A review by henry_wallison
The Shelters of Stone: Earth's Children, Book Five by Jean M. Auel

5.0

This is a very conflicting series. I've read many critiques of this series, and I completely agree with almost every negative thing levied against these books. Have the books shifted away from the unique aspects that made the first book so special? Definitely. Are facts restated a comical number of times? Most certainly! Are large sections of the books so overly descriptive of obscure processes that they often sacrifice readability? Inarguably. But, despite these many, many, entirely valid criticisms, I cannot put these books down. I love the world Auel has created, and due to the culturally fixed nature of this book, the world building she has done in this book has time to feel both real and lived in. While many introduced storylines were not seen all the way through in this book, there was an overarching sense of narrative that kept the book moving. Especially when compared to The Plains of Passage, this book felt substantially more purposeful and enjoyable.