A sequel to CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR but this time concentrating on the way of life of the 'Others'. In relation to their extreme prejudice towards 'Flatheads', the author suggests that racism is as old as humankind itself. That what makes the book so interesting. In writing it, Jean Auel almost talks about today.
How Ayla survives in that hostile environment on her own is amazing. She would have been an unusual woman, even for those times. And her taming of a horse suggests that human relationships with those animals which eventually were to become domesticated didn't just happen overnight.
There's not much fiction around about prehistoric times so Jean Auel's books situated around that time more than makes up for it. She is a talented and imaginative writer. She shares her talent with Wilbur Smith, another writer who is also good at describing the landscape and animals in vivid detail.