Shaman

By: Kim Stanley Robinson

Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm

Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Science Fiction, 2014

There is Thorn, a shaman himself. He lives to pass down his wisdom and his stories - to teach those who would follow in his footsteps. There is Heather, the healer who, in many ways, holds the clan together. There is Elga, an outsider and the bringer of change. And then there is Loon, the next shaman, who is determined to find his own path. But in a world so treacherous, that journey is never simple - and where it may lead is never certain.

Shaman is a powerful, thrilling and heart-breaking story of one young man's journey into adulthood - and an awe-inspiring vision of how we lived 30,000 years ago.

©2013 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Cave Porn With Little Research

I agree with the other reviewers who basically say the book has WAY too much caveman wanking, dirt-screwing, and fornication. I'm not in any way offended by any of those subjects, but they took up way too much time and often seemed highly unrealistic. Also, I'm pretty certain there were no modern horse colors back then... ancient horses were solid brown. Were there Rhinos in those times, in the same regions as horses, Caribou, and wolves? Did female deer somehow have antlers?

A rare jump into the way distant past

I guess it all takes place some 40'000 years ago in the south of France. A small pack of homo sapiens lives with the seasons and among Neanderthals, mammoths, lions, bison and some such. It was the time when the famous Chauvet Cave was painted and the shaman and his pupil are among the ones who, in Robinson's tale, paint it.

Robinson is known for his intensely researched stories - and I've no doubt that a great deal of research went into this prehistoric world, too. You really do feel that you're right there with Loon, the hero of the story, through all his learnings and ordeals from boy to man and from pupil to shaman. Alas, it often felt that there was really only so much there to keep the story interesting. Yes, life was tough - but all the intricate details of life in the tribe, relationships, the seasonal efforts, making clothes, hunting and gathering, mending, etc... all in all it felt that this story should have been, at most, half as long.

Still, should you ever want to know about life back then, this is your book - you'll feel like you've been dropped right into that prehistoric world.

A great tale, incredible narration.

More than just a Paleolithic odyssey, this is a timeless snapshot of the ways of humans in a time when our interdependence with the world was more, not less, obvious. What makes this audiobook SO GOOD, however, is Graeme Malcolm’s masterful narration. It
conveys a complete understanding of the story Robinson set out to tell. Malcolm’s performance breathes life and spirit into the excellent writing and observations, turning the story into a roaring fire for us to warm ourselves by as we hear how these characters, our ancestors, lived and struggled and rejoiced in their beautiful raw world.

Wonderful!

Listening to this book was a joy! I hated to have it end and may listen again, I loved it so much. It's one of Robinson's best, imo; short enough that he manages the plot effectively (in other books he struggles with this), filled with description that avoids weighing down the narrative (again. at times a difficulty reading his work), and a passionate and imaginative rendering that seems to take as its inspiration the following.

I recalled images from "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" by Werner Herzog. (By the way, if you haven't seen the film, it's lyrical and beautiful! One of Herzog's best, as well.) It finally dawned on me towards the end that the people of the story and its main character, Loon, were located there. I thought...Robinson must have started with the cave artist Herzog pays tribute to in his 2010 film, and then crafted his own work to explore the Paleolithic and this truly extraordinary
artist.

Perhaps all of this is explicitly stated in the book jacket. But, I encountered the book as an Audible and so, it was a delight to make the connection. I've gifted the book to several people and will never forget it!

great

Great KSR book! I love his science fiction books but this was a great read too.

Wonderful journey back to a time of wilderness

A grand journey back in time to a period of our mystical past. Through the eyes of Loon we are offered a path back into pre agricultural earth, a land of pure beauty, pain, and spirit.

A Haunting Glimpse of Another World

A leisurely, but ultimately compelling account of life when homo sapiens and Neanderthals wandered the earth together. The story, rich in detail, takes its time, but I found myself happy to simply inhabit this world, along with Loon, an apprentice shaman, his teacher, and the rest of the clan. It's a hard, even brutal existence, with cold and hunger constant companions, but it is also an existence rich in wonder, especially for the young shaman in training, with many things to learn -- including the magic of cave painting -- and the spirits of the dead never far off.
Then things suddenly get much worse.
The narrator's reading matches the story's easy going pace perfectly.
Give this story a chance and let it draw you in. I think you'll get hooked, as I was. By the end, this was a world I didn't want to leave.

Wonderful Story

Loved every minute ...
Each character becomes more endearing; Every place more lovely to behold - Yes

Respect for the Ancestors

Sensitive, thoughtful and imaginative “world-building” of our scarce-known, and often denigrated past… brilliant reader!

This book made me weep

There were sex scenes in this book that made me weep uncontrollably because of how pure and unfettered by modern distortions of sex they felt. The innocence of it hurt. It produced a deep and heavy longing for a time long ago. Could be a false rendition but it felt like a glimpse into Eden