, there doesn't particularly seem any reason that this book is set in 7000 BCE rather than at any time prior to European contact many thousands of years later).

Overall this was an enjoyable, engaging read... Happy I happened to pick it up!

Incredible detail!

I always enjoy historical fiction and find it to be quite a good read as long as you remember that it is someone's interpretation of the past and should not be taken as 100% true fact. The writing style of this series is quite good and I really felt invested in the characters and their personal stories. I find this series to be a perfect summer beach read.

The book started out great, but then it went kaput. Honestly, I had to give up halfway through. I might try to pick it up again later but for now...life's too short to waste on boring books.

Definitely enjoyed the story about the hardships in prehistory. Chagak was an interesting character, fierce, but lived with fear.
Many aspects of early history were weaved throughout the story from the daily life to the animistic beliefs and the barbarism of one tribal unit towards another. I will continue reading the series as it has a good pace with historical tidbits though out.