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Tarin of the Mammoths #1
The Exile
Tarin longs to be a hunter, but his twisted leg means he is feared and bullied. After a disastrous mishap, Tarin is forced to leave his family and travel alone across wild, unknown land to save the Mammoth Clan. Battling the hostile and savage Boar Clan, a deadly illness and treacherous terrain with twins Kaija and Luuka and their wolf cubs, Tarin realises that if they are all to survive he must conquer his greatest fear – his true self – and embrace the magic that is hiding within him.
288 pages, Paperback
Published February 27, 2017
1 person is currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 3, 2024
Tarin was born with a lame leg. He longs to be a hunter. He's Tarin of the Mammoth's Clan. The hunters work together to bring down the huge beasts. But his weakness keeps him away from the trap. When he slips down a slope and alerts the Mammoth Mother who touches him. The heard escape and Tarin is blamed for a second failed hunt. He is sent to the Earth Mother Mountain with an offering to save the Mammoth Clan. If he survives and reaches his goal, the Mammoth Clan will survive. Tarin leaves on his solitary quest.
Twins Kaija and Luuka of River Clan are walking away from their home. The deadly illness is killing everyone in their village. They heard the voices and saw the hate in the eyes of the villagers. They had to get away from the smell of death and the anger of being blamed for the sickness. They ran and when Boar Clan hunters called them thieves and chased them, brother and sister lost each other. Kaija would not stop until she found her brother Luuka and rescued him. Before she did she rescued Tarin hanging limp in tree branches on the river bank. He could help her to rescue her brother.
The Boar Clan were mean and vicious people and they had captured Luuka and treated him poorly. Kaija coaxed Tarin into helping her rescue him. The plan did not go well. Tarin was captured but Kaija got away. She would not leave her brother or her new friend Tarin. She used the greed of one member of the Boar Clan to plan an escape for them all.
Little did they know that the dangers they would face would lead them to become a new clan. The Clan of Wolves.
Twins Kaija and Luuka of River Clan are walking away from their home. The deadly illness is killing everyone in their village. They heard the voices and saw the hate in the eyes of the villagers. They had to get away from the smell of death and the anger of being blamed for the sickness. They ran and when Boar Clan hunters called them thieves and chased them, brother and sister lost each other. Kaija would not stop until she found her brother Luuka and rescued him. Before she did she rescued Tarin hanging limp in tree branches on the river bank. He could help her to rescue her brother.
The Boar Clan were mean and vicious people and they had captured Luuka and treated him poorly. Kaija coaxed Tarin into helping her rescue him. The plan did not go well. Tarin was captured but Kaija got away. She would not leave her brother or her new friend Tarin. She used the greed of one member of the Boar Clan to plan an escape for them all.
Little did they know that the dangers they would face would lead them to become a new clan. The Clan of Wolves.
August 24, 2018
This book is such a comfortable read...:)
I would recommend it to anyone who wants an exciting, yet comfortable cute read. It was great.
Great characters, great character development and awesome setting.
*Applause*
I would recommend it to anyone who wants an exciting, yet comfortable cute read. It was great.
Great characters, great character development and awesome setting.
*Applause*
October 24, 2017
🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
🙂It was a really good book and I can't wait for the next one to come out!🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂😇🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
🙂It was a really good book and I can't wait for the next one to come out!🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂😇🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
October 15, 2017
Loved Tarin, a thrice killed child who survives and has to save his clan. The world building is exceptional!
July 29, 2019
There is a happy place where the reader and the scientist in me combine to devour both books and chocolate, all with a smile on my face. Only found amid the pages of truly fab books, I found that happy place reading 'Tarin of the Mammoths: The Exile' by Jo Sandhu.
Hey if your kids (or you!) love history and science and all things Stone Age, then this is the book to read. It's got danger, adventure, friendship and a diverse set of characters.
It's got mammoths, too.
The things that work so well in this book are the basic building blocks of any great read: world-building, narrative and character.
World-building so epic you forget how to use a zip
I loved how Sandhu built the world for her book, with historical gems like reindeer hide and flints and boots with stuffing, and then added magic. Look, I'm no expert on Stone Age life, but I get the strong feeling Sandhu might be close. Her writing is alive, her world works. And no one slips up and lights a fire with matches or zips up their jacket or anything :)
Brilliant. The authenticity of the world is what really drew me into this story. Like I was learning at the same time as I was enjoying the read.
Storytelling that keeps you guessing
If the world-building made it for me, the dual storyline was a close second. Sandhu cleverly tells two tales of people we know must meet (I mean, we all read the blurb on the back, right?) (Right?) (Wait ... do we? I mean, I do - obvs - but do you?) but we're left waiting to figure out how and when they'll bump into each other. And why - even though they are so similar - the lives of Tarin and Kaija have some evident differences.
All is revealed and I was delighted when it was. The world was bigger and richer than I had first expected. And Tarin's task ... mate ... it got that much harder. As all tasks in all good books must!
As a writer, I was intrigued that this book begins with a first person prologue, and then continues in the third person. I think it's aimed at getting the reader connected to Tarin immediately, before relaxing into a point of view that will easily allow the focus characters to change. If that was the aim, it works really well!
Balanced and believable characters you'd go into battle for
Sometimes I feel that first person POV books told from the perspective of more than one character can be confusing (like, hmmm, whose head am I inside right now?). Using third person means 'The Exile' has none of that confusion. In fact, the writing is super-strong. As a reader, I felt I could relax and just enjoy the ride.
I think this helped me get to know the characters better.
I really loved Kaija for her tough-as-mammoth-hide attitude. She's not perfect, she's not even entirely trustworthy, but she sure as heck is going to do everything she can think of to save the people she loves.
A great one for middle readers!
Hey if your kids (or you!) love history and science and all things Stone Age, then this is the book to read. It's got danger, adventure, friendship and a diverse set of characters.
It's got mammoths, too.
The things that work so well in this book are the basic building blocks of any great read: world-building, narrative and character.
World-building so epic you forget how to use a zip
I loved how Sandhu built the world for her book, with historical gems like reindeer hide and flints and boots with stuffing, and then added magic. Look, I'm no expert on Stone Age life, but I get the strong feeling Sandhu might be close. Her writing is alive, her world works. And no one slips up and lights a fire with matches or zips up their jacket or anything :)
Brilliant. The authenticity of the world is what really drew me into this story. Like I was learning at the same time as I was enjoying the read.
Storytelling that keeps you guessing
If the world-building made it for me, the dual storyline was a close second. Sandhu cleverly tells two tales of people we know must meet (I mean, we all read the blurb on the back, right?) (Right?) (Wait ... do we? I mean, I do - obvs - but do you?) but we're left waiting to figure out how and when they'll bump into each other. And why - even though they are so similar - the lives of Tarin and Kaija have some evident differences.
All is revealed and I was delighted when it was. The world was bigger and richer than I had first expected. And Tarin's task ... mate ... it got that much harder. As all tasks in all good books must!
As a writer, I was intrigued that this book begins with a first person prologue, and then continues in the third person. I think it's aimed at getting the reader connected to Tarin immediately, before relaxing into a point of view that will easily allow the focus characters to change. If that was the aim, it works really well!
Balanced and believable characters you'd go into battle for
Sometimes I feel that first person POV books told from the perspective of more than one character can be confusing (like, hmmm, whose head am I inside right now?). Using third person means 'The Exile' has none of that confusion. In fact, the writing is super-strong. As a reader, I felt I could relax and just enjoy the ride.
I think this helped me get to know the characters better.
I really loved Kaija for her tough-as-mammoth-hide attitude. She's not perfect, she's not even entirely trustworthy, but she sure as heck is going to do everything she can think of to save the people she loves.
A great one for middle readers!
May 3, 2018
Like so many YA (or younger) books set in prehistoric times, the main character is a boy with a deformed leg (it's always a leg or foot, never an arm, neck, back or any other body part). Like all those other books, all he wants to do is be a hunter, but he can't because of his leg. This book was no different than those others: Tarin wanted to be a hunter, but could not. After he ruins an important hunt, he sets out on a journey to help his tribe in some other way.
When you're not the target audience of a book, you can't blame it for not being a good match for you. Tarin of the Mammoths was written for readers ages 9-11, so it's not surprising that the characters were just way too black/white for me. I did like the setting and the world building, but all the characters, from major to minor, just didn't work for me. There were way too many flaws in logic as well, everything from a long swim in "glacial runoff" doing nothing but making them shiver, to their packed clothing being dry after the boy and his pack were carried by a river and underwater so long that he nearly died (including going over a waterfall). I wanted to like this book, and it was a fast read, but after multiple nights of not wanting to continue it, I gave up at the 71% point.
When you're not the target audience of a book, you can't blame it for not being a good match for you. Tarin of the Mammoths was written for readers ages 9-11, so it's not surprising that the characters were just way too black/white for me. I did like the setting and the world building, but all the characters, from major to minor, just didn't work for me. There were way too many flaws in logic as well, everything from a long swim in "glacial runoff" doing nothing but making them shiver, to their packed clothing being dry after the boy and his pack were carried by a river and underwater so long that he nearly died (including going over a waterfall). I wanted to like this book, and it was a fast read, but after multiple nights of not wanting to continue it, I gave up at the 71% point.
March 3, 2024
Tarin is different. He has one weak leg and is often left out and left behind. He causes a herd of mammoths to escape the hunt, and his tribe fears they will starve to death. Desperate to appease the gods, they must send an offering. Not to anywhere but the highest mountain peak is home to the god.
Tarin is ashamed and shunned for his role in the impending starvation in the coming inter. The tribe argues about who should take the offering until Tarin tells them he will go. His family are sad to see him go, but he will win the respect of the group if he is successful and be gone and probably die otherwise. With winter already starting, the journey is long, hard and cold. Can Tarin take the gift to the god, or will he live up to his reputation of being a failure?
I enjoyed the mix of cave people's history and the fear and excitement the journey holds for the main character. The twist makes the story more believable.
Recommended for readers aged eight years and older.
Tarin is ashamed and shunned for his role in the impending starvation in the coming inter. The tribe argues about who should take the offering until Tarin tells them he will go. His family are sad to see him go, but he will win the respect of the group if he is successful and be gone and probably die otherwise. With winter already starting, the journey is long, hard and cold. Can Tarin take the gift to the god, or will he live up to his reputation of being a failure?
I enjoyed the mix of cave people's history and the fear and excitement the journey holds for the main character. The twist makes the story more believable.
Recommended for readers aged eight years and older.
January 15, 2023
It can be hard to find books in this genre.
It can be even harder to find books that do this genre well.
After reading the first book (and I plan to read the others), I personally think this series is going to suffer from . . . well, being a series. The story shaping up to be told feels like one that should, really, just be a long, epic novel. Due to the writing style and the age of the characters, it got classed as 'middle grade' fiction, and thus was broken up into multiple books.
I'm guessing if the whole series were one book, I'd be giving this 5 stars, because I truly did LOVE reading it. There just wasn't the crescendo and resolution one expects in a complete book, but there is one that would be expected in, say, a part one.
So it's a good thing this is a series.
It can be even harder to find books that do this genre well.
After reading the first book (and I plan to read the others), I personally think this series is going to suffer from . . . well, being a series. The story shaping up to be told feels like one that should, really, just be a long, epic novel. Due to the writing style and the age of the characters, it got classed as 'middle grade' fiction, and thus was broken up into multiple books.
I'm guessing if the whole series were one book, I'd be giving this 5 stars, because I truly did LOVE reading it. There just wasn't the crescendo and resolution one expects in a complete book, but there is one that would be expected in, say, a part one.
So it's a good thing this is a series.
January 27, 2023
I loved this immersive first book in the Tarin of the Mammoths trilogy, set during the Ice Age. Twelve-year-old Tarin's world is vividly brought to life through descriptions of the snowy landscape, hunter-gatherer lifestyle and traditions, and the Finnish, Saami and derived words woven into the story. The dangers Tarin and his eventual travelling companions face are serious: blizzards, sickness, fierce enemy clans and frequent near-death experiences. I can't wait to read the rest of this epic hero's-quest-style series!
April 5, 2020
A friend brought this book for my 8yr old as a highly recommended read, we were all so spell bound we've since got the whole trilogy.
So well balanced between excitement and character development. The series takles many difficult sujects such as death, rejection, spirituality and cultural difference in such a refreshing and up front way but never takes a side from a political or religious stand point.
So well done, I've bothered to do my first ever book rating.
Thank you.
So well balanced between excitement and character development. The series takles many difficult sujects such as death, rejection, spirituality and cultural difference in such a refreshing and up front way but never takes a side from a political or religious stand point.
So well done, I've bothered to do my first ever book rating.
Thank you.
Read
March 23, 2017Tarin longs to be a hunter, but his twisted leg means he is feared and bullied. After a disastrous mishap, Tarin is forced to leave his family and travel alone across wild, unknown land to save the Mammoth Clan.
Battling the hostile and savage Boar Clan, a deadly illness and treacherous terrain with twins Kaija and Luuka and their wolf cubs, Tarin realises that if they are all to survive he must conquer his greatest fear his true self and embrace the magic that is hiding within him.
Battling the hostile and savage Boar Clan, a deadly illness and treacherous terrain with twins Kaija and Luuka and their wolf cubs, Tarin realises that if they are all to survive he must conquer his greatest fear his true self and embrace the magic that is hiding within him.
January 3, 2019
This book is immensely action heavy. This may work for younger readers, but for me, there was so much action, it kind of nullified itself... As in, everything was so intense it didn't feel tense anymore. The 'spirits' and how they existed in a dreamlike state didn't entirely work for me. I loved the setting, liked the characters, and overall enjoyed the story.
August 7, 2018
Jo Sandhu's skilful use of imagery had me seeing her landscapes so clearly, and I loved the mysticism woven throughout the book. A compelling tale. Looking forward to Book 2.
January 25, 2019
So good. SO, SO GOOD.
July 24, 2019
Well-researched and imagined adventure story for ages 8-14. A cross between Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness and Clan of the Cave Bear (without the adult themes!)
July 19, 2023
Solid 4.5 stars - this is such a great stone-age adventure.
April 10, 2024
It was very brutal
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews