Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780340821954
ISBN: 0340821957
Label: Hodder & Stoughton
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton
Number Of Pages: 784
Publication Date: April 30, 2002
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Studio: Hodder & Stoughton

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Accessories:

• The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children)
• The Plains of Passage (Earth's Children)
• The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children)
• The Valley of Horses (Earth's Children)

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• Lords of the Bow (Conqueror 2)
• see more

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
Jean M Auel's The Shelters of Stone, is the latest title in the Earth's Children series--undoubtedly one of the most celebrated works in publishing history--and includes The Clan of the Cave Bear, The Valley of Horses, The Mammoth Hunters and The Plains of Passage. Each of these books enjoyed long runs on the bestseller lists across the world and have sold more than three million copies in the British marketplace. There are 28 foreign language editions of Auel's books in print and 34 million copies have been sold worldwide.

The Shelters of Stone continues the story of Ayla who lost her family to an earthquake and was raised by the people who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. She arrives in the land of the man she loves, but his people are wary of her and think of the Clan who cared for her as animals that resemble people and who are not much smarter than beasts. Ayla has brought with her two horses and a wolf over which she has uncanny control. Ayla vows to learn from the Zelandonii and hopes, in turn, to teach them. She is particularly pleased to meet the spiritual leader of the tribe, a fellow healer with whom she is able to share medical skills and knowledge. But Ayla's greatest problem is to convince her new hosts that she is from a tribe of human beings, not the subhumans they are regarded as. And when she gives birth to her eagerly awaited child, she is forced to accept that she and her child will have to play a very significant role in the clouded destiny of the Zelandon.

Auel is particularly sharp in her characterisation of Ayla, the woman who is foreign and strange in this new land, and her heroine's clashes with her new-found people are handled skilfully. The reader is immersed in another world, one whose every detail is skilfully evoked, while the writing has all the colour and vividness of Auel's previous books.--Barry Forshaw




Rating: - Oh dear......
I have come late to this series of books - like some other reviewers I have had people recommending that I read them for some years, and indeed I did have all five books (a special offer pack from somewhere) waiting on the shelf to be picked up. After another session of "you really must read these" from a friend, I committed myself to reading the lot. I have to admit that I did enjoy the first two books quite a lot, and I sort of liked the third but I really think Mrs Auel should have left it there. ... Read More

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Rating: - More of the same, in both good ways and (some) bad
This has all the strengths and weaknesses of the earlier post-Clan of the Cave Bear novels in the series. There is a beauty and purity about the story that is moving and touches something deep within me; and the author's research is impresssive and has re-boosted my youthful interest in human pre-history (this is really historical fiction, though it is wrongly categorised as fantasy in many UK bookshops). There are some interesting philosophical discussions, such as the one between Ayla and Zelandoni ... Read More

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Rating: - Judge for yourselves
Having read the reviews for this book, I put off reading it for quite a while. However, I finally decided to read it anyway and I am really glad I did. Yes, there is some recapping but not that much. I'm really sad that this is going to be the last book as I enjoyed all of them.

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Rating: - And so I face the final curtain...
You know, I really love the Earth's Children series. Sometimes it's hard to tell if it loves me back, but like the socially inept kid at the periphery of a group of friends, I keep coming back in the vain hope that my perseverance will ultimately be rewarded. And the reason I love it is that it has so much potential. Yes, it hasn't always lived up to that potential, but it does keep trying and that's commendable.

The Shelters of Stone isn't an easy book to comprehend. And by that, I don't ... Read More

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Rating: - Please, please read this book....
I have been a fan of this series since shortly after The Clan of the Cave Bear was published and have loved each one, eagerly and frustratedly awaiting the next installment. I have read each one countless times and agree with most fans that the 1st 2 books are the best of the series so far. Although a little dissapointed after reading this latest installment, due to the large amounts of repetition, I believe this book is still far superior to any other book I have ever read by any other author. I wouldn't ... Read More

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