Shadow Valley [Kindle Edition]

Steven Barnes (Author)

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.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 498 KB
• Print Length: 272 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (May 5, 2009)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0027MJTYM
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,952 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 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)   

This review is from: Shadow Valley (Hardcover)

"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 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

Big Sistah Patty (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shadow Valley (Hardcover)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shadow Valley Rocks, September 14, 2010

By 

Stafford Battle (Upper Marlboro, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shadow Valley (Hardcover)

In the long tradition of "prehistoric" novelizations, I really appreciated Barnes' extreme attention to gritty details, gifted dialogue and graphic realism to create an African tale of discovery, adventure, and heroism by people who lived thousands of years ago. Furthermore, the conversations, the settings, the intellect of ancient Africans related so well to the triumphs and tragedies of modern society. Barnes painted a picture revealing that we are not so far from our ancestors living a day-to-day existence as predator and prey. Shadow Valley allowed me to feel pain and relish conquests as horizons were expanded. I devoured this book in hours.