Mother Earth, Father Sky is an engaging book with a story line that remains heavy through out much of the book. As a young woman, just come of age, the main character is looking forward to marriage when she becomes a witnesses to the slaughter of her entire village, save all but her youngest brother. After burying everyone, she sets off to find her grandfather's tribe, The Whale Hunters. But her journey is side-tracked when she spends the night on a beach where she discovers an elderly, but wise and mysterious man and stays. Her youngest brother, just an infant, soon dies for lack of food. Before long, in a cruel turn of events, she is reunited with a man who was one of the murdering band that killed her family, from a tribe she learns is called The Short Ones. She is eventually forced to marry him. By the time she and the old man manage to kill him, she has been impregnated by him in a savage introduction to sex on her wedding night and remains undecided for some time as to whether she will allow this child to live or not.But live the child does and eventually she saves the motherless son of a guest to their island by becoming his wet nurse. In an effort to warn the Whale Hunters of their impending danger from the Short Ones, she, the old man and their guests travel to this other tribe, where new challenges, dangers and another vicious encounter with The Short Ones transpires.Yes, there was a point where I could barely stand the tragic events that followed, one on the heels of the other for what seemed like forever. But the depth of character given the young woman, the old man and several other main players in the story, and the many insights into the culture, beliefs and lifestyle of the people who inhabited the region was a strong enticement to keep going. The reader's tenacity is eventually rewarded as, after further hardships, our protagonist reaches satisfying decisions and a better life. One of the most interesting theories put forth in the book is the story of how The Short Ones came to be the first tribe to become hunters and killers of men rather than just animals. Other fascinating facts about how extremely resourceful and "green", to use one of today's buzzwords, the people of that time had become, gives us a good look at how a world with very little in the way of tools, was utilized so fully that pretty much nothing went to waste. Likewise, the astonishing number of skills a child developed by the age of manhood or womanhood, [Age 12 to 13]was remarkable. Not to mention their grasp of the nature of life and their understanding of the plants and animals around them was pretty much complete by the time they entered adolescence, which was, for them, actually adulthood.In the end, we have a story populated by people whose lives we could barely be expected to relate to. And yet, so richly are they fleshed out by the author, that like me, you'll probably find people that you know today who's personalities and moral fiber are seen in these prehistoric people. Humans may have evolved tremendously, but it would seem that certain elements of human nature have been around forever.And therein lies the ability of Mother Earth,Father Sky to bring us characters we can truly relate to and empathize with.
From the Gears, to Auel, there is a lot of historical fiction out there. But it's an enjoyable genre. So much so that I was compelled to start reading this trilogy, the Iron Carver Trilogy by Sue Harrison. This is the first book in the series, Mother Earth, Father Sky, and it is followed by My Sister the Moon and Brother Wind.Chagak is living a pretty normal life for her people. As an adult, she will soon be married and is eagerly awaiting the prospect of a family of her own. But one day, returning to her village, she finds it being destroyed by warriors from another tribe. The lone survivor aside from her baby brother, she sets off for a different island with him in tow and manages to find an island inhabited only by a lone Shaman who allows her to stay. But she's not the only one who finds the island and she has to learn to deal with the prospect of becoming a wife to the man who killed her family.Chagak is a very strong character. So strong sometimes that she doesn't' seem real. But it was a different life and just because I can't fathom a reality like that, doesn't mean it couldn't happen. And she has so many trouble that you really empathize with her and want the best for her. I also liked the Shaman, he was very fatherly and helpful and just made you feel good about humanity. That being said, he had his own troubles and could only do so much for Chagak. Of course the bad guys were bad with few redeeming qualities and I thought that was a little bit of flat writing. I like my antagonists with a little depth to them, but it's not an easy thing to do.The plot was fairly simple. Girl's village gets destroyed, girl goes out on her own, girl has to overcome overwhelming obstacles in a land where women aren't considered equals. The history of humanity in the region. But it's written cleverly enough that you get enveloped into the story and want to know what happens to Chagak. If she can overcome all the odds and survive. And if that survival will be happy. There are a lot of tough scenes in it too, from rape to murder to other things. Like most prehistoric fiction, it isn't for the squeamish.An interesting start to the series. It made me want to read the next one, that's for sure!Mother Earth, Father SkyCopyright 1990313 pagesReview by M. Reynard 2015More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
What do You think about Mother Earth Father Sky (1991)?
Mother Earth Father Sky is the first book in a trilogy that takes us into the lives of an ancient North American people in Alaska. If that sounds boring, don’t be fooled.To be honest, I hardly know what to say about this book. At the writing of this review (first posted on my blog), having just finished reading it I’m barely back to the here-and-now, and the story of Chagak is still fresh in my mind. To say that Sue Harrison wrote an amazing prehistoric fiction novel scarcely describes what she masterfully accomplished. Over the course of nine years she studied, researched and lived in her creative mind the tale of a long ago culture in Alaska, focusing on one Aleut woman’s struggle to survive and overcome a very harsh reality. That woman, Chagak, lived in a primitive time consisting of warrior tribes, legends, crude customs, myths, and magic, but also love, family ties, and community. The author made it all come alive through the power of the written word in a very easy-to-read style. I was held from the beginning of this book to its last page – left wanting to read more about the people I had come to know.This book is not newly released but was published in 1990. I was fortunate to be gifted a copy and I’m so glad to have received it. If you come across Mother Earth Father Sky and you are not offended by the cruel reality and graphic descriptions of the belief system of prehistoric man, then do grab the opportunity to read this book.
—Lynn Davidson
I really liked this book. It hooks you right away and the storytelling flows well from start to finish. Chagak is brave, loyal, and resourceful, and she has such an endearing friendship with Shuganan, the old man she shares a beach with. The characters go through lots and lots and lots of traumatic hardships, and through all that Chagak grows into a confident woman. The other characters aren't quite as interesting, but we don't spend as much time with them. There's a bland, wholesome love interest and some cardboard bad guys. They don't really take away from the strengths here, which are the two main characters and the awesome setting of the prehistoric Pacific NW.The setting is vivid and unique, but the book never beats you over the head with purple prose. You really get a sense of what things look and feel like- the cloudy weather, grey water, lots of descriptions of hunting for sea animals and using them for clothes, meat, etc. It's all pretty immersive.The narrative voice is clean and clear, with just the right mix of action, dialogue, and description to keep you moving through the plot at an easy pace. The writing is so polished and elegant that I didn't even notice it while reading- I was just immersed in the story. That's awesome!
—Amy
This is a solid 3 star book. I discovered this book through goodreads recommendations. I enjoyed the setting of this book, prehistoric (7500BC) Alaskan islands and the early Native Americans living on the shore, and reading about their daily life of hunting for seals, otter and whales to survive. I like the female main character who struggles to overcome blow after blow of tragedy and abuse. The story was gripping and gave me that wonderful feeling where I couldn't wait to find out what happens next and of course, hoping the main character overcomes her obstacles.The story did have a bit of predictability to it though (not that this is a bad thing, necessarily).I will not be reading the next one in this series. My copy of this book had a passage from the next book at the end, which I read, but it seemed to be more VC Andrews-ish, with the emphasis on the young woman character having suffered some insane and unjust abuses even worse than the first book. I just won't be able to deal with it.
—Julie
