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Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure
(Zan-Gah #1)
by
The hero, Zan-Gah seeks his lost twin in a savage prehistoric world, encountering suffering, captivity, conflict, love, and triumph. In three years, Zan-Gah passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a position of leadership among his people. Themes: survival, cultures, gender roles, psychological trauma, nature's wonders and terrors.
...more
Paperback, 148 pages
Published
March 26th 2007
by Earthshaker Books
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Start your review of Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure (Zan-Gah, #1)

I really enjoyed Zan-Gah's story. This book is totally unique and I think it's great to see prehistoric men and women given a voice and a story.
The book was written almost like interconnected short stories. Each chapter was like a new adventure where we met a new character or entered a new battle.
The story is about survival and coming of age, Zan grows in many ways throughout the book. I liked how he handled physical problems better than emotional ones because emotions are so hard to deal with.
T ...more
The book was written almost like interconnected short stories. Each chapter was like a new adventure where we met a new character or entered a new battle.
The story is about survival and coming of age, Zan grows in many ways throughout the book. I liked how he handled physical problems better than emotional ones because emotions are so hard to deal with.
T ...more

Feb 16, 2010
Misty
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
historical,
own,
series,
ya-challenge-4,
juvenile-ya,
signed,
read-in-2010,
review-copy-accepted
3.75 - 4
3.8
[Note: I am going to treat the review of both books ([book:Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure|6044486] and Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country) as one in most instances, since my likes and dislikes were the same in both books. When I am speaking of one in particular, I will make a note of it.]
I said awhile back that this is the summer of expanding my reading tastes and reading outside of my comfort zone (as seen in the Wild Things Challenge, which I really need to do an update on). Somet ...more
3.8
[Note: I am going to treat the review of both books ([book:Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure|6044486] and Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country) as one in most instances, since my likes and dislikes were the same in both books. When I am speaking of one in particular, I will make a note of it.]
I said awhile back that this is the summer of expanding my reading tastes and reading outside of my comfort zone (as seen in the Wild Things Challenge, which I really need to do an update on). Somet ...more

Originally reviewed on my blog, a href=http://basicallyamazing.blogspot.com/... from Bleh to Basically Amazing.
I enjoy historical fiction. I love reading about a time period before my own because it gives me a little taste of what life was like for someone with very different experiences. And, I'd much rather experience it vicariously than permanently give up electricity and running water.
So, when I was contacted by Earthshaker Books to review a prehistoric adventure series following young Zan-G ...more
I enjoy historical fiction. I love reading about a time period before my own because it gives me a little taste of what life was like for someone with very different experiences. And, I'd much rather experience it vicariously than permanently give up electricity and running water.
So, when I was contacted by Earthshaker Books to review a prehistoric adventure series following young Zan-G ...more

Allan R. Shickman wrote a beautiful tale about a young boy named Zan-later to be known as Zan-Gah. It really is a marvelous story and I really enjoyed it. I recommend it to everyone, if you like YA, which I'm assuming you do and that's why your my blog follower. 'Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure' is told as a story about Zan-Gah who lived a long, long, long time ago. Mr. Shickman does an incredible job of describing what life was like back then and how wild not only the animals, but the people r
...more

In this new YA adventure story, a young boy living in a primitive era discovers the savage world around him and the budding humanity he carries inside. Zan is only eleven years old when his village goes out in pursuit of the terrible beast that has killed one of the village children. Despite his fear, Zan emerges from the hunt as the sole victor and is given the name Zan-Gah (Zan of the Rock) as a mark of the honor that he has won. But Zan's life is far from complete, for his twin brother has go
...more

Thousands of years ago, before there were roads or fences or even languages like English, Latin or Hebrew, there lived a boy named Zan. For Zan and his people it is a time of unrest. The tribes are consumed in an on-again off-again war, and temporary treaties are only forged to battle immediate threats.
When a lioness attacks and kills a child, the tribes have no choice but to confront the danger together. Zan, though normally too young for such an endeavor, is included in the hunt and, much to e ...more
When a lioness attacks and kills a child, the tribes have no choice but to confront the danger together. Zan, though normally too young for such an endeavor, is included in the hunt and, much to e ...more

This story is about a teen in pre-historic times, and his quest to find his twin brother who disappeared over a year ago. Zan-gah is brave and proud, and sure that if he starts his adventure, he will be rewarded in finding his goal. He encounters a lot of dangers and obstacles along the way, but never gives up hope.
I wish that I could say that I loved this book as I really enjoy adventure stories, but unfortunately, I had quite a few issues that I could not ignore. Overall, I thought it was OK, ...more
I wish that I could say that I loved this book as I really enjoy adventure stories, but unfortunately, I had quite a few issues that I could not ignore. Overall, I thought it was OK, ...more

