So I’ve recently been reading quite a bit of ancient historical fiction, but thought it would be quite interesting to read any fiction (ideally literary, not like fantasy/sci-fi style) set in properly prehistoric times, ie a pre-civilisation, caveman type of thing.
I have never actually come across a book set in such a time period so I’d be very curious to hear of your recommendations!
by Latter_Goat_6683
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Spellcoats by Diana Wynne Jones is about a Stone Age tribe. It’s fantasy but light on the magical stuff, mostly about wandering through swamps and floods.
Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson
The two book series that come to mind are Auel’s Earth’s Children (although I’ve only read the first book, The Clan of the Cave Bear), and Michelle Paver’s Chronicles of Ancient Darkness which is technically a (admittedly pretty mature) middle grade book and does have a bit of a fantasy/magical realism-ish aspect to it but it’s incorporated pretty brilliantly in the belief system of the people she writes about so it doesn’t feel too out there. The later books do get a little weaker I think (although I enjoyed the whole series) but the first two are amazing even (re)read as an adult!
Back in highschool, I came across this book called Clan of the Cave Bear.
*the Clan of the Cave Bear* by Jean Auel. first of a series, but it’s probably the best of them. The story of a Homo sapiens girl being raised by Neanderthals around 35,000 years ago. a detailed if occasionally outdated construction of culture, including hunting, cooking, flint knapping, herbal medicine and speculative religion.
Maybe Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel?
I say “maybe” because I read this like 15 years ago, and I can’t speak to how good/bad the writing was. I just remember that it had a lot to teach little middle-school-me. (To be clear, it is by no means a middle grade book.)
William Golding ‘The Inheritors’ It’s about Neanderthals .
The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron
Reindeer Moon by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas.
If you want to go REALLY prehistoric, Raptor Red, by Bob Bakker, is about a utahraptor in the early Cretaceous.