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Reindeer Hunters #3
The Reindeer Hunters
When a fierce band of British tribes arrives in the Pyrenees mountains, the native tribes, faced with the loss of their livelihood, unite to fight the newcomers for their very survival. This is the third novel in a prehistoric trilogy.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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853 people want to read
About the author
Joan Wolf
101 books370 followersJoan Wolf is a USA TODAY bestselling American writer, whose acclaimed Regency romances have earned her national recognition as a master of the genre. Her many historical and contemporary romances, some of which have been chosen as Literary Guild selections, have been highly praised by reviewers and authors alike.
Joan was born in 1951 and she grew up in the Bronx, New York. A former English teacher, she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Mercy College and Master in English and Comparative Literature at Hunter College. An avid rider and horse owner, Joan lives in Connecticut with her husband Joe and two grown children, Jay and Pam.
Joan was born in 1951 and she grew up in the Bronx, New York. A former English teacher, she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Mercy College and Master in English and Comparative Literature at Hunter College. An avid rider and horse owner, Joan lives in Connecticut with her husband Joe and two grown children, Jay and Pam.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 21, 2017
3.5 stars. My favorite of the series.
Since the end of The Horsemasters, the Kindred and the Norakamo have learned to live together. They no longer go to war against each other, but they do regularly raid each other's horses. During one of these horse raids, Nevin of the Kindred is killed, and in retaliation, his nephew, Nardo, kills his killer. He is then wounded and brought to heal in the Norakamo chief's home. Fearing that this will lead to severe repercussions, the Norakamo chief suggests that Nardo, the son of the Kindred chief, marry his daughter. Not only will this prevent a blood feud, but the two tribes will now be allies against any outsiders. Most find this agreeable, and despite Alane's protests and fears, she and Nardo are wed. As Alane and Nardo grow used to one another and fall in love, a threat appears in the form of the Horse Eaters. With the new alliance in place, the Norakamo and Kindred force them away, but almost as soon as they are gone, a new threat appears in the form of the Redu, a tribe from the north with powerful bows. Not only does Nardo have to protect his people from them, and he and Alane must contend with a changing world.
This was definitely the best of the three books. The central romance between Alane and Nardo was the best of the three. Unlike in the Horsemasters, there was an actual development of the relationship, and unlike in The Daughter of the Red Deer, I felt the tension and attraction between Alane and Nardo. I also actually liked both Alane and Nardo. Alane changes a lot over the course of the book, but I liked her throughout and that she realized that her people's ways weren't always the best ways.
As with the previous two books, there was an issue of some of the problems being solved too easily. I was expecting more of a threat from Paxon, but that never really materialized. Even his big moment wasn't his moment, but Mara's, and after that, he assimilated into the tribe pretty easily. I also would have liked a bit more from Hagen. There was a large swathe in the middle where he never appeared, and I think we should have seen more of him and the Norakamo during this. Vili was likewise underutilized. I also had difficulty accepting him an antagonist because his entire issue was that his dad was killed. I know that reparations were made, but they were all made to Nardo and his family, and Vili didn't get that much. If Nardo hadn't gotten Alane, I think he would have been a lot more amenable to Vili's point of view even if the Norakamo alliance was needed. I think that Nardo, and Wolf, could have handled him better than he was.
Mara was definitely the best antagonist. I think Wolf might have an issue with older women though because all of the antagonists in this series were older women afraid of the change outsiders were bring to her tribe. At least in this case, she was afraid of another woman than a man, but it's kind of an awkward trend. Despite the possible subtext there, I did like Mara as an antagonist although I think that there should have been more fallout from her actions. I don't think Nardo even confronted her on page about it. It doesn't matter that Alane was fine, I just think that considering what she was doing, Nardo should have said something.
The ending was also rushed. I would have liked more a denouement. Everything seemed over and wrapped up so quickly. I would have liked at least another chapter so everything had a bit more time to breath.
However, I do like Wolf's prehistoric world. I like how over the series, the challenges facing her protagonists have gotten bigger. In the first, the Red Deer tribe was simply dealing with another tribe of the Kindred, in the second, they're dealing with one other people, and in this one, they have to face down multiple foreign tribes and form alliances. But at their core, these stories are about survival. If the characters didn't face down their issues, their people would literally die. There are some very big stakes at play here. I also liked how we switched to a different tribe of the Kindred for this book. I liked the tribe of the red deer, but it was nice going to someone else.
Despite my problems with this book, this was an entertaining read, and the best written of the series.
This book is available for free on OpenLibrary.
Since the end of The Horsemasters, the Kindred and the Norakamo have learned to live together. They no longer go to war against each other, but they do regularly raid each other's horses. During one of these horse raids, Nevin of the Kindred is killed, and in retaliation, his nephew, Nardo, kills his killer. He is then wounded and brought to heal in the Norakamo chief's home. Fearing that this will lead to severe repercussions, the Norakamo chief suggests that Nardo, the son of the Kindred chief, marry his daughter. Not only will this prevent a blood feud, but the two tribes will now be allies against any outsiders. Most find this agreeable, and despite Alane's protests and fears, she and Nardo are wed. As Alane and Nardo grow used to one another and fall in love, a threat appears in the form of the Horse Eaters. With the new alliance in place, the Norakamo and Kindred force them away, but almost as soon as they are gone, a new threat appears in the form of the Redu, a tribe from the north with powerful bows. Not only does Nardo have to protect his people from them, and he and Alane must contend with a changing world.