In the land of his people Zan, meant hunter. He is a young man in his early teens, preparing for a hunt that could bring more death to his people. It will be his first hunt, not one for hunger, but to keep their tribe
safe and for revenge of the death of a youngster. Once a lion has tasted of human they would not be safe while it still roamed. He would help to hunt it with his father, his uncle and the rest of the men of his tribe.
The hunt required them to create a large circle around the animal ...more
safe and for revenge of the death of a youngster. Once a lion has tasted of human they would not be safe while it still roamed. He would help to hunt it with his father, his uncle and the rest of the men of his tribe.
The hunt required them to create a large circle around the animal ...more

Reviewed @ Girls Without a Bookshelf
With the saturation of the YA market with futuristic and dystopian adventure novel, reading Zan Gah was a fresh distraction. When Earthshaker books asked me whether I wanted to review the book I could never have said no even if I wanted to. I'm an aspiring archaeologist, and the fact that Zan Gah features adventure with my archaeological weakness ... you get the point.
Zan Gah is a fast-paced, vivid and riveting read that excited my adventurous, archaeology-cra ...more
With the saturation of the YA market with futuristic and dystopian adventure novel, reading Zan Gah was a fresh distraction. When Earthshaker books asked me whether I wanted to review the book I could never have said no even if I wanted to. I'm an aspiring archaeologist, and the fact that Zan Gah features adventure with my archaeological weakness ... you get the point.
Zan Gah is a fast-paced, vivid and riveting read that excited my adventurous, archaeology-cra ...more

I received this novel from Earthshaker books to review. I am not being paid to review it and my review is an honest review of the book. That being said, I thought this was a great story! I don't know how realistic it was but it was easy to read broken down into small chapters and the story really was captivating. I'm a lover of history, prehistoric history included and though I'd never really heard of anything in this story except the Mastodon, who's bones Zan-Gah found, it was a very primitive
...more

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 wh ...more
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 wh ...more

So going into this book, I really expected nothing. It was my first go at a prehistoric novel, and I was glad it started off with a bang or else my attention would have wavered. The lion hunt really set up the whole premise, with really cool details and introducing an unique setting. I like the way the hunt was described, with the tribes and the traps.
The plot itself was well done, I enjoyed reading about Zan’s adventure and “quest” to find his twin brother. I thought the obstacles he had to get ...more
The plot itself was well done, I enjoyed reading about Zan’s adventure and “quest” to find his twin brother. I thought the obstacles he had to get ...more

Would you have the courage to hunt a lion with only a spear? Zan is a teenage boy, much shorter than other young men his age and not very handsome, who lives in prehistoric times with his father Thal, mother Wumna, uncle Chul, aunt Siraka-Finaka, cousins, and other members of his clan. The five clans of the neighborhood sometimes are at war with one another and other times work together. As the book opens, they are united in seeking to destroy a lion who had slaughtered a child. When the hunters
...more

Genre: YA adventure
Pages: 160
Published: 2007
The hero, Zan-Gah seeks his lost twin in a savage prehistoric world, encountering suffering, captivity, conflict, love, and triumph. In three years, Zan-Gah passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a position of leadership among his people. Themes: survival, cultures, gender roles, psychological trauma, nature's wonders and terrors.
I wanted to read this book in order to really read a book and think about those it was meant for ...more
Pages: 160
Published: 2007
The hero, Zan-Gah seeks his lost twin in a savage prehistoric world, encountering suffering, captivity, conflict, love, and triumph. In three years, Zan-Gah passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a position of leadership among his people. Themes: survival, cultures, gender roles, psychological trauma, nature's wonders and terrors.
I wanted to read this book in order to really read a book and think about those it was meant for ...more

Zan-Gah is a new taste for my literary palette, and I admit that when I first finished reading it I wasn't sure exactly what I thought. My head was still reeling from all the action that I had just encountered with Zan and his counterparts, but as I didn't have anything else to compare this book to I wasn't sure how it rated in my mind. Finally, I decided that this book is just in its own realm. A new and amazing type of fiction that cannot be compared to anything else because it is so unique. T
...more

