Wild Flower watched, unable to do anything, as the lone archer let loose and the flint arrow flashed in the sunlight as it bore down on her father.
Some 6,000 years later, Henry was suffering from slightly less pressing problems. Dragged out to visit his Granddad yet again, he decides to break open the case glass containing the old archaeological finds. He reaches out to touch a pure white flint arrowhead with a black lightning strike running down its heart. In a heartbeat, their realms collide as he finds himself sent back to Wild Flower’s world. He checks his phone but there is no signal here.
Together, and without even speaking each other’s language, Henry and Wild Flower must then learn to trust each other as they travel through a land of forest, tombs, wild threats and an enemy, with the power of the Wolf, who seems unstoppable. She must protect her family while he wants to get home. Along the way, they might just surprise themselves and everyone else for that matter.
About the Gerard Mulligan
Gerard Mulligan studied archaeology and wrote his doctorate on Neolithic Ireland. He has travelled here and there but is now firmly rooted at home.
The Arrow Journey is the story of a boy sent back through time and into the middle of the Neolithic period, about 4000 BCE.
[Characters] The characters were pretty in depth and defined, though I felt like Taal Fal's mother was a little excluded from the plot. Both protagonists and antagonists were well described and given depth.
[Story] The story had a young adult narrative lacking the more serious tones of an adult book, but the story did feature young adults.
I really liked the back and forth telling of the same scenes from the perspective of the modern boy and the prehistoric girl. This made for an interesting and possibly unique perspective into an otherwise very different time period than today.
The depiction of the Neolithic period was reasonably good. The way the author brings the reader into the reasons behind why people did various things in prehistory really helped.
[Writing] The writing style was a little less detailed than like, but still fun. It was easy to follow and had plenty of action. The battle scene was a little complex, but it fit the story well. I found no typos or grammar issues.
[Pros] Taal Fal, a young prehistoric woman, was quite charming. She had a certain warrior/leader-like quality which I enjoy in female protagonists. Having a female protagonist who operates independently is always a win!
Great job and imagining the cultures! I like originality with prehistoric fiction.
[Cons] I wish the feelings and emotions had been explored a little deeper, especially with Taal Fal.
There were a few potential historical issues, such as the use of apple cider (apples were probably still not in that region at that time), though the story doesn't quite pin down the location of the story. Additionally, the scene with the boy obtaining clothing would be quite hampered by the results of what occurs to a body after death, though I digress.