THE REINDEER PEOPLE (I) & WOLF'S BROTHER (II) by MEGAN LINDHOLM

THE REINDEER PEOPLE (I) & WOLF'S BROTHER (II) by MEGAN LINDHOLM
May (I) & July (II) 2001
(Voyager) Harper Collins £5.99 each
ISBN 0007114222 (I)- 0007114346 (II)
Adult / Historical / Prehistoric/ paranormal

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde, MyShelf.com
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Megan Lindholm has thrilled fantasy fans with her well-realized and meticulous Farseer Trilogy & Liveship Traders Trilogy and now she turns her hand to historical (or rather prehistoric) fiction with a touch of possible magic thrown in. As with her fantasy books she paints in a realistic landscape but in far fewer words - no mean feat especially for one whose weakest point (in my opinion) in her earlier books is sheer wordiness. Here she sketches in a primeval landscape that is both harsh and beautiful and where survival and acceptance depends on your skills.

Healer Tillu lives on the edge of her tribe with her strange, fey son Kerlew until the wily old shaman Carp wants to make him his apprentice. Fearing his evil magic and not wanting her son to turn out like the grasping old man the pair flees and lives alone. But they are less along than they think for there is a thriving village nearby who lack a healer. Soon Tillu finds herself much in demand by the tribe and becoming interested herself in the handsome but impoverished Heckram. But Carp is on his way in pursuit of his missing apprentice and when horrible murders start happening somebody is going to have to find out whodunit fast, or risk becoming another victim.

In true Jean M Auel tradition Tillu leaves a more primitive tribe (who are still in the Stone Age) who treat women poorly for one who have bronze tools and women have the freedom to do many things - hunt, choose a mate, own property etc. But Lindholm is wise not to make the new tribe seem too much of a paradise and the result is a powerful and taut story which has a small cast of well-drawn characters even if many of them do fit into stereotypical molds. The result is an entertaining tale that whisks the reader off to a setting that UK readers (unlike their US counterparts where prehistoric fiction is a popular sub-genre) seldom get to visit. It will appeal to those who enjoy fantasy but as the magic is possibly only a part of the people's belief and not real those who prefer historicals won't find that it spoils the story.