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Nicholas has created one of the most intriguing prehistory novels since Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear. It's a thrilling, gut-wrenching story about what it means to be human in a harsh landscape. The book takes place around 74,000 BCE and is about early humans, specifically one called Last. Last and his clan have suffered from one of the most devastating geological events in Earth's history. As explained in the prologue, the catastrophic event was called Toba, an "8.0 supervolcanic eruption" that happened in what is now modern-day Indonesia. Those who survived outside of the blast were thrown into a decades-long volcanic winter of starvation and death.
Nicholas builds his tale upon two questions: What did these people go through in their daily lives? What was life like for these early humans in this catastrophic event? The author's narrative makes it clear that life definitely wasn't easy. Nicholas' prose pulls the reader into the story with Last and his struggles. Last is one of the smallest of his clan and takes the brunt of the abuse. He has a little brother who thinks the world of him and knows his real worth. The younger brother is also different than the rest in that he's more emotional. The two become outcasts.
The characters are written with incredible detail, which isn't easy, since dialogue is sparse. The reader gets a better view of the characters through their inner thoughts and actions. As the novel progresses, Nicholas shows how a new group of more advanced early humans comes into play and how their thinking of superiority over Last and his former clan isn't that different from the prejudices of the modern era. This is a novel that will make readers think as well as captivate them to the very end.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review