In the prehistoric land of what is now Turkey, the young beautiful mate of the high priest of the Goddess is exiled from her people for giving birth to her second deformed son. In order to survive, she must help the high priest in his scheme to abduct a priestess from a band of nomadic traders. This is the triumphant story of two women--one who finds honor within another culture, and the other who endures to return home after a brutal separation.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely wonderful,
By Jodi (Washington state, United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Secrets of the Ancient Goddess (Paperback)
I got this book while waiting in line at a grocery store. The title seemed interesting and I am into historical view points, fictional or not. I absolutely loved the book. The relationships between the characters were very believable and the story line keep me up half the night trying to finish the book. I would definately recommend this book!!!
21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Solid First Novel,
By J.S. (Oregon) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Secrets of the Ancient Goddess (Paperback)
Where B.G. Smith has done well is in writing a book which, while steeped in gynocentric mythology and ritual and obviously designed for a predominantly female readership, also has sufficient adventure, powerful male characters, and graphic but not gratuitous sex, to interest the typical male reader. Smith has also done well in not writing a rambling "fat novel" for her first effort, though she does pack a lot of material into the book. She has kept the story down to two main plot lines and avoided lengthy tangents. While their themes are extremely different, the succinctness of her writing reminds me of Richard Matheson, whose novels and short stories, while evocative, are very efficient in their use of words. In Matheson's case, this is likely linked to his years of screenplay writing where text must be cut to the bone. Similarly in Smith's work, her years of writing advertising copy have served her well in creating a work that reads quickly and fluidly without being exempt of emotion and panorama. Where Secrets of the Ancient Goddess is a bit weak is in its "Hollywood realism." It does seem that Smith has researched the era of which she writes in some detail. However, while never stated outright, one gets the impression that however grim the circumstances, the women all have their hair done and the men are each wearing their best shiny sword. Undramatic things like epidemic diseases, endoparasitism, the constant drudgery of hunting and gathering, the lack of basic sanitation and anything but the most rudimentary medicine, and the resultant short life expectancies of the neolithic people are so many things that are glossed over for the sake of the story. There are plenty of brutal killings and rapes and the like, but these are the sorts of plot devices that while perhaps realistic in the context, also simply play well for shock value. On the other hand, the depiction of the characters' evolving response to events in a psycho-theological context is fairly well done, though given the absence of written documents from this era, our recreations of ancient religions are guesses at best. Overall, Secrets of the Ancient Goddess is a solid first novel. The prehistoric novel is certainly a writing niche occupied by a limited number of authors, so B.G. Smith should easily be able to continue in this literary form. The plotting and feel of the novel will appeal more to a female readership, but should not leave men unsatisfied. Besides, if some of us can't take the new female prehistoric heroines we can always go and rent Encino Man. (For this review in its entirety, go to www.sfsite.com/05a/sec56.htm)
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Entertainment, Weak Historical Fiction,
By "osmers" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Secrets of the Ancient Goddess (Paperback)
B.G. Smith's work is fun to read, and she obviously researched the period, but her description of prehistoric culture is weak. She is strong in her theological descriptions, but as a reader of historical fiction, particularly prehistoric historical fiction, I enjoy the descriptions of how they ate, gathered food, built houses, made clothes, shaped weapons and tools, etc. While this is an entertaining novel, one only has to compare it to Sue Harrison's novels to see Smith's weaknesses. However, this is a first novel. Hopefully in her future novels (which I will read, by the way), Smith will have more confidence as a historical fiction writer and be able to include more of the anthropological detail that makes pre-historic fiction special.
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