The Land of Painted Caves
In this, the extraordinary conclusion of the ice-age epic series, Earth’s Children, Ayla, Jondalar, and their infant daughter, Jonayla,
are living with the Zelandonii in the Ninth Cave. Ayla has been chosen
as an acolyte to a spiritual leader and begins arduous training tasks.
Whatever obstacles she faces, Ayla finds inventive ways to lessen the
difficulties of daily life, searching for wild edibles to make meals and experimenting with techniques to ease the long journeys the Zelandonii
must take while honing her skills as a healer and a leader. And there
are the Sacred Caves that Ayla’s mentor takes her to see. They are
filled with remarkable paintings of mammoths, lions, and bears, and
their mystical aura at times overwhelms Ayla.
But all the time
Ayla has spent in training rituals has caused Jondalar to drift away
from her. The rituals themselves bring her close to death, but through
them Ayla gains A Gift of Knowledge so important that it will change her world.
Jean M. Auel
Jean Marie Auel, born Jean Marie Untinen (born 1936), is an American writer. She is best known for her Earth's Children books, a series of historical fiction novels set in prehistoric Europe that explores interactions of Cro-Magnon people with Neanderthals. Her books have sold 34 million copies world-wide in many translations.
Photo source: Wikimedia Commons.
Earth's Children
Earth's Children consists of six books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.