After Zan kills the lion that he was hunting with his clan he is honored by them and the neighboring clans and is given his new name Zan-Gah which means Zan of the Rock. But Zan is not completely happy, he misses his twin brother that disappeared a year before after they got into an argument. Zan makes up his mind after having dreams about his twin Dael, and convinces his family that he is going in search of his brother.
At first it took me a while to really get into the book, it is totally diffe ...more
At first it took me a while to really get into the book, it is totally diffe ...more

I gave this book a 3.5 star rating.
Zan is in a highly exalted position after he has killed a man-eating lion. He earns the new name Zan-Gah; "Gah" being "of the rock". His tribe celebrates their victory over the demise of the lion. Zan-Gah, however, still feels responsible for his twin brother's disappearance well over a year prior, so he decides to embark on a journey to find Dael. Along the way he befriends several people, and makes enemies of others. Nevertheless, he will not give up until h ...more
Zan is in a highly exalted position after he has killed a man-eating lion. He earns the new name Zan-Gah; "Gah" being "of the rock". His tribe celebrates their victory over the demise of the lion. Zan-Gah, however, still feels responsible for his twin brother's disappearance well over a year prior, so he decides to embark on a journey to find Dael. Along the way he befriends several people, and makes enemies of others. Nevertheless, he will not give up until h ...more

Summary: Set in prehistoric time, Zan is a boy in his early teens, who by a stroke of luck manages to kill a lioness that killed a child, in a hunt with the rest of the clansmen. He is then named Zan-Gah, which means Zan of the Rock, in honour of this.
Zan-Gah is troubled, his twin brother Dael has been missing for a year and though everyone has given up him, Zan believes he must still be alive and sets out to search for him. But times are hard and the different clans aren't united. Zan must bat ...more
Zan-Gah is troubled, his twin brother Dael has been missing for a year and though everyone has given up him, Zan believes he must still be alive and sets out to search for him. But times are hard and the different clans aren't united. Zan must bat ...more

Zan is not your typical boy. He lives in a cave with his family and tribe. He hunts with a spear. He sounds pretty scary...especially when a youngster goes missing and neighboring tribes get together to kill the enemy...a huge lioness. Zan is raring to go but everyone says no. Like your typical child, Zan disobeys and goes anyway. Then he kills the lioness all by himself. It's then that he gains the respect of all the tribes in the area, especially his own. A highly respected tribal leader from
...more

When I was first asked to review this, I visited its website to see if I'd be interested in reading it.
I'd never read a book about prehistory, so I said yes, and then I started reading it.
Although I thought the beginning was a bit slow, once you get to the middle it does get good!
I love everything that has to do with past and lost cultures, and the description that Shickman gave us of Zan's people's beliefs and customs was incredibly believable. I was thrown into this lost and supersticious worl ...more
I'd never read a book about prehistory, so I said yes, and then I started reading it.
Although I thought the beginning was a bit slow, once you get to the middle it does get good!
I love everything that has to do with past and lost cultures, and the description that Shickman gave us of Zan's people's beliefs and customs was incredibly believable. I was thrown into this lost and supersticious worl ...more

To see complete review, visit http://anotherbookjunkie.blogspot.com
Zan-Gah is a powerful story about a boy who goes on a treacherous journey in search of his twin, who has been missing for some time. Along this journey, Zan-Gah is forced to fight for survival on many different occasions. There is action from beginning to end, though for a middle grade novel, I would have liked to see more dialogue. But given his circumstances, it wasn't really a possibility.
When Zan-Gah finally reaches his desti ...more
Zan-Gah is a powerful story about a boy who goes on a treacherous journey in search of his twin, who has been missing for some time. Along this journey, Zan-Gah is forced to fight for survival on many different occasions. There is action from beginning to end, though for a middle grade novel, I would have liked to see more dialogue. But given his circumstances, it wasn't really a possibility.
When Zan-Gah finally reaches his desti ...more

This book is a signed copy sent to me by EarthShaker Books to read and review. It's about a boy anxious to be a man. He's ready to grow up and be part of the men in his tribe, so he goes on a Lion hunt. His world changes the minute him and the lioness meet eyes. The Lioness pounces Zan and in a second he killed the lion. He got scars on his arms. The head of the north tribes Aniah gave him the name Zan-Gah as honor. From then on he thinks himself as a man and so do the rest of his people. He the
...more

This story was full of excitement and adventure! Not my usual read, I was hesitant to sit down with it. However, my son and I read it together and we both really enjoyed it. I liked that the writing was basic and easy to understand so my son could enjoy it without constantly interrupting to ask what certain words meant.
The story was about Zan and his missing twin, Dael. After fighting against a lion with the tribes and being the one to actually kill her, Zan becomes known as Zan-Gah. Zan dreams ...more
The story was about Zan and his missing twin, Dael. After fighting against a lion with the tribes and being the one to actually kill her, Zan becomes known as Zan-Gah. Zan dreams ...more

