Fire Hunter 
By Frank X. Harris

      This book purports to be a young adult novel about a prehistoric couple: Hawk and Willow. After being rejected by their tribe, the two try to stay alive. They face wolves, serpents, cave bears, and more in their struggle for survival. Throughout the course of the book, the reader is supposedly able to follow Hawk’s evolution into an enlightened man. Hawk is meant to be the first man who learns to value life, women, and family.

      As it’s written, this book would not appeal to most young adults. Although the characters are supposed to be 18 and 16 years old, the prehistoric setting completely removes them from the realm of similitude for a modern teenager. The lack of scientific fact and accuracy also keeps the book from being an engaging source of prehistory for young adults. Dialogue is limited and descriptions are sparse. The actions of the characters do not flow naturally from their personalities, which gives the book a deliberate and scripted feeling. Many sentences are contradictory, which add confusion to the plot. For example, in chapter four, it’s stated that Hawk kills a serpent by hitting it with a large rock “directly in the head.” In the next sentence, Hawk and his dog are trying to avoid the dangerous thrashing head, which was just smashed under a rock.

      While the story line is based on an interesting and unique idea, as a young adult librarian, I would not recommend this book to my patrons. This book would be better suited to a specialized adult audience. If you’re looking for a simple, positive-themed book, you’ve found it in Fire Hunter.