Song of the Earth

by John R. Dann

In John R. Dann's thrilling and romantic prehistoric saga, Song of the Axe , the tribe's chieftain was called Grae, after a famous ancestor. Now Dann returns to tell the saga of the wanderings of one prehistoric tribal family over several generations, always led by that famous, original Grae, and by his children.

The powerful daughters of River Woman saved young Grae from a flooded river after a volcano erupted and destroyed their tribal home. Then they made him chief, but that's almost the last thing they agree on before the tribe splinters.

Grae leads the main group out of Africa ever northward, into central and eastern Europe, always searching for safety and a better life. Challenged by truly monstrous evil tribes, but guided by spirits, they survive. It takes three generations, and three chieftains named Grae, before the tribe comes to rest. Their story is an adventure on the grandest scale, full of dangers, romance, and beguiling mystery in an exotic setting. A rich and complex story told with simplicity, authenticity, and vigor, Song of the Earth is a worthy companion to Song of the Axe.

Genres: Prehistory, Historical Fiction, Prehistoric

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[⋆♱✮♱⋆☽ ａ ｆａｉｒｙ ☾⋆♱✮♱⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a masterpiece! an exquisite meal for the mind and soul, I loved every second of this...

[Vincent R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throught this book moved right along and the adventures of the characters split and then split again. It made for a fast and exciting story.

V. Lauria

[Vinita P Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song of the Earth is about how our prehistoric ancestors may have thought, felt, acted and survived in ancient times. Where each new encounter or unknown facet of life was (to them) mystical or magical. It is also told as a story within a story. It begins with a future tribe of "Grae" sitting around a campfire asking questions about their ancestors. Grae is the name of the 1st tribe leader who leads his people to find a new place to call home. He's kind, compassionate, and a strong fighter. All future leaders of the tribe ( also take the name of Grae) n strife to follow in his footsteps to protect, guide, n rule wisely. So the clan can prosper n grow.
While at times it gets bogged down or hard to follow, it was a nice book to read. I have read "The Earth Series" n would not compare this book to it. While some parts may be similar as to the portrayal of gathering food, it differs when talking about hunting. Women hunt n fight along with the men. Men also learn to sew, cook, gather nuts/berries, a chore that is considered woman's work.
There has always been speculation by archaeologists n others as to the quality of life in prehistoric times. This is the authors rendition of how prehistoric man may have lived.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is decidedly odd. There is very little story arc – rather a series of loosely related events and people going about their strange lives.
When trying to describe Song of the Earth, the word that springs most readily to mind is lackluster.
I found the characters difficult to keep track of. There were so many of them and a lot had very similar names to each other.
The people invent many different things in a ridiculously fast pace, especially words. This makes it seem unrealistic, particularly when they meet other groups that they’ve never met before who already have the same technologies and use the same words.
I liked how the tribe had multiple enemies to contend with throughout the book.

The full review can be found at www.travellingbooknerd.com/song-of-th...

[Rosibella Marie]

A very interesting read. I was glued from the first page to the end. I can't wait to see what with happen to Ka.

[Super Marge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was written in a no frills style that didn't pull any punches. The prose was warm and loving and not stilted of false in anyway.

I will be looking for other books by this author in the future.

I highly recommend this book to other readers who like stories set in previous times like the stone age.

[Melanie East · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish there was a star that's for didn't really like or dislike. This book was ok. The historical context was interesting, but I found the prose very stilted. I think it was supposed to mimic how the ancient people would have talked and thought, but I've found Jean Auel's books much better written.

[Marieli · Rating 3 out of 5]

story moves very fast through several generation. Dann mixes a number of creation myths to postulate when and where they may have come from.