The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children) by Jean M. Auel Search Amazon for other books by or about Jean M. Auel. Rating: Reviewed by: Kelly Davis

The third in the Earth's Children Series, The Mammoth Hunters picksup where Valley of Horses left off; Ayla and Jondolar setting outon their journey to find others. Utilizing their combined acumen and hunting skills, they wend their way across the plains of the sparsely populated steppes and valleys of prehistoric Europe. In relying on each other for survival, Ayla and Jondolar develop a tight bond and grow to love each other more every day. Eventually they encounter the Mamutoi tribe, who call themselves the "The Mammoth Hunters". Ayla's interactions with this tribe reveal even more depth to her abilities; she teaches them hunting and medicinal skills, clan language, uses for herbs and plans, and invents many things, including the first sewing needle (one stretch of many that Auel asks us to accept). Ayla's skills greatly augment the life of the Mamutoi, and because of this she is soon adopted as a tribe member herself. Despite this, however, life is not grand for Ayla - a rift in her relationship with Jondolar forms when an intriguing black Mamutoi man, Ranec, vies for her love. Jondolar becomes insanely jealous, but does not fight for her because he knows that the final decision is Ayla's. Broken hearts abound from lack of communication - but in the end love prevails.

Like Valley of Horses, there was a lot of graphic sex in this book. While this did not bother me personally, I can't help but wonder why Auel chose this radical departure from Clan, the first book in this series. Certainly Auel knew she'd be losing readers by following up a top-notch book that could be enjoyed by a wide audience, with what amounts to prehistoric Penthouse Forum. Go figure.

Series Comments:
I was leery about reading the first book in this series, Clan of the Cave Bear, because I'd seen the movie and had been far from impressed. However, I was in a cabin in the mountains at the time and was bored, so I took a chance. My friends who were sharing the cabin with me can attest to how much I loved it - I ignored all of them for two days while I read it! My first mission upon my returning to civilization was to buy the remaining books in the series.

The Earth's Children Series is set approximately 35,000 years ago - when both Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon people roamed the earth. It is obvious that Auel has done much anthropological research on this subject, and does a great job of hypothesizing how these peoples might have lived. In Auel's Series, contact between the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons is extremely rare, and their understanding of how each other lives is so sparse that both races consider the other little more than animal. It is against this backdrop that the series follows the life of a young Cro-Magnon woman named Ayla who is rejected by the Neanderthal tribe that raised her. Ayla now must set out to find her own people - and we follow her on her fascinating journey.

As with most series, the first book was the best. Unfortunately, Auel seems to use the later novels to show the reader how much research she has done on the flora, fauna, and topography of the Ice Age. I found myself skipping pages of description to get back to the story at hand. However, I guarantee that if you read the first novel, you will hasten (as I did) to read the remaining books, and you won't be disappointed.