The Mammoth Stone

Pat Monaghan

This is a real page-turner of a prehistorical. Clunky it sometimes is (people speak in full sentences while being charged by mastodons), poorly edited it sometimes is (a woman places an amulet "among" her breasts), yet it tells a compelling story of a wandering people of Siberian origin who bear their amulets and traditions tens of thousands of miles into America. The female characters, upon whom the action centers, are resonant and complex, sure to appeal to readers who pine for Ayla, the Jean Auel heroine last seen in the company of mammoth hunters who might well have been friends to these. The male characters are realistic, not as Byronesque as Auel's, and hence more appealing and believable. Allan limns a society that, while not utterly pacific, is still less bloodthirsty and more woman affirming than those in many other portraits of ancient life. A good read on a great subject.