Series:
Earth's Children (Book 4)
With her companion, Jondalar, Ayla sets out on her most
dangerous and daring journey--away from the welcoming hearth of the Mammoth
Hunters, and into the unknown. Their odyssey spans a beautiful but treacherous
continent, the windswept grasslands of Ice Age Europe, casting the bold pair
among strangers. Some will become friends, intrigued by Ayla's ways of taming
wild horses and wolves. Others will become fierce enemies, threatened by what
they cannot understand. But always the orphaned Ayla and the wandering Jondalar
will heed the voice and vision that urges them on, deeper into the dark and
spectacular heart of an unmapped world. For they are driven to reach that place
on earth they can call home. Together, they hold their future in their hands.
A reread of this book. I always enjoy this series, and
this book is my favorite. Ayla and Jondalar have decided to leave the Mamutoi
and make the trip back to Jondalar's home. Along the way, they meet up with
several other groups of people, some good and some not.
Ayla is nervous about leaving the Mamutoi, who have
adopted her and given her a family. But she loves Jondalar and will go with him
despite her qualms. Because she was raised by "flatheads" after her
own family died in an earthquake, she frequently faces prejudice from those who
don't understand. However, she can always win over her detractors through her
healing skills or personality.
Jondalar started his Journey with his brother but ended
with Ayla after a cave lion killed and injured him. While happy to be with
Ayla, he is homesick for his own people and convinces Ayla to come with him.
After spending several months with the Mamutoi, it is time to move on. Having
made the Journey this far, Jondalar knows the way back home and is anxious to
get there.
I liked the descriptions of the land and animals that
they saw along the way, but my favorite parts were when they encountered other
people. The first is the Sharamudoi, with whom Jondalar and his brother had
stayed. They find that the leader's wife has been hurt, and Ayla immediately
steps into healer mode to help her. She is successful, of course, which puts
her in good graces with the rest of the people. I also enjoyed the reactions to
Ayla's wolf and horses. They stay for a while with the group, who want them to
stay, but Jondalar insists that they keep moving.
The next group they encounter is the S'Armunai, with a
welcome that is not so pleasant. The leader of the group is a woman who stole
the leadership and is mentally unbalanced. Jondalar is captured and confined
with the other men. He does what he can to help the other men while he tries to
figure out how to escape and find Ayla. Meanwhile, she has been looking for him
and watches the camp for several days while trying to find the best way to
rescue him. How she does so is very dramatic and intense. Of course, she also
insists on staying long enough to treat those injured and neglected before they
leave to continue their Journey.
Next is the Losadunai, who live at the edge of the
glacier Jondalar and Ayla must cross to get to his home. Again, they are warmly
welcomed and treated well. I enjoyed seeing Ayla getting to know everyone. There
is also some drama involving a young girl who some young men assaulted. Ayla's
empathy helps the girl move past it and embrace her future. As Ayla and
Jondalar continue their journey, they run into those same young men who have
attacked a Clan (flathead) man and woman. After reading them the riot act and
sending them on their way, Ayla treats the injured man as they share their fire
and a meal. I liked how seeing Ayla with a man of the Clan helped Jondalar
understand her a little better.
There is danger as they cross the glacier at the end of
the winter, and the arrival of spring temperatures can cause dangerous melting,
putting them at greater risk of injury or death. After several close calls,
they make it off the glacier to the home cave of some of Jondalar's family. A
bit of a romantic tangle is present with a young woman, which adds a bit of
angst. Ayla also encounters a man of "mixed spirits," half clan and
half Other, who reminds her of her son Durc, left behind in the series' first
book. I enjoyed their connection and seeing Ayla ease his anger about how his
mother was treated. After a brief period with them, they finally reach
Jondalar's home, with a cliffhanger ending as we wait to see how they are
welcomed.
I always enjoy seeing Ayla win over new people; this book
was no exception. I also loved seeing reactions to the animals, especially Wolf,
and I especially loved his part in the rescue of Jondalar from the S'Armunai.
It is also adorable to see Wolf with the various children.
This was not my first reread of this book, and it won't
be the last.
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