Shadow Valley

by Steven Barnes

In the great tradition of Jean Auel, this novel-the sequel toGreat Sky Woman-imagines life in prehistoric Africa Thirty thousand years ago, in the shadow of Kilimanjaro . . . Since the beginning of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345459032
• ISBN13: 9780345459039
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

What a sequel should be!

"Great Sky Woman" was the first novel of Steven Barnes' that I've read. Impressive, I eagerly anticipated this sequel. I was not disappointed. It is, quite simply, one hell of a good read. Set in Paleolithic east Africa, in what is now the Great Rift Valley of Tanzania, it's what the sequel to "Clan of the Clan Bear" should have been and, sadly, wasn't. The characters are believeable, intriguing, both pro and antagonist, and the reader is drawn into their world at a very visceral level. Although painfully violent at times, it is beautifully written, intensely so and the sex, well, let's just say it's evocative and leave it at that. I especially enjoyed the possibility that Neanderthals, assuming a shared ancestral origin, may have made their way back to the cradle of humankind. I hope I'm not giving too much away but even if I have, I don't think it could possibly ruin this for anyone. It's just that good!

Starts off slow, but has a satisfying ending

This is the sequel to Great Sky Woman, and Steven Barnes continues the story as the Ibandi struggle to find a new home and survive the attacks from the viscous Mk*tk. The story mainly focuses on the two young people who are leading there people to a new home, Frog Hopping and Sky Woman and the individual struggles that each one faces. They eventually find a new home, where the food is plentiful, and it feels safe. They meet native inhabitants, and become friends with them, even though they are vastly different from each other and speak different languages. The book does start off slow, there is a lot of names that are confusing and at times all blur together, and that makes it difficult to follow who is talking some of the times and also what is happening. The book gets better the more you get into it, you start to feel for the characters as they become more and more familiar. The ending brings the story to a satisfactory conclusion, as enemies face off against each other for the final time, and as a new future is forged in Shadow Valley. Reviewed by Kevin Winter

Entertaining, Yet Interesting and Thoughtful!

I love the book. It was a very interesting read. I have begun re-reading Great Sky Woman. Certainly Mr. Barnes isn't your typical, off the cuff writer. The level of research and imagination that goes into writing a book like this is enormous. I highly recommend.