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Great Sky Woman #2
Shadow Valley
"Chapter One
"
Summer's warm rains had long since riven the earth, then dried again to dust. Three moons would wax and wane before the winter rivers swelled within their graveled banks.
Hot Tree had lived most of her adult life in Fire boma, the bamboowalled cluster of huts a day's walk southeast of Great Sky. Now her hair was streaked with white, her brown skin deeply wrinkled, her breasts empty sacks. Years had cooled the fire in her dancing feet. She felt both hollow and heavy, and knew it would not be long before Father Mountain summoned her bones.
So much had changed in the past few moons.
For generations unknown the Ibandi had lived within the sheltering shadows of the mountains called Great Sky and Great Earth. The peaks were home to Father Mountain and Great Mother, whose timeless passion had birthed the world.
Three moons ago, Great Sky had exploded, the cataclysm wreathing the sky in stinking smoke and spewing rivers of boiling mud down its verdant slopes. Trees had been wrenched up by the roots, tumbling like dead brush. The Ibandi hunt chiefs had died. Some believed the god Himself had perished, but Hot Tree did not, though she well believed that the explosion was a sign of His displeasure with their wickedness.
Whatever the truth might be, a second disaster soon struck. From the south came the Mk*tk, brutal men who killed many and even stole three of the sacred dream dancers. The bloody war had almost undone the Ibandi.If Hot Tree's daughter had not brought her here to Water boma, Tree did not know what might have become of her.
Much had changed since then. Sky Woman, the girl who had earned her name by climbing Great Sky, had fled north with half the tribe, accompanied by her lover, Frog Hopping, who had climbed Great Sky with her in search of wisdom. Some said he was a mighty hunter, but Tree had never been impressed by Frog. Both his elder brothers, greater providers by far, had died on the great mountain, but their widows, Ember and Flamingo, had traveled north with Frog.
Hot Tree inhaled deeply. The afternoon air reeked of burnt grass. She stood just outside the boma's bamboo gate at the edge of the wide blackened zone singed every moon to deny hiding space to leopards. Beyond that dark space, grass grew knee- high, and beyond that the plain was broken by round and flat- topped trees and dusky scrub ranging out to a thinly ridged northern horizon. The air smelled of dust and burnt thornbush.
Her old eyes could just barely distinguish a hyena's brownish- gray pelt, lurking a spear's throw from the edge of the blackened zone.
Another four or five spear casts distant loped three giraffes, two adults and one calf half the height of its parents. Even as she watched, they dissolved into the shimmering air, much like the cloud creatures the strange boy Frog had so often babbled of.
Night Song approached from behind. Hot Tree would have known that tread among tens of others: Song's rotten left knee caused her to drag that leg a bit. No hunter's accident or thieving disease had caused this, only that great hyena,
"
Summer's warm rains had long since riven the earth, then dried again to dust. Three moons would wax and wane before the winter rivers swelled within their graveled banks.
Hot Tree had lived most of her adult life in Fire boma, the bamboowalled cluster of huts a day's walk southeast of Great Sky. Now her hair was streaked with white, her brown skin deeply wrinkled, her breasts empty sacks. Years had cooled the fire in her dancing feet. She felt both hollow and heavy, and knew it would not be long before Father Mountain summoned her bones.
So much had changed in the past few moons.
For generations unknown the Ibandi had lived within the sheltering shadows of the mountains called Great Sky and Great Earth. The peaks were home to Father Mountain and Great Mother, whose timeless passion had birthed the world.
Three moons ago, Great Sky had exploded, the cataclysm wreathing the sky in stinking smoke and spewing rivers of boiling mud down its verdant slopes. Trees had been wrenched up by the roots, tumbling like dead brush. The Ibandi hunt chiefs had died. Some believed the god Himself had perished, but Hot Tree did not, though she well believed that the explosion was a sign of His displeasure with their wickedness.
Whatever the truth might be, a second disaster soon struck. From the south came the Mk*tk, brutal men who killed many and even stole three of the sacred dream dancers. The bloody war had almost undone the Ibandi.If Hot Tree's daughter had not brought her here to Water boma, Tree did not know what might have become of her.
Much had changed since then. Sky Woman, the girl who had earned her name by climbing Great Sky, had fled north with half the tribe, accompanied by her lover, Frog Hopping, who had climbed Great Sky with her in search of wisdom. Some said he was a mighty hunter, but Tree had never been impressed by Frog. Both his elder brothers, greater providers by far, had died on the great mountain, but their widows, Ember and Flamingo, had traveled north with Frog.