The hero, Zan-Gah seeks his lost twin in a savage prehistoric world, encountering suffering, captivity, conflict, love, and triumph. In three years, Zan-Gah passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a position of leadership among his people. Themes: survival, cultures, gender roles, psychological trauma, nature's wonders and terrors Good Reads
Zan-Gah is a very enjoyable Young Adult novel set during prehistoric times. We are introduced to Young Zan as he and his tribe are ...more
Zan-Gah is a very enjoyable Young Adult novel set during prehistoric times. We are introduced to Young Zan as he and his tribe are ...more

Zan-Gah was a boy anxious to become a man, so when the need arises to hunt down a lion that had killed a child, he insists to his father and mother that he is going, sharpening his spear, he is ready for the hunt. With bravery, skill, and luck he kills the lioness, becoming a respected person among all of the clans.
He starts having dreams about his twin brother, Dael, who had been missing for over a year and presumed dead, and because of a quarrel the brothers had Zan-Gah blamed himself. After ...more
He starts having dreams about his twin brother, Dael, who had been missing for over a year and presumed dead, and because of a quarrel the brothers had Zan-Gah blamed himself. After ...more

The book starts off with Zan, a young boy who goes on a quest to find his missing twin brother, Zael. Everyone in his tribe feared Zael dead, but Zan thought otherwise, or should I say “felt” otherwise. Zan thought that since they were twins they had a special connection that no one else had and he felt that his brother was still alive. Through his journey he travels to different tribes and some are noble and welcomed him, but others aren’t as hospitable. He sets out on this journey as a young b
...more

When Bonnie of Earth shaker Books asked me if I wanted to review these books I immediately said ‘yes’. I only read one book about the prehistoric, and it was a text book. So not a lot of fun there. I took the book with me on the train and read it on the rides to and from college. I am so glad that I said yes to the opportunity to read and review these books, because the first one is fun and enjoyable.
Zan-Gah is a very brave little boy. He’s desperate to find his lost twin brother and goes on thi ...more
Zan-Gah is a very brave little boy. He’s desperate to find his lost twin brother and goes on thi ...more

Sent to me by the kind people over at Earthshaker books, Zan-Gah is the story of one boys exploits, growing up in prehistoric times. After killing the man eater lioness plaguing their home, Zan sets out to find his lost twin Dael. To find him, Zan must commune with the other tribes despite their historical animosity, he must trek through unforgiving, unknown lands, and most importantly he must grow into the man that killing the lioness has made him.
Despite the less than promising covers, Zan-Gah ...more
Despite the less than promising covers, Zan-Gah ...more

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure was the first time that I had ever read anything set in that time period, so I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed read this book.
At first, I wasn’t too sure of what to make of the MC, Zan, but I soon came to enjoy reading about his trials as he searched for his missing brother. The reason I liked the MC, Zan-Gah, was because he was persistent in going after what he wanted, no matter how foolish the rest of his tribe thought he was. It was also interesting ...more
At first, I wasn’t too sure of what to make of the MC, Zan, but I soon came to enjoy reading about his trials as he searched for his missing brother. The reason I liked the MC, Zan-Gah, was because he was persistent in going after what he wanted, no matter how foolish the rest of his tribe thought he was. It was also interesting ...more

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I accepted the publisher’s offer to review these two novels but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. The prehistoric world is an unusual setting, and this story immersed the reader in the harsh world.
Zan-Gah, who earned the “Gah” addition to his name when he killed a lion, decides, now that he’s a man, he needs to set out and search for his twin brother, who disappeared several years ago. Zan-Gah is certain ...more
Zan-Gah, who earned the “Gah” addition to his name when he killed a lion, decides, now that he’s a man, he needs to set out and search for his twin brother, who disappeared several years ago. Zan-Gah is certain ...more
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ZAN-GAH author Allan Richard Shickman conceived Zan's adventure after thousands of miles of travel through mountains, deserts and forest land. The idea for this exciting story was born in a cave deep beneath the earth— in the company of hundreds of bats.
Allan is an artist, teacher, actor, author, historian, gardener, and former Boy Scout. He has published articles in The Art Bulletin, Art History, ...more
Allan is an artist, teacher, actor, author, historian, gardener, and former Boy Scout. He has published articles in The Art Bulletin, Art History, ...more
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