Lost Shadows

The Chasseen Legends #3

by David William Allman

A massive logjam on the Chassezac River in present-day southern France burst in 3990BC.The Chasseen Legends is a book series that follow one of the first families who transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers in southern France. The story follows the lives of five generations of a family from mountainous hunters to plains farmers. The backdrop of the story has taken years of research by interpreting the work of archaeologists digging in the area. However, the drama and suspense in the family as they move through this time period near the end of the stone age is the driving force of the saga.In this third book, the original quarreling sons have died, but the village is thriving. It's peaceful and Fawn is quite comfortable with her mundane existence in her little village… until it's gone! Now she's forced to battle slavers, a crippling injury and a blood oath for revenge. Not to mention the monster that's following them!Fawn, along with her friends, Ouzel, Keenan and Oakwood, are teenagers suddenly alone at a time when only family clans matter for security and knowledge. They know they cannot survive without other people, but where and how do they find them?Fawn and her friends must endure a perilous journey to find another farming village in the harsh and brutal Stone Age world in which they live. And once they find it, can they survive living there? Foreigns run the new village they found, but the locals are just as plentiful—and resentful.During the Neolithic Age, the earth was lush and beautiful, full of birds and animals, but not of people. Fawn and her friends are not Jean Auel's cave dwellers, and the Ice Age ended centuries ago.

133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2020

About the author

Step into a 17th-century world of rebellion, hidden family legacies, and a dark secrets as the Mellichamps fight for survival in this period of religious strife and high-class decadence. Each book reveals spellbinding narratives that keep you guessing until the very end.
Immerse yourself in action-packed adventures that are as daring as they are unforgettable. Will the circle be unbroken as each of the Mellichamp books is revealed? Uncover the secrets that lurk beneath the veneer of old-world elegance!
Introducing the book series: WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN?
BOOK ONE: The French Inquisition: Persecution of the Protestants.
William Mellichamp is an entitled narcissist, cavorting about Toulouse, France, in the 1610s. His faux friend, Tomás, threatens to turn him over to the Inquisitor, and William's family refuses to harbor him yet again. William escapes Toulouse and continues running to escape Tomás, now being bankrolled by the Inquisitor. Thus begins William’s tumble from an elegant to an odious life.
On William's fall from wealth and status, he deals with things he's never had to face in his sheltered world of luxury, and it turns him inward to contemplate his own life. William’s dire circumstances force him to see what kind of person he truly is.
William tries to make a new life for himself, however, when Tomás shows up and threatens William, he decides to escape—again. How long can William keep running from his past? How will this end?

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in southern France in 3990 BC, “Lost Shadows” which I received through Goodreads Giveaways continues the “Chasseen Legends” as a family evolves from mountainous hunters to plains farmers. In this story Fawn with her friends Ouzel, Keenan and Oakwood leaving their village destroyed by flood waters and a mudslide begin a journey of survival while looking for a new farming community. But when they find a farming village willing to accept them into their palisade walls, they’re struggle is not done as they face the resentment of many of the inhabitants; lifeless crows at the door of their hut; a patch of their roof burned; and a vendetta.

Historically -based as the background is founded on the work of archaeologists in the area, the plot is gripping as the teens struggle to survive; looking for food, protection, water and a way to carry an injured Oakwood after a fall, as well as in their fight against slavers. Yet even when they think they’ve reached safety behind the walls of a palisade they encounter hostility from some of the villagers and the bitterness of an old feud.

Yet as they contend with animosity in the village, reprisal after a murder, and the hostility of a vendetta, there is a strong sense of friendship, loyalty and love with the bond between the girls, and the love between Fawn and Keenan, and Ouzel and Oakwood. But, in this period also comes the heartbreak of the loss of a child, superstition with the priestesses worship of their gods, as well as early medical practices with Ouzel's broken leg and loss of eyesight as well as Keenan's poisoning.

This is a fascinating, well-written and flowing look at the Neolithic Age which I would highly recommend to older children. I enjoyed this book and intend to read all three before donating them to my local library's collection.

[Ted Waterfall · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best of the three in this trilogy, it is still not written with an adult in mind. Middle grades at best. The dialog is not well developed throughout the trilogy and most characters are shallow. I won a signed copy from Goodreads.com and write this review freely.

[Caralyn Rubli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a signed copy and three bookmarks through a giveaway on Goodreads.
A PG version of a Jean M Auel type novel.