THE SHELTERS OF STONE

By: Jean M Auel
Historical Fiction
Review By: Ingram

The long-awaited fifth volume in Auel's Earth's Children series continues as Ayla and Jondalar face new and perilous challenges at the old stone settlement in prehistoric southwest France--home to the Zelandonii.

The long awaited (10 years) next installment in Earth’s Children saga is here. Thank goodness. It’s been a long time ,but worth the wait. The Shelters Of Stone opens as Ayla and Jondalar, along with their animal friends, Wolf, Whinny, and Racer, complete their epic journey across Europe and are greeted by Jondalar’s people, the Zelandonii. Once again we find Ayla struggling to except and be excepted by a new group of people. But this is Jondalar’s home and it would seem that the long journey is over. Coping with the problems of people who are not used to domesticated animals (including a wolf), being asked to relive her past, and adapt to strange customs puts more stress than ever on Ayla. Many good friends are made, but as always there are new enemies to cloud the future. Was the book worth the wait? YES! The wealth of detail and the believability of the characters make this an excellent read. My only problem is that it has been so long between books, I felt I should have started the series with the first book Clan Of The Cave Bear, and read them through again.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]