From Kirkus Reviews
Harrison's final entry in a prehistory trilogy set in the Aleutian Islands (My Sister the Moon, 1992, etc.) provides no more and no less than its predecessors, which means it is a standout, but only in the context of a genre never known for fine writing. In 7038 b.c., expert carver Kiin--the imperiled Pauline character from My Sister the Moon--is returned to the Walrus People after sinister shaman wannabe Raven kills her husband. She must leave behind Samiq, her dead husband's brother and her true love, who is the father of her twin sons. Meanwhile, Kukutux has also suffered the loss of her husband, who died on a whale-hunting expedition, leaving her with their son, an ulaq (hillside dwelling), and just enough food to survive the winter. Her only hope is that another hunter will take her as his wife. The adventuresome story of Kiin and the more emotional journey of Kukutux wind around with so many twists and turns that they sometimes grow hard to follow. The fun lies in the parallels--none of them forced--between these early days and our own, like a general disdain for the unsanitary Ugyuun people, whom Kiin recognizes when she meets them because ``each woman had the snarled and dirty hair of the Ugyuun.'' The language and dialogue sometimes verge on me-Tarzan-you-Jane campiness: A trader proposes to Kukutux by offering her a necklace and stating, ``I do not always travel...I have a good lodge. I need a wife.'' But that's part of the fun, too. Harrison provides a glossary of Native American words that certainly comes in handy. On the other hand, it's not clear why certain names have already been translated in the text (e.g., ``Owl'' and ``Spotted Egg'') while others have not (``Waxtal''). A cross between the Flintstones and Dynasty that somehow manages to work on its own level. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
“An emotionally compelling conclusion to a monumental saga.” —Publishers Weekly
“Sue Harrison joins the ranks of Jean Auel and Linda Lay Shuler.” —The Houston Post “Fascinating . . . a page-turner . . . it draws us in and holds us.” —The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Unforgettable, magical, poetic, and a real reading treat.” —Anna Lee Waldo, author of Sacajawea
About the Author
Sue Harrison grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and graduated summa cum laude from Lake Superior State University with a bachelor of arts degree in English language and literature. At age twenty-seven, inspired by the cold Upper Michigan forest that surrounded her home, and the outdoor survival skills she had learned from her father and her husband, Harrison began researching the people who understood best how to live in a harsh environment: the North American native peoples. She studied six Native American languages and completed extensive research on culture, geography, archaeology, and anthropology during the nine years she spent writing her first novel, Mother Earth Father Sky, the extraordinary story of a woman’s struggle for survival in the last Ice Age. A national and international bestseller, and selected by the American Library Association as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 1991, Mother Earth Father Sky is the first novel in Harrison’s critically acclaimed Ivory Carver Trilogy, which includes My Sister the Moon and Brother Wind. She is also the author of Song of the River, Cry of the Wind, and Call Down the Stars, which comprise the Storyteller Trilogy, also set in prehistoric North America. Her novels have been translated into thirteen languages and published in more than twenty countries. Harrison lives with her family in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula.
