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Amazon.co.uk Review
Jean Auel's The Plains of Passage, the fourth volume in the Earth's Children sequence, is one of the most massive yet (running to nearly 1,000 pages) and has all the sweep and vigour of the earlier books in the series. There are few writers who demonstrate the sheer range and ambition of Auel in the fantasy field. The Clan of the Cave Bear was a truly ground-breaking work, with its sweeping historical saga crammed with the kind of detail that had never been seen before in the genre. The Valley of Horses and The Mammoth Hunters continued to enthral readers with their breathtaking panoplies of an ancient world.

The Plains of Passage continues the epic description of our civilisation as it was 25,000 years ago. Auel's protagonists Ayla the orphan and Jondalar the traveller decide to forsake the comfort and safety of life with the mammoth hunters by the Black Sea, and set out on a daunting odyssey. Their plan is to traverse a continent, heading for the Cro-Magnon settlement which Jondalar called home as a young man. Their journey across unimaginable distances is fraught with spectacular dangers, and their only companions are the half-tame Wolf, the magnificent stallion Racer and the mare Whinney.

As so often in Auel's work, it's the brilliantly evocative scene-setting that makes her narratives of high adventure so impressive. Characterisation is, as always, functional rather than inspired, but it's perfectly suited to the Technicolor landscapes the reader is confronted with. And the descriptive passages are as evocative as ever:

The rising sun peaked over the eastern edge with a blinding burst of light that illuminated an incredible scene. To the west, a flat, utterly featureless dazzling white plain stretched out before them. Above it the sky was a shade of blue she had never seen in her life. It had somehow absorbed the reflection of the red dawn, and the blue-green undertone of glacial ice...

--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Publishers Weekly
'The authenticity of background detail, the lilting prose rhythms and the appealing conceptual audacity continue to work their spell'

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The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children) by Jean M. Auel  (18)  £5.99

The Shelters of Stone (Earth's Children) by Jean M. Auel  (79)  £5.99

Clan Of The Cave Bear [1986] DVD ~ Daryl Hannah  (3)  £3.48

The Plains of Passage (Earth's Children) by Jean M. Auel  (8)

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32 Reviews 5 star:  (18) 4 star:  (6) 3 star:  (5) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review (32 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   13 of 13 people found the following review helpful: Sometimes like reading a textbook, 30 April 2006 By  Mavis Cruet - See all my reviews This is the fourth book in the series and sees the two leads make an epic journey home across prehistoric Europe. I loved the first book in this series and the second one was pretty good too, but it seems that as the series goes on the author struggles to find enough "story" to write about so spends half of her time writing exessive descriptive passages that I have to admit I only skim read until there is more character interaction. Approximately half of each chapter seems to be an in depth account of the geology, flora or fauna of the region - whilst this is informative it does not add anything to the story and the already vivid pictures created in the readers head, making the book longer than necessary. The author seems to need to prove that her work has been meticulously researched when really she doesn't need to, it is obvious anyway, and sadly this sometimes makes her novel seem like a textbook (having just finished Uni I was hoping for an escape from this!). Another gripe of mine is that the main character Ayla and her boyfriend Jondolar just get more and more perfect and one dimensional with the passage of time, they are always right, no one else can have an opinion and what started out as deep characters are getting shallower and more predictable with each book. They are both gorgeous, morally sound, great in bed, everyone they meet loves them immediately or pretty soon after Ayla has wowed them with her amazing skills of magic, healing, animal taming, inventing the wheel..... (ok so the wheel one was a joke but you get the idea). I would have liked to see some character flaws to make Ayla more "real" as she is becoming more and more god-like in her perfection. Having said this I can't leave a series unfinished and as a bit of escapism it can be enjoyable so I am currently sarting Auel's 5th one.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: A long, good read, 12 Oct 2003 By  "essexsim" - See all my reviews    Fans of Auel's other books in this series will know how long winded and descriptive the books are. This does not change for the 5th book. The paperback I read was about 974 pages and is not an easy read, as she is very descriptive of the plains, the processes and the general wonderfulness of Ayla and Jondalar's relationship. This book picks up from Book 3, when they leave the Mamutoi and encounter many other tribes (including Clan) along the way. It is one hell of a long journey for both them and the reader. Saying that it is still a fascinating read as they make their new discoveries and meet new people. Overall I enjoyed it very much, even though I wished she would precis her descriptions somewhat!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: Descriptions, yes, but Auel writes them so well!, 17 Jul 2006 By  C LcMcB "caro_lc26" (Belfast, UK) - See all my reviews I just want to underline the fact to all readers of these reviews no to be discouraged by negative comments. Yes the Plains of Passage is a long book and it is full of descriptions, but it is a travel account... So you have to expect it. Auel's writing is so rich in information that it allows readers to picture all the landscapes Ayla, Jondalar and their animal companions are travelling through. I think all the descriptions are worthwile and I especially love all their encounters along the way. I did find the first half a bit difficult at times, but I would say that I could not put my book down during the second half. Enjoy!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?