Customer Reviews

Children of the Ice (Signet)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would give this book six stars if I could, it has all of the stuff you want in a work of pre-history. In fact, I am suprised that there aren't any other reviews of it.
There is a heroine who after a horrific tragedy developes an iron will and a vision given to her by the White Panther of a new and wonderfull land that she will not let go for anyone or anything. It is this struggle that moves the story along at a fast clip, will anyone believe in her vision, will she find her parents in the new land, will anyone come with her, was it all just a childish dream...?
This book could really get six stars, it is that good. A must for any collection.

I first read this book upon its release in 1993 at the age of fifteen. At the time I had no idea this humble paperback would become my favorite book of all time, nor how much depth and influence the metaphorical meaning of Laena's story would have on my own life as I grew. The story of Laena, a young woman guided by visions in a turbulent era of pre-history crosses a perilous, mountainous wilderness to an amazing new land. The book is a fictionalized account of the first people who trekked from the vanished subcontinent of Beringia into North America via a land bridge that existed at the time.

Believe it or not, I've been reading this book once or twice a year for over fifteen years (this review has been written in 2010)! That's how much I love this book. I never tire of it because it speaks to a very deep part of me. You may not have the same experience, but surely it is worth one read at least! Charlotte Prentiss is actually author Charles Platt.

I have read many prehistoric fiction books and found Charlotte
Prentiss to have written a wonderful series. This is the first
of three and the best in my opinion. I loved the main character.
She was a courageous woman of the ice age times.

This book has all of the things that make for a great work of historical fiction. Vivid descriptions of the landscape, complex characters, a strong heroine who is not Alya-perfect, and a driving theme that moves the story along at a fast clip. As far as the "Native Americans on their way to the new land of America" books go, this has to be one of the best, right up there with the Gears.
This book has twists, a spirit vision, a fight for survival and the dream of a new life that the heroine will not let go. I would give it six stars, this book is a must for any collection, a very gratifying read.