Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman

Published in 2009.

The volcanic turbulence that shakes Dael's mind carries him to vicious extremes. It is Zan's task to calm his brother and lead him away from thoughts both destructive and self-destructive. But even the paradise of the Beautiful Country will not erase them. (book back blurb)

In this sequel Zan-Gah is having to deal with the repercussions of his brothers PTSD after his ordeal with the Wasp People and the Noi. Dael's pretty screwed up in the head. He's hell-bent on revenge for how he was treated, despite what it could cost the rest of his tribe.

I like this series simply for just how different it is from all of the other YA stuff out there right now. Yeah, there's a distance from the characters. They're Neanderthals. They don't have the same issues teenagers have today. But they kind of do. They still have to deal with their changing bodies and emotions and parents and siblings but just on a different level and under much different circumstances.

Any excursions they take could cost them their lives. Food is something you have to fight for. Peace needed to be kept because it isn't just a nasty email that they'd receive in response. Despite the seeming simplicity of their situations, I couldn't stop turning the pages or getting taken aback at what someone did.

What I liked the most is the realism. This isn't some fantasy world we're reading about but what used to exist before computers and cars and even kingdoms. It's raw and real and damn near primal. It's a people emerging out of their baser instincts to start to form the societies we know of today. I love the awe and mystery surrounding a volcano. Sure, it's no mystery to us but imaging being them. You've seen mountains before but this one is blazing hot and spitting clouds and fire and liquid fire and smelly gas. What are you supposed to think? An angry god?

I just find these books a refreshing breath of air in the middle of all the YA drama. It's a drama of a different kind. A life or death drama. An unknown drama. The writing's a little showy at times but it doesn't slow the reading down. I'd recommend this one to anyone looking for a nice quick break from the modern YA world and who wants to dive into one that we probably can't even dream of.

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman

First published in 2007.

Zan-Gah: A prehistoric adventure has only begun. Pressed by love for his brother and a bad conscience, the hero undertakes a quest which leads to captivity, conflict, love, and triumph. In three years Zan-Gah passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a role of leadership among his people. This dramatic and impassioned story will thrill and deeply move young adults and older readers. They will dream of Zan-Gah at night, and remember it all of their lives! (book back blurb)

Reading this book was like trying a new food: your tongue doesn't really know how to react to it. It's neither good nor bad. It's definitely not bad but your tongue hasn't decided if it actually likes it yet. It might need a few more tastes to adjust.

This book is by far unique to anything I've ever read, in YA or not. How many books out there tell a story from the point of view of a kid living 10,000 years ago? It's a world we know very little about and all of his experiences are entirely new while his emotions are ones that transcend time. Wanting to find a missing brother, playing the opossum when you know you should, stepping up to the plate when it's your time to hit. All of those raw emotions are there without being supplemented by cars, iPods or lockers. It makes it interesting, like a new spice you're not used to yet.

I'd say the only deterrent for me was the voice of the book. It was a little stilted but at the same time, just what is the voice of a 15 year old that could tell you what a Sabretooth tiger tasted like? He's not going to sound like us, he's not going to relay information the same way. Hell, he doesn't even wear shoes! So there is a distance there but at the same time it doesn't make Zan-Gah unattainable. I was able to connect with him on his entire journey.

It was very interesting to read but I still don't know if I like it. It hasn't swished around in my mouth long enough, I guess. It's weird. I read through it pretty quickly. I was compelled to keep reading by the story. I guess because it's so different that it's kind of hard to digest. That doesn't make it a bad thing. It's just . . . interesting.

As I said, the only real turn-off for me was the voice. Other than that, it told a good story filled with suspense, action, hope and love. You get to look into the lives of people that no longer exist, in a time long past, and you get to see just how raw it all was. It's like reading the Natural History Museum in book form but with personality and life. In order to read this, though, you'd have to be really willing for something different. Like getting up the nerve to try sushi for the first time. Or frogs legs. It's an acquired taste. Not that it tastes bad when you first try it but the flavor doesn't really develop until you sit and think about it. This isn't your standard historical fiction, that's for sure.

But I am looking forward to reading the sequel. It's all about Gael, Zan-Gah's twin brother, who was kidnapped by these crazy people and then sold into slavery. He's got some real PTSD issues to deal with and it's just interesting looking as psychology 10,000 years ago. The notion of a broken soul that they use is just amazing.