I just finished The Land of Painted Caves and I’m not sure how to summarize it except by saying: travel, hunting, gathering food, and more of the same. It seems almost blasphemous to discount all the wonderful research that this author has done but that research doesn’t negate the need for a plot.

This is the sixth book in the Earth Children series, that started with Clan of the Cave Bear in 1980, and which describes life 35,000 years ago when two kinds of human beings, Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon, shared the Earth. That story introduced Ayla, and Jondalar. In books two, three, and four Ayla and Jondalar continue their travels and in book five Ayla and Jondalar return to his home and the Zelandonii. Ayla is accepted as a acolyte to Zelandoni (wise woman) and has a child, Jonayla. I wouldn’t recommend reading this book without reading the others. It doesn’t stand on its own, although the author does do quite a bit of recapping.

So with book six, Ayla ,Jondalar, Jonayla, Whinney, Racer, and Wolf travel to different gatherings, where everyone stands in awe of the horses and the wolf in their domesticated role. They also notice Ayla has an exotic way of talking. Over and over and over. Can I just say, I got very tired of people thinking that she had a strange accent. Ayla and Jondalar also introduce, new weaponry like the spear thrower. They kill animals for food, and also when their lives are in danger. They gather food and herbs, and cook. Ayla helps the Zelandoni Who Was First Among Those Who Serve diagnose illnesses and they visit caves – and then this happens again and again.

One reason that the first couple of books worked so well for me is that Ayla was struggling, trying to find her place in the world. Although, in this book Ayla is striving for for Zelandoni status, the complications associated with that journey don’t happen until late in the book. While I wouldn’t say that Ayla is completely complacent, it felt that way for much of the book. She is so wonderfully accepting of all; the sick, the needy, the disfigured, the dysmorphic. I can enjoy perfect heroines, but after a while it became boring. Jondalar’s role also seems minimized, making him one dimensional.

In retrospect, I just don’t feel that there are any strong, compelling relationships that sustain this book. The mother-daughter relationship feels superficial, and not really explored. Jondalar and Ayla are committed to each other and, even though the author does introduce some interpersonal conflicts, they have faced these issues before so it doesn’t add any excitement to the story. Also too many people move in and out of the story, so that one reaches a point of growing exhausted trying to figure out who was who.

The Land of Painted Caves is a meandering story filled with vivid descriptions of the medicine, food, herbs, clothes, tools, cooking utensils, storage devices, and art of 35,000 years ago, If you have an interest in archaeology, then this is your dream book. If you enjoy long saga novels illustrating everyday living, then you still might enjoy this book. Otherwise I would give it a pass.