I'm a huge animal lover, owning four hairy mutts and two cats. Upon hearing of this release, I squealed with delight. I was even more pleased to find out that Cameron will be an author present at the Books on the Nightstand podcast reader retreat known as Booktopia, held this September in the beautiful Petoskey, Michigan. Surprisingly, it took me awhile to get into this one. It might have been the prehistoric time period and necessary setup that felt a bit textbook-y Luckily, I forged on and after 100 pages felt invested in the various tribal and wolf perspectives. I love the idea of receiving some historical information via a fictionalized narrative.
I quickly became grateful that my life doesn't consist mostly of survival through food acquisition. Cameron's story is a plausible version of how wolves and mankind formed relationships in this brutal landscape. Hearing the details of hunting teams and the roles of men vs women was interesting as well. I found the tribal structures to be surprisingly organized, and the nomadic lifestyle a necessary, if inconvenient, part of their lives. Limited food sources and constant moving must made for some lean people, no gyms necessary indeed. The
Unfortunately, this rough existence was still fraught with relationship turmoil, tradition vs. following one's heart, and the angst of pack leadership. The fight for Hunt Master was rough, but nothing compared to the brutality of the women, particularly the council mother. The character of Albi is one of the best villains I've ever read. The most poignant parts of the story were those talking about the wolf pack and their rituals, specifically when tracking prey or in mourning. Just when the camaraderie and bonding is heartwarming, the fights for dominance help remind you that they are animals.
This ended up being one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I loved the structure, although I'm not sure the brief present day sections added value to the story except some modern speculation. I think Cameron could have provided his additional thoughts in the Afterword and it would have been just as effective. This fictionalized account had all the elements I love in a story...soap opera drama, history on an unfamiliar era (Upper Paleolithic), incredible amounts of suspense, amazing characters, an appropriate ending (although I wanted the book to go on and on!), animal elements, and truly memorable scenes. There is some rough content due to the brutality of the time period, but this was the predator/prey reality of this existence. Highly, highly recommend!!
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