Two popular novelists take us back in time — explore the life of a royal advisor in ancient Egypt, and the initiation of a prehistoric priestess.

book_land_of_painted_caves.jpgThe Land of Painted Caves
written by Jean M. Auel

The first scenes in The Land of Painted Caves surround a lion hunt and its aftermath, creating an engaging segue back into the prehistoric setting of this last volume of The Earth’s Children series, which has sold more than 40 million copies around the world. Ms. Auel’s devoted fans have been waiting more than six years for this book, and many of the series’ important characters reappear in its 757 pages.

I myself have been a longtime fan of the main character Ayla, an intrepid hunter, survivor, orphan, and much more. She lost her family as a very young child, perhaps five years old, to an earthquake and was raised by Neanderthals, who at that time shared the world with our own species, Homo sapiens.

By the time the events in The Land of Painted Caves occur, Ayla is a
happily-mated woman with beloved horses and a wolf, and she is
essentially a priestess in training. Much of the first two-thirds of the
book’s action involves a tour of sacred painted caves that are
traditionally visited as part of such training. And these are among the
most vivid scenes in the book.

One of the ways her calling has manifested, as readers of her
earlier adventures will already know, is through what appears to be an
uncanny power over horses and a wolf. But what most people don’t realize
is that she raised these animals from infancy, and the wolf imprinted
on her after its mother died. Portraying her close relationships with
these animals from her years spent alone in a cave, with no people
whatsoever, is also one of the book’s strengths.

Unfortunately, the plot and narrative pacing not only wouldn’t
have been harmed, but might actually have benefited, if the book had
been a quarter to a third shorter. There is a great deal of repetition
in descriptions of people and simple mundane tasks like drinking tea or
feeding babies. From page 511 on, Ayla’s initiation as priestess takes a
back seat to what seems almost a retelling of Men Are From Mars, Women
Are From Venus, set 50,000 years ago.

Alas, more often than not, by the time a popular film or book
gets beyond the third sequel, as has happened in this series, the thrill
is gone. Still, this brand is a proven moneymaker as is the kind of
romance that can be found at every price point from Harlequin to
Danielle Steele.

There is also racial prejudice here, and mixed marriage,
alcoholism, and other phenomena that one might think were plagues of the
modern era. It feels as if Ms. Auel is saying to us: Look, sure it’s
prehistory, but they are just like us. What also made that difficult to
take is the author’s undoubted talent in portraying ancient history
based on rich research. She actually visited the caves that are featured
in her book.

Personally, I would have really enjoyed more material on the
caves, which nearly disappear in last third of the book. Similarly,
there is too much dialogue like this: “Because even sometimes when you
love someone, you don’t always understand her. You don’t even understand
yourself.” Or, “Ayla, Ayla, please come back to me,” Jondalar pleaded,
“You can’t die. Who will give me a son?”

It’s important to give credit, however, to this popular author
for quite an achievement in her recognition and development of a genre
that still remains in its infancy. The work is all the more difficult
because so much of it by its nature must be speculative.

It is likely that Ms. Auel also has been an inspiration to other
authors like Dorothy Hearst, who wrote Promise of the Wolves, about the
friendship between humans and wolves at the dawn of recorded time
(Hearst’s sequel will be out this summer). And don’t be surprised if Ms.
Auel gifts us with another series based on Ayla and Jondalar’s
children.

The Land of Painted Caves; by Jean M. Auel; Crown; $30; 757 pages.


The King’s Man
written by Pauline Gedge

book_the_kings_man.jpgThe final volume of another series, The King’s Man (the title of both
the trilogy and this book) is by a Canadian author who has never
succumbed to the pressures of the commercial marketplace in 14 novels
released over 35 years. Without doubt one of the premier historical
novelists of our time, Pauline Gedge has the ability to immerse readers
in the culture of Britain during the Roman invasion (The Eagle and the
Raven), or as is the case in most of her books, ancient Egypt.

Her characters generally come from humble beginnings (there are
exceptions, such as the Pharoah Hatshepsut in Child of the Morning) yet
have extraordinary lives. In the case of the central character of The
King’s Man, Huy, his hubris and arrogance led to a brutal attack in his
childhood that opened his mind to the unseen world, making him a fitting
adviser to royalty, but at a very high price. The other two books in
the series are The Twice Born and Seer of Egypt. You won’t be
disappointed.

The King’s Man; by Pauline Gedge; Penguin Canada; $24; 472 pages.