This was an amazing read. The author is a great writer who brings to life the setting, the people, and a wonderful character arc for the heroine.

I own this book; it definitely gets better each time I read it. I love strong lead characters and the (pseudo) anthropology. This is a really good book but may have some disturbing parts for young readers.

3 1/2 stars

This is a story of Chagak, a young woman who at the brink of womanhood, loses her entire tribe to a group of killers known as the Short Ones. Along with her infant brother she tries to find a way to survive. Woman are not hunters in this civilization, their “spirit” is not strong enough, so when Chagak lands on a beach that belongs to an old man called Shuganan, her hopes of survival increases.

Shuganan is an outcast, a man with the power of capturing spirits in little figurines and is clearly in need of companionship and family.

Chagak fills the role of surrogate granddaughter admirably but their lives are harsh and difficult and full of tragedy. The descriptions of hunting, housing and honouring spirits formed a central part of the story however I would have liked to understand the dynamics and politics between the different tribes better.

Perhaps that will be elaborated on in the sequel.

Its impossible not to compare this to [b:The Clan of the Cave Bear|1295|The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children, #1)|Jean M. Auel|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385331302s/1295.jpg|1584694] as both are novels are set in prehistoric time. I think Clan is a faster paced and slightly more interesting in its elaborative details however Chagak was portrayed in a more honest light than Ayla (from [b:The Clan of the Cave Bear|1295|The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children, #1)|Jean M. Auel|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385331302s/1295.jpg|1584694]) who always seemed to magically know how to do anything.

I don't want to give away too much information, but the book is worth the read if you have an interest in prehistoric novels.

PS: My advice is to listen to it on audio rather than reading the printed version.

JZA

Technically this is even a re-read, but it's been so long that I hadn't yet been on GR then – plus, it's my first time reading it in the original language (I guess I first read the German edition when I was Chagak's age).

I used to love these kinds of adventurous prehistoric novels from the dawn of time, of civilization and of humanity so much, especially if they were as well researched as this one, anthropologically as well as archaeologically and socioculturally, with the dynamics of the tribal culture distinctly depicted. The female protagonist was a very strong lead with an indomitable spirit, wise beyond her 13 years of age, and the supporting characters were compelling as well. Harrison has a very vivid writing style, even though less in terms of poetic diction than matching the general tone of the novel – tearing through the pages of this retelling of an old Aleut folk tale, I was able to see everything in front of my inner eye. The descriptions of how these people lived with nature instead of off it – it's something that should be as important today as it was back then. These people were ingeniously resourceful and self-sufficient, keenly aware of wind and sea and nature all around them. A woman's worth wasn't much in those days and there were a few uncomfortable scenes revolving around the graphic descriptions of the belief system of prehistoric man, but ultimately, it's a gritty story about the trials and tribulations of Chagak and of her survival in a harsh and frigid environment.
It's still a genre favorite of mine, but it'll never replace the deep-seated love I have for Auel's Earth's Children series.

After having read Clan of the Cave Bear and its subsequent novels by Jean Auel MANY years ago (and loving them 100%), I’ve been searching for a similar type series since then. I found this series and was not disappointed! It’s different than the Earth Children series for obvious reasons… this series takes place some 25000-30000 years AFTER Ayla’s life on Earth! However, the storyline is similar in that the protagonist is a strong, resilient girl/woman. My love of historical fiction prior to year 0 was rewarded in this story. I can’t wait to read the next novel in this trilogy!

As far as historical fiction set in Alaska goes, this novel draws the reader into the 7056 BC world of the Aleutian Islands in a very real and timeless way. From the Whale Hunters to the Short People, the tribes all have very unique characteristics, and Harrison seamlessly blends them into a heartbreaking and heartwarming story. This author definitely did her homework which makes the book come alive with fascinating descriptions of hunts and survival skills, village struggles with tsunamis and murderous tribes, and birth, marriage, and death rituals. She writes about the main character, Chagak, in such a way that the reader can actually feel her pain, her strength, her sadness, and her will to carry on. The prehistoric Arctic was a place of extremes, much like Alaska is today. As the first book in a trilogy, it has made me anxious to start book number two!