Hot Tree inhaled deeply. The afternoon air reeked of burnt grass. She stood just outside the boma's bamboo gate at the edge of the wide blackened zone singed every moon to deny hiding space to leopards. Beyond that dark space, grass grew knee- high, and beyond that the plain was broken by round and flat- topped trees and dusky scrub ranging out to a thinly ridged northern horizon. The air smelled of dust and burnt thornbush.
Her old eyes could just barely distinguish a hyena's brownish- gray pelt, lurking a spear's throw from the edge of the blackened zone.
Another four or five spear casts distant loped three giraffes, two adults and one calf half the height of its parents. Even as she watched, they dissolved into the shimmering air, much like the cloud creatures the strange boy Frog had so often babbled of.
Night Song approached from behind. Hot Tree would have known that tread among tens of others: Song's rotten left knee caused her to drag that leg a bit. No hunter's accident or thieving disease had caused this, only that great hyena,
240 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2009
8 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Steven Barnes
132 books480 followersSteven Barnes (born March 1, 1952, Los Angeles, California) is an African American science fiction writer, lecturer, creative consultant, and human performance technician. He has written several episodes of The Outer Limits and Baywatch, as well as the Stargate SG-1 episode "Brief Candle" and the Andromeda episode "The Sum of its Parts". Barnes' first published piece of fiction, the novelette The Locusts (1979), written with Larry Niven, and was a Hugo Award nominee.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 16, 2018
Shadow Valley is a quick read that is a good continuation of Sky Woman. I’ve enjoyed Barnes’ take on what an ancient African society could have looked liked. His creative view of their social structure, approach to spirituality, their reactions to natural disasters and how all of it could have shaped what we recognize as civilization made for an interesting read. If you are looking for unique historical fiction with female characters who are strong and influential in their own right I’d recommend giving this series a try. These do need to be read in order.
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Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
You can find me at:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @MonlatReader
Instagram: @readermonica
Facebook: Monica Reeds
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
May 25, 2010
This is the sequel to Great Sky Woman, also excellent, and unlike anything you've ever read!
October 16, 2021
Great Story!
Shadow Valley is the sequel to Great Sky Woman, both of which I have read and enjoyed immensely. It had been quite a while since I had read the first one, so (for me) remembering the original plot feathered into this second story very slowly at first. However, it weekly to only enhance its stand-alone-ability even more. Great story, Steven!
Shadow Valley is the sequel to Great Sky Woman, both of which I have read and enjoyed immensely. It had been quite a while since I had read the first one, so (for me) remembering the original plot feathered into this second story very slowly at first. However, it weekly to only enhance its stand-alone-ability even more. Great story, Steven!
August 10, 2017
I think I might have liked this book better if I had read "Great Sky Woman" first...
June 21, 2019
Slow going at first, but picked up steam as it went on
October 27, 2014
Steven Barnes is an exceptional cultural fiction author and this book is a fine example of his talents. Because it was a follow-up to his book Great Sky Woman, which I read recently, the first third of Shadow Valley seemed to drag along (with character introductions and what not). Nonetheless, the pace picked up and Barnes' very engaging writing style shined. The African bush setting was clearly well researched as it was told in the richest, most realistic detail. The tribal conflicts, ancient ways, ceremonies, spiritual concepts, environmental and wildlife elements, love, war, hope, despair, the dynamics between men and women...so much to grip your attention. Several chapters actually left me holding my breath, biting my bottom lip and gripping the edges of my seat. And the ending...Few things are more important in a good book than a good ending. Definitely no disappointment here.
September 15, 2010
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.
October 24, 2010
OK, I finished both Great Sky Woman and Shadow Valley. My review can be found at: http://kwesispot.blogspot.com/.
previous post:
about 1/2 way through. This is the 2nd book in the series with the first being Great Sky Woman. Took me a while to get around to reading Steven Barnes and I'm sad that is the case. At least these two novels are excellent reads, great storytelling, and epic in imagination. I"ll have more of a review of both when I finish.
previous post:
about 1/2 way through. This is the 2nd book in the series with the first being Great Sky Woman. Took me a while to get around to reading Steven Barnes and I'm sad that is the case. At least these two novels are excellent reads, great storytelling, and epic in imagination. I"ll have more of a review of both when I finish.
March 17, 2010
This book takes you into the world of prehistoric hunter/gatherers in Africa in a way that is very real.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews