The Shadow Hunter

by Pat Murphy

A time-travel adventure from the Nebula Award–winning “Murphy’s [blend] of fantasy and reality honorably recalls the novels of Margaret Atwood” (Publishers Weekly). For generations, the people of the valley have hunted the bear, killing it to draw on its mystical power. On his first hunt, a young member of the tribe pursues the bear through the wilderness. Moments before their battle begins, the boy plunges into darkness—and awakes in a world beyond his wildest imagination, where nature is corrupted and the boundaries of time mean nothing at all. The researchers who brought him into the future call the Neanderthal boy “Sam.” The portal he fell through is the plaything of a billionaire intent on repopulating the world of its many extinct birds, wolves, and bears. Sam was brought along by accident, but he will find a purpose in these alien surroundings. Guided by one woman who can see the past and another who can look into the future, the boy who hunted the bear will unlock the mysteries of time itself.

Genres: Science Fiction, Time Travel, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Spirituality

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1982

About the author

Pat Murphy’s latest short story collection is called "Women Up to No Good," a title that describes Pat’s attitude in general. Pat writes about strong women who are not afraid of making trouble.

Pat's fiction has won multiple awards for her science fiction and fantasy works, including the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Philip K Dick Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, and the Christopher Award. Her latest novel, "The Adventures of Mary Darling," is a historic fantasy -- a subversive take on Peter Pan (with a side helping of Sherlock Holmes). It will be out in May 2025 from Tachyon Publications.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

In order to save his people from starvation, 10-year-old "Sam" must face a cave bear. Having dreamed of her, he must be the one to kill her and merge with her spirit. If he can complete this quest, the people will live.

But, in the midst of the hunt, both boy and bear are pulled into the far future. Sam (so named by the modern humans who are taking care of him) is nonetheless determined to complete his quest.

Sam is intelligent, stubborn, and reserved, with a gentle spirit and a great capacity for loyalty. He is also quite correct when he says that he does not belong in the modern world. It bewilders him that the others--the modern people-- can't see the spirit world which is so clear to him.

I really enjoyed this book; it reminded me in places of Michelle Paver and in others of Ursula Le Guin. I wouldn't recommend it to younger Paver fans; there is some adult content, but older teens and adults who enjoy outdoor adventures and SFF that examines other cultures and ways of being should find this story very satisfying.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I've been completely bitten by the "listen-to-audio-book-bug"! I got myself an Audible account as a late Christmas gift and began with this very intriguing tale of a Neanderthal boy mistakenly transported into a modern future (perhaps a bit beyond us now): kind of a Jurassic Park in reverse story. Made me think about time and its qualities and whether Homo Sapien Neanderthalensis, with their bigger brains, might actually have had a healthier relationship with the Earth than Homo Sapien Sapien has now.

[coty ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

like a lot of books i read, i picked this up just because i liked the cover. unlike the majority i read because of this, i really really loved this book. i think it's difficult to have a child as a narrator and then have it be believable and immersive, but pat murphy doesn't seem to struggle with that at all. i really enjoyed sam's voice from the beginning, i loved the way he described the world and how we slowly see him become acquainted with it; the shift in his narration as he grows older and lives longer in the modern world is subtle, but present enough, flowing perfectly with the language and scenery to create a vivid portrait of the world through sam's eyes. it's just a really beautiful story and any criticism i could conjure up pales in comparison to all of the good that's here. definitely one of my favorite reads of 2020 so far

[Peter Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

A re telling of Asimov's "An Ugly Child", this is a revision by the author of her first novel. The revision makes the world of the future seem less clunky - ie satellite phones and the Internet are present, something she didn't envisage when she write the novel in the dark ages of 1982. I did enjoy this book, but felt it was a little too keen on the Noble Savage - the central character, a Neanderthal, has special spiritual abilities mere Homo sapiens cannot comprehend and I felt at times it would have been better if he simply interpreted the world as if it was spirit filled, rather than giving him actual shamanistic powers. On the whole, well written.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Neanderthal boy is zapped from the past to the future. He keeps his beliefs and it's interesting to see how his life is changed and how he copes.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I immediately thought that this time-travel novel (written in the early 1980s and updated decades later) was a merger of Child in Time by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg with Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. It is, but it's much more like the former time-travel book.

The hero and narrator of the novel is named Sam by a woman who works for the wealthy guy who brings him from his Neanderthal tribe to the future as a boy. When he is taken from his time, Sam is hunting a cave bear to satisfy the spirits, who will ensure that his tribe has enough to eat. The Others (modern humans) are encroaching, and their descendants are all Sam finds in the future.

Just because Sam is thrown tens of thousands into the modern age and is the only Neanderthal in the world does not deter him from continuing his pursuit of the cave bear in a Jurassic-type park in Russia.

Sam is an idealized character, who easily learns English, and eventually wears parkas and how to use modern technology. He is at one with nature and the spirits. He even finds common ground with a man who is part Native American.

This is a very good book, which is a bit slow getting through at first. The second half of the novel was a quick read and was quite entertaining. I recommend it to those interested in time travel and anthropology.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating tale of a young neanderthal boy who is kidnapped from his time and into a space-aged future. The story is extremely well-told from the boy's perspective as he recounts unfamiliar people and experiences, which is a fun puzzle for the reader to figure out what he's encountering. His own primitive mythology and the motives of the 'researchers' who brought him to this time collide and the morality of this scientific endeavor is brought before the reader to ponder. Fascinating. Prophetic. A real treat to read.

[Gareth Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I imagine this story was overshadowed by the Clan of the Cave Bear which rather does the Neanderthal/man encounter better with more imagination and colour. But that said the book is still good, almost a bit of a mash up with The Ugly Boy. With a clear attempt to not just plagiarise Clan of the Cave bear but come to it with some new interesting ideas, though it does involve a cave bear!

I enjoyed reading the book, the version i read had been edited and updated to be a bit more contemporary. Deserves a bit more credit than it gets.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

3.75/5

"Pat Murphy’s first novel The Shadow Hunter (1982) is an achingly beautiful tale of displacement. In the distant past, a young Neanderthal boy embarks on a hunt to claim his name and to learn the nature of the world. In the near future, a mogul named Roy Morgan wants to create a Pleistocene oasis [...]"

[Laura Aronson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good yarn with flat characters and some preposterous premises, such as a complete ecosystem re-created by focusing on megafauna, and limited to a single valley, when we know that wolves, for example, require huge areas.

[Lisa Herschfelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tapped my inner anthropologist with a sci-fi twist. Imagine a story like clan of the cave bear/Jurassic park/star-gate with a healthy helping of hope for humanity in all its forms and a reconnection to nature and its essence, this book is for you.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual time travel story about a teenage Neanderthal transported in time. five stars for original plot and sympathetic protagonist. 3 stars for writing style for average of 4

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting themes. I know this has been updated regrading technology however, I found the story itself seems underdeveloped.

[Josh Thies · Rating 5 out of 5]

calling

[Melisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastical story that pulled me in right away and kept me hooked the whole way through.