This was definitely the best of the three books. The central romance between Alane and Nardo was the best of the three. Unlike in the Horsemasters, there was an actual development of the relationship, and unlike in The Daughter of the Red Deer, I felt the tension and attraction between Alane and Nardo. I also actually liked both Alane and Nardo. Alane changes a lot over the course of the book, but I liked her throughout and that she realized that her people's ways weren't always the best ways.
As with the previous two books, there was an issue of some of the problems being solved too easily. I was expecting more of a threat from Paxon, but that never really materialized. Even his big moment wasn't his moment, but Mara's, and after that, he assimilated into the tribe pretty easily. I also would have liked a bit more from Hagen. There was a large swathe in the middle where he never appeared, and I think we should have seen more of him and the Norakamo during this. Vili was likewise underutilized. I also had difficulty accepting him an antagonist because his entire issue was that his dad was killed. I know that reparations were made, but they were all made to Nardo and his family, and Vili didn't get that much. If Nardo hadn't gotten Alane, I think he would have been a lot more amenable to Vili's point of view even if the Norakamo alliance was needed. I think that Nardo, and Wolf, could have handled him better than he was.
Mara was definitely the best antagonist. I think Wolf might have an issue with older women though because all of the antagonists in this series were older women afraid of the change outsiders were bring to her tribe. At least in this case, she was afraid of another woman than a man, but it's kind of an awkward trend. Despite the possible subtext there, I did like Mara as an antagonist although I think that there should have been more fallout from her actions. I don't think Nardo even confronted her on page about it. It doesn't matter that Alane was fine, I just think that considering what she was doing, Nardo should have said something.
The ending was also rushed. I would have liked more a denouement. Everything seemed over and wrapped up so quickly. I would have liked at least another chapter so everything had a bit more time to breath.
However, I do like Wolf's prehistoric world. I like how over the series, the challenges facing her protagonists have gotten bigger. In the first, the Red Deer tribe was simply dealing with another tribe of the Kindred, in the second, they're dealing with one other people, and in this one, they have to face down multiple foreign tribes and form alliances. But at their core, these stories are about survival. If the characters didn't face down their issues, their people would literally die. There are some very big stakes at play here. I also liked how we switched to a different tribe of the Kindred for this book. I liked the tribe of the red deer, but it was nice going to someone else.
Despite my problems with this book, this was an entertaining read, and the best written of the series.
This book is available for free on OpenLibrary.
August 17, 2011
Third in the sequel of Joan Wolf's prehistoric novels, I enjoyed this one as much as the first two.
In this one, the tribe must fight a tribe who migrated from Britain due to warming climate and the loss of hunting prey. There was not as much suspense in this one as in the first two but Ms Wolf had a well rounded cast of characters and an intricate plot.
In this one, the tribe must fight a tribe who migrated from Britain due to warming climate and the loss of hunting prey. There was not as much suspense in this one as in the first two but Ms Wolf had a well rounded cast of characters and an intricate plot.
July 17, 2008
I have loved everyone of her prehistorical books that I have read. She's a great writer!
May 19, 2015
An excellent story -- it believably fills in the blanks about what probably happened when different prehistoric cultures clashed and eventually combined. Great underlying love story, too!
September 7, 2021
I loved this book & this series so much. Wolf at her best.
January 28, 2019
more like a 3.5 or 3.75. This is the third novel in a series, and I haven't read the first two, but this is certainly stands alone. If you like Jean Auel's books you enjoy this.
Read the description and comments to save me typing what others have said. ;o)
Read the description and comments to save me typing what others have said. ;o)
March 3, 2019
I didn't realize this was apparently the third book in a series. It was a random book I borrowed from a Little Free Library a couple years ago. I don't have a strong impression from it, which means I didn't love it or hate it.
May 5, 2022
I LOVED this series. This is the third and last book in it.
Great characters, great underlying love story, great setting and great plot. I bought copies of these books for my book shelf and read them over and over. I dearly wish Joan had written more. If I could contact her and beg, I would.
Great characters, great underlying love story, great setting and great plot. I bought copies of these books for my book shelf and read them over and over. I dearly wish Joan had written more. If I could contact her and beg, I would.
July 25, 2022
This is an interesting book, an imagining of what life would have been like for prehistoric Europeans in southern France (the area of the Caves of Lascaux). The different clans must compete for scarce resources and navigate their cultural differences in an effort to survive.
January 9, 2014
Nice enjoyable book to read for just the entertainment. Story moves well and has some interesting solutions to problems that come up.
September 16, 2016
Enough spear-throwing, horse-riding, and sex to satisfy even the most discerning Cro-Magnon.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews