EARTH’S CHILDREN SERIES

After their epic journey across Europe, Ayla and Jondalar have reached their home, the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonil, the old stone age settlement in the region known today as South West France. Jondalar’s family greet him warmly, but they are initially wary of the beautiful woman he has brought back, with her strange accent and her tame wolf and horses.

Ayla has much to learn from the Zelandonil and much to teach them. She is intriu8ged by their clothes, their crafts, and their home, and wants to learn their customs and the ways they live, so she will fit in. She is delighted when she meets Zelandoni the spiritual leader of her people, a fellow healer with whom she can share medicinal skills and knowledge. The Zelandonil are surprised to learn she was found and raised by the Clan, the ones that they call flatheads and think of as animals, and are sceptical when she tells them they are people.

After the rigours and dangers that have characterised her extraordinary life so far, Ayla yearns for peace and tranquillity, to be Jondalar’s mate and to have children. But her unique spiritual gifts cannot be ignored, and even as she gives birth to her eagerly awaited child, she is coming to accept that she has a greater role to play in the destiny of the Zelandonil.

Jean Auel’s fifth novel is a triumphant continuation of the magnificent prehistoric saga that began with The Clan of the Cave Bear. Written with her inimitable narrative gifts, rich in wisdom and meticulous research, it will burst into this new millennium, garnering millions of new fans and delighting those who have followed Ayla’s compelling story since the beginning.