Shadow Valley [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers unfamiliar with 2006's Great Sky Woman will struggle a bit with the slow opening of this stand-alone sequel, a fantasy set in Africa around 28,000 B.C., but those who stay the course will find it worth the effort. T'Cori is a young leader of her people, the Ibandi, who look to her and their holy woman Stillshadow to lead them to a new land. During the trek they encounter the bloodthirsty Mk*tk tribe, a rogue Ibandi warrior and primal threats from nature itself. A folktale rhythm proves less than effective at conveying heaps of backstory, but as the characters fill out and the wanderers fight to survive against mounting odds, their tale becomes all at once rugged and elegant in style, a mix of harsh bloodletting with a primeval close-to-the-land beauty. (May)
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Review

Praise for Great Sky Woman:

“[Barnes] combines imagination, anthropology and beautiful storytelling as he takes readers to the foot of the Great Mountain, today known as Mount Kilimanjaro.”
—Durham Triangle Tribune


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345459032
• ISBN-13: 978-0345459039
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #291,400 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a sequel should be!, June 21, 2009

By	Karla Henderson "blkdolfin" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Great Sky Woman" was the first novel of Steven Barnes' that I've read. Impressive, I eagerly anticipated this sequel. I was not disappointed. It is, quite simply, one hell of a good read. Set in Paleolithic east Africa, in what is now the Great Rift Valley of Tanzania, it's what the sequel to "Clan of the Clan Bear" should have been and, sadly, wasn't. The characters are believeable, intriguing, both pro and antagonist, and the reader is drawn into their world at a very visceral level. Although painfully violent at times, it is beautifully written, intensely so and the sex, well, let's just say it's evocative and leave it at that. I especially enjoyed the possibility that Neanderthals, assuming a shared ancestral origin, may have made their way back to the cradle of humankind. I hope I'm not giving too much away but even if I have, I don't think it could possibly ruin this for anyone. It's just that good!

4.0 out of 5 stars Starts off slow, but has a satisfying ending, June 9, 2009

By	Sacramento Book Review "SacramentoBookReview.com" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This is the sequel to Great Sky Woman, and Steven Barnes continues the story as the Ibandi struggle to find a new home and survive the attacks from the viscous Mk*tk. The story mainly focuses on the two young people who are leading there people to a new home, Frog Hopping and Sky Woman and the individual struggles that each one faces. They eventually find a new home, where the food is plentiful, and it feels safe. They meet native inhabitants, and become friends with them, even though they are vastly different from each other and speak different languages.

The book does start off slow, there is a lot of names that are confusing and at times all blur together, and that makes it difficult to follow who is talking some of the times and also what is happening. The book gets better the more you get into it, you start to feel for the characters as they become more and more familiar. The ending brings the story to a satisfactory conclusion, as enemies face off against each other for the final time, and as a new future is forged in Shadow Valley.

Reviewed by Kevin Winter

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Yet Interesting and Thoughtful!, June 9, 2009

By	Big Sistah Patty (USA) - See all my reviews

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I love the book. It was a very interesting read. I have begun re-reading Great Sky Woman. Certainly Mr. Barnes isn't your typical, off the cuff writer. The level of research and imagination that goes into writing a book like this is enormous.

I highly recommend.