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Fiction. Literature. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:Set in the challenging terrain of Ice Age Europe that millions of Jean Auel�s readers have come to treasure, The Mammoth Hunters is an epic novel of love, knowledge, jealousy, and hard choices�a novel certain to garner Jean Auel even greater acclaim as a master storyteller of the dawn of humanity. Ayla, the independent heroine of The Clan of the Cave Bear and The Valley of Horses, sets out from the valley on Whinney, the horse she tamed. With her is Jondalar, the tall, handsome, yellow-haired man she nursed back to health and came to love. Together they meet the Mamutoi�the Mammoth Hunters�people like Ayla. But to Ayla, who was raised by the Clan of the Cave Bear, they are �the Others.� She approaches them with mixed feelings of fear and curiosity. Talut, a powerful bear of a man with bright red hair, a booming laugh, and a gentle heart, and his tall, dark-haired sister, Tulie, are the leaders of the Lion Camp of the Mamutoi. It is here that Ayla finds her first women friends, but some among the Mamutoi dislike Ayla because she was raised by �flatheads,� their name for the people of the Clan. Ayla is haunted by her memories of the Clan because Rydag, a child of mixed parentage living with the Mamutoi, bears so strong a resemblance to her own son, Durc. It is the Mamutoi master carver of ivory�dark-skinned Ranec, flirtatious, artistic, magnetic�who fascinates Ayla. She finds herself drawn to him. Because of her uncanny control over animals, her healing skills, and the magic firestone she discovered, Ayla is adopted into the Mammoth Hearth by Mamut, the ancient shaman of the Great Earth Mother. Ayla finds herself torn between her strong feelings for Ranec and her powerful love for the wildly jealous and unsure Jondalar. It is not until after the great mammoth hunt, when Ayla�s life is threatened, that a fateful decision is made. This eBook includes the full text of the novel plus the following additional content: � An Earth�s Children� series sampler including free chapters from the other books in Jean M. Auel�s bestselling series � A Q&A with the author about the Earth�s Children� series.… (more)
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Characters: There is no real character development going on anymore for the main characters; they stay who they are, despite the adventures they experience. Side characters don't get much attention as far as their personality goes; the focus is on their task rather than who they are, which doesn't make them very interesting and highly replacable.
Style: Lots of description of flora and fauna and an increasing amount of rather badly written sex. Personal interaction in general rarely feels very authentic; the dialogue tends to be stilted and just doesn't sound like actual speech.
Plus: Beautiful depictions of the surroundings and stone age life.
Minus: The soap opera elements. Badly written porn. Ayla the wonder-woman solving every problem imaginable.
Summary: This is where the series jumps the shark. There just isn't much to say, and it shows.
Reading about the culture of the fictional Mamutoi was interesting. The repetition, the brooding Jondalar, the love triangle that carried on for 400 pages was just awful.
I only planned on reading the first 3, as I have
Jean Auel's imaginative reconstruction of pre-historic life, rich in detail of language, culture, myth and ritual, has become a set text in schools and colleges around the world.
Meanwhile, Ayla and Jondalar are having trouble in the romance department. Misinterpretations and misunderstandings abound. Ayla's cultural background makes it hard for her to communicate her needs, while Jondalar is wallowing in insecurity. To be honest, Jondalar really annoyed me in this book. He comes off as a self-absorbed, self-pitying boob with no observational skills what-so-ever. "Gee, Ayla looks unhappy, but I'm sure it has nothing to do with me!" Also: We don't need to hear for the umpteenth time how Ayla is the only female who can accommodate his massive member. We get it, Jean, he's well-hung. (Rolls eyes)
Ayla also has a brief dalliance with an exotic, dark-skinned member of the Mamutoi, Ranec, who seems less like an erstwhile lover and more like a fawning worshiper. The love triangle between Ayla, Ranec, and Jondalar seems to drag on forever.
Good points: The descriptions of weather, glacial landscapes, animals, and tribal customs are as interesting and meticulous as ever.
And the character Rydag, a Neanderthal-Cro Magnon hybrid boy, is a poignant reminder of Ayla's own lost child. Her interactions with him are bittersweet and compelling.
It's actually a good series if you want easily the best-researched look at prehistoric life I know about (even though the information's out of date by now). I just couldn't stand silliness of the interpersonal relationships any longer. Maybe I'll come back to the series eventually.
Ayla and Jandlar meet the Mamutoi, who are people like Ayla, they are Mammoth Hunters. When people in the village see that Ayla can control a horse by riding on it and having it come when she
Ayla develops a fondness for Ranec who is a carver of Ivory and artistic. Since she and Jondlar have been lovers, he becomes jealous.
One of the points that the author makes is that we should accept others who are different. Ayla helps a six-year-old boy who cannot speak. He is half Clan and half Other. He is a Flathead but Ayla has the ability to communicate through sign language. She teaches this child, Rydag sign language. The boys first sign is 'mother' and his mother is delighted. She tells Ayla that she never expected to be able to communicate with her son.
This ficticious examination of history shows how things might have been and shows readers how people of different races (Clans) can get along together. This makes the novel timely with the political climate today.
Ayla is a heroic figure who is a born leader at a time when women weren't highly regarded. She stands out in her ability to communicate and her wisdom.
Since I did start the series 12 years ago I feel like Ayla's been a part of my life for quite a while. She pops in to say hello every few years. So I've really become attached to her. It's hard for me to criticize this book at all because I do love Ayla and Jondalar so much. But it took me forever to read The Mammoth Hunters. I started this book in the summer of 09 and had to put it down about half-way through. Partly because I had just finished reading The Valley of the Horses and partly because the romance scenes were becoming a bit too much for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm far from a prude (believe me) but it just felt like all Ayla and Jondalar did was make love.
I'm glad I picked it back up. As it really is a great story. Again, I do seem to have a bit of an attachment to Ayla and Jondalar so I may be a bit biased here, but I really do like this series. There are times when I think the descriptions go a bit more into detail than necessary, but they also create such a vivid picture as to where the characters are and what is going on. The Mammoth Hunters introduces us to so many new characters I didn't think I'd ever get them all straightened out, but as the story goes on I really didn't have any problems keeping track of everyone.
I obviously like the main characters but I really liked the Mammoth Hearth. Tulie, Talut, and Frebec are probably my favorite new characters. Frebec comes off as being a bit of a jerk at first but he's really loyal and protective. He also seems to have a bit of a soft side that, like most men, he was trying to hide. Tulie and Talut are great characters. They are strong, wise, serious, playful, and humorous all at the same time. They just seemed so real to me.
While I don't think I'll be reading Plains of Passage anytime in the near future, knowing it's sitting on my bookshelf is a bit of a comfort too me. When I decide I need to see what Ayla and Jondalar are up to I can just pick it up and start reading it. It's like a having one of those great friends that even if you don't talk for awhile you can sit down and have a conversation and it feels like no time has passed at all.
I think these books and Judith Krantz's were my generation's main source of sex ed.
Now, she learns they are Mammutoi, and is invited to visit them. Terrified to looks to Jondalar, who knows she MUST learn to become comfortable with her own kind.
With his encouragement Ayla goes for a one-day visit with these strange giants
She loves Jondalar, body and soul - he is the first of her own people she has ever seen, after all. But what about this dark, exotic stranger they call Ranec?
Will she choose to stay with the people who welcomed her in, or will she follow Jondalar on an unimaginable journey to the place he calls home?