3 out of 4 stars
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“Hunters of the Colombian Mammoth” by Adrian Del Valle
Hunters of the Colombian Mammoth is a detailed, yet captivating, historical fiction novel. The author, Adrian Del Valle, has used his imagination plus research of Paleo-anthropology to bring us an exciting story about an ancient man.
The tale follows the trials and journey of Man That Runs Too Fast (Lan). He is the leader of the Bandu tribe. In the spring of 11,980 B.C., Lan’s tribe is attacked by another warring tribe. These tribes have begun fighting among themselves to preserve their own tribes. They have depleted their natural resources, but fear of the unknown mountain ranges keep them from migrating eastward. However, when Lan’s village is destroyed, he makes the long journey on his own to rebuild his tribe.
As Lan travels to the forbidden land, he fights for his life and the life of his soul mate, Ayashe. They encounter dangers, such as saber tooth tigers, dire wolves and the huge Colombian mammoth. Lan tries to overcome all odds to reconcile with Ayashe’s former tribe and rebuild his own scattered people.
The author has created a unique story with action-packed scenes woven throughout a historically detailed novel. I could tell Mr. Del Valle has thoroughly researched the life of early man in the Paleolithic time period. The historical account was very detailed and informative. I felt as if I were there with the characters.
The main characters were well-developed and seemed to jump off the pages. Lan, the protagonist, was a powerful, mighty warrior. His partner, Ayashe, was a strong, help-mate. I felt her pain, sorrow and joy as they traveled through the unknown areas in search of home.
The book begins with a present archeological dig in which the main characters are discovered as skeletons. Although the story begins with dialogue, once the history of Lan begins, there is a long stretch with no dialogue. However, the great attention to detail and historical information kept me engrossed in the difficult lives these primitive people lived. For example, a description of a hunter’s camp began, “At its forefront, a row of tall posts stood as pedestals for the skulls sitting ominously on top of them. A saber tooth tiger, a grizzly bear and several dire wolf heads stared out from deep eye sockets along with their foreboding spirits.” This is the type of descriptive writing that kept my attention until the end.
Although this book seems to be professionally edited, I found several grammatical errors. The book would benefit from another editing. The appendix was helpful in following the tribal connections and the glossary helped with understanding the fictional words used.
Based on the above information and my enjoyment of this novel, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to mature readers, as there are a few sexual situations and graphic violence. Fans of adventure and historical novels will enjoy this book.
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Hunters of the Columbian Mammoth
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