A Timeless Tale of Conflict

The Daughter of the Red Deer
by Joan Wolf

Genre; Historical Romance
Publisher; Onxy/USA/1992
Pages; 468
ISBN; 0451403347

Plot; The tribe of the Red Deer is a mountain tribe who worship the goddess Mother. The women rule the tribe, hunt for game and have their own rituals and ceremonies. Women are valued as the source of life.

The tribe of the Horse, by comparison, values male strength. They are a tribe who live on and hunt the plains, leaving the women behind to sew their clothes and raise their young.

One devastating day, as the men of the tribe of the Horse hunt, their women and children are taken ill. They have had water from a poor source and have been poisoned. Sadly, few make it.

As the men of the tribe of the horse move on from this day, they realise that in order for their tribe to survive, they will need more women. What better than to take these women from another tribe.

Little do the men of the Horse realise the changes that will be forced upon them by those they have captured.

My Thoughts; The language of this book and research it must have taken to create this prehistoric world is amazing.

Set back during the last ice age, in prehistoric France, Wolf has given light to an era often forgotten in literature. An era which is more commonly than not used for comedy. Who hasn't seen images of women with cartoon-like bones in their hair, being dragged into a cave by their "unga-bunga" speaking husband.

I loved all the small details. The way their tunics are sewn, the way they vent smoke from their caves, the intricacies of hunting large game. Wolf has really shown her knowledge on these pages.

Yes, this is a romance, so you do get the "quivering loins" often associated with books of this genre, but I think the history makes up for those moments of windblown hair and moist lips.

I also think the storyline is well formed. Often in books from this genre you have a strong start and strong end, but a tedious or frustrating middle. Being a romance there are those moments of frustration, but there is also alot of  plot. There is entertainment and exciting events all through this book.

I recommend this book to those who like a good romance with a strong storyline.

Happy Reading!