When Man Was Young

by Stephen Brooke

Ken Sasaki and his fellow time-travelers paid well for the Neanderthal experience—two weeks living with an Ice Age tribe, becoming part of that tribe. Things did not quite work out that way. The last minute addition of a woman scientist to their group caused some grumbling. That proved to be the least of their problems as they found themselves struggling for survival in an inhospitable world, an age ago, When Man Was Young.

Genres: Science Fiction

237 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 5, 2021

About the author

Stephen Brooke is a novelist, poet, musician, illustrator/artist and, now, a publisher with his own imprint, Arachis Press (http://arachispress.com).

Stephen lives in an old farmhouse in the Florida Panhandle.

Reviews

[Mary Farmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We get another of Stephen Brooke's reluctant heroes in his latest novel, 'When Man Was Young.' A man, Ken Sasaki, who has responsibility and leadership thrust upon him, when was trying to escape a life where just that sort of thing had gone all wrong for him.

I might say that Sasaki (who comes to be named Lynx by his adopted Neanderthal tribe) come off as a little too competent, despite his hesitations about taking charge of situations, or even committing to anything. That need for commitment, which had left his personal life in shambles in our own time, is somewhat the central theme here.

The novel is entertaining. It doesn't exactly meander, as we always know where things are going, but there isn't a lot of strong forward impetus. Don't look for 'fast-paced' here but do look for a pretty good story.

[Oliver Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When Man Was Young" is more like three novellas (of somewhat unequal length) than one novel, although it is a continuous story. There is no one strong antagonist throughout the book other than the Ice Age world itself. That's a daunting enough antagonist, to be sure.

This novel borders on literary science fiction, in my view. It can be introspective (the main protagonist is a first person narrator). It is not afraid to look seriously at ideas. At the same time, some of the author's typical humor is there. It wouldn't be a Stephen Brooke novel without it, after all. I can definitely recommend.

[Stephen Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my attempt at 'serious' (albeit 'soft') science fiction. The science fiction device of time travel to the Pleistocene by my characters is never explained and once they are there, no more science fiction elements pop up. In a sense, it is similar to a 'portal fantasy.' But the idea was to explore these characters, how they interact with each other and with the world into which they are thrown. I'm satisfied with my explorations.

[Wayne Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, though episodic, bit of soft science fiction, based around a time traveling trip to 60,000 years ago. Although there are human antagonists involved, it is more a man against nature sort of book. Man against his own nature, too!

There are some interesting twists. There are intriguing vistas of a long past world and life. There are exciting scenes of dangerous encounters. There are, um, exotic women of the Neanderthal persuasion. And there is a bit of fun. A pretty decent read.