Reindeer People

by Megan Lindholm

Book Overview

A voyage of discovery into the life of a remote aboriginal community in the Siberian Arctic, where the reindeer has been a part of daily life since Palaeolithic times. The Reindeer People is the first... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441712339
• ISBN13: 9780441712335
• Release Date: May 1988
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The early Robin Hobb: worth reading, but maybe not seeking out

I have loved every one of Robin Hobb's books. So when I saw a copy of The Reindeer People, written in the 80s under (what I believe to be) her own name, I grabbed it. The story is relatively simple: a woman in prehistoric times heads north with a "simple" son, tries to survive, and meets up with a community that's reindeer centric. It's Fantasy in kind of an earth-mother way: what the shaman does *works*, and spirit guides are more than belief systems. But most of it is simply people trying to make life work: hunt for food, find someone to love, keep warm. The tale is very predictable, in some ways, and it will definitely make you think of Clan of the Cave Bear. Yet, The Reindeer People is well written, and within a few pages you *do* care about the characters -- particularly the relationship between the heroine and her son. It's a good story, not great; but I'll definitely look for the next book in the series, Wolf's Brother. If you're a fan of Hobb's later work, you'll see her talent before she learned to master her writing skills. For example, this book has far more exposition than do her later novels, and she switches viewpoint characters far more often than you'll see in her more popular fantasy series. But the talent is there, and the story is enjoyable. It's worth reading... but unless you're a die-hard Hobb fan (and I think I do qualify for that role), you probably don't need to go way out of your way to read this novel.

Lindholm's world is full of vivid characters

Tillu lost her parents and got raped in a raid and is left behind pregnant when she was a young girl. Kerlew, her son, is a strange, difficult child, humilated by most people for his strangeness, but loved by Tillu, who became a healer in the meanwhile. Carp, the vicious shaman, discovers that Kerlew has the gift of becoming a great shaman himself. He wants Kerlew, to use him to increase his own power and he wants Tillu for his bed. Tillu flees with the boy and finds the reindeer people, where she believes she is save from Carp. She struggles with her emotions for Heckram, gets threatened by cruel Joboam, who hates Kerlew...well, I don't want to spoil the book for you and so I stop here...It is a book you will love to read again and again. Also recommended is "Wolf Brother", which continues the story of Tillu and Kerlew.

Lindholm's world is full of vivid characters

Tillu lost her parents... in a raid and is left behind pregnant when she was a young girl. Kerlew, her son, is a strange, difficult child, humilated by most people for his strangeness, but loved by Tillu, who became a healer in the meanwhile. Carp, the vicious shaman, discovers that Kerlew has the gift of becoming a great shaman himself. He wants Kerlew, to use him to increase his own power and he wants Tillu for his bed. Tillu flees with the boy and finds the reindeer people, where she believes she is save from Carp. She struggles with her emotions for Heckram, gets threatened by cruel Joboam, who hates Kerlew...well, I don't want to spoil the book for you and so I stop here...It is a book you will love to read again and again. Also recommended is "Wolf Brother", which continues the story of Tillu and Kerlew.