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Great Sky Woman #1
Great Sky Woman
Thirty thousand years ago, in the heart of the African continent and in the shadow of the largest freestanding mountain in the world, lived the Ibandi. For countless generations they nurtured their ancient tradition, and met survival’s daily struggle with quiet faith in their gods. But when brutal intruders arrived from the south, a few brave souls dared the ultimate quest–to climb the Great Mountain, seeking answers and a way into the future.
In this breathtaking blend of imagination, anthropology, and sheer storytelling magic, Steven Barnes takes us to the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and into the realm of our own ancestors, who lived, hunted, celebrated, and died side by side with roaming herds of wild animals and great golden clouds of migrating butterflies. A people whose skin was the color and smell of the earth itself, the Ibandi formed a hierarchy based on strength of limb and spirit. In this extraordinary novel, we follow the adventures of two of the Ibandi’s chosen T’Cori, an abandoned girl raised by the powerful and mysterious medicine woman Stillshadow, and Frog Hopping, a boy possessing a gift that is also a curse.
Though the live in different encampments, Frog and T’Cori are linked through the revered and powerful Stillshadow, who has sensed in them a destiny apart from others’.
Through the years, and on their separate life paths, T’Cori’s and Frog’s fates entwine as an inevitable disaster approaches from the south–from the very god they worship. For as long as there have been mountain, sky, and savannah, there has been a home for the Ibandi. Now, in the face of an enemy beyond anything spoken of even in legend, they must ask their god Do we remain or do we depart?
Great Sky Woman not only brings to life the world of prehistoric man but also shines a brilliant light on humanity itself. For here is a story of rivalries and alliances, of human fear and desire, of faith and betrayal . . . and, above all, a story of how primitive man, without words or machines, set in motion civilization’s long, winding journey to the present.
In this breathtaking blend of imagination, anthropology, and sheer storytelling magic, Steven Barnes takes us to the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and into the realm of our own ancestors, who lived, hunted, celebrated, and died side by side with roaming herds of wild animals and great golden clouds of migrating butterflies. A people whose skin was the color and smell of the earth itself, the Ibandi formed a hierarchy based on strength of limb and spirit. In this extraordinary novel, we follow the adventures of two of the Ibandi’s chosen T’Cori, an abandoned girl raised by the powerful and mysterious medicine woman Stillshadow, and Frog Hopping, a boy possessing a gift that is also a curse.
Though the live in different encampments, Frog and T’Cori are linked through the revered and powerful Stillshadow, who has sensed in them a destiny apart from others’.
Through the years, and on their separate life paths, T’Cori’s and Frog’s fates entwine as an inevitable disaster approaches from the south–from the very god they worship. For as long as there have been mountain, sky, and savannah, there has been a home for the Ibandi. Now, in the face of an enemy beyond anything spoken of even in legend, they must ask their god Do we remain or do we depart?
Great Sky Woman not only brings to life the world of prehistoric man but also shines a brilliant light on humanity itself. For here is a story of rivalries and alliances, of human fear and desire, of faith and betrayal . . . and, above all, a story of how primitive man, without words or machines, set in motion civilization’s long, winding journey to the present.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published June 27, 2006
28 people are currently reading
565 people want to read
About the author
Steven Barnes
130 books477 followersSteven Barnes (born March 1, 1952, Los Angeles, California) is an African American science fiction writer, lecturer, creative consultant, and human performance technician. He has written several episodes of The Outer Limits and Baywatch, as well as the Stargate SG-1 episode "Brief Candle" and the Andromeda episode "The Sum of its Parts". Barnes' first published piece of fiction, the novelette The Locusts (1979), written with Larry Niven, and was a Hugo Award nominee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 30, 2015
Whilst I found myself ultimately disappointed by Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children series, it has set me off on a quest for good Palaeolithic fiction. I’ve read a little of Steven Barnes before, some of his sci-fi, so I went for this book at least already knowing the quality of writing I’d be getting, if not the actual story. My feelings upon finishing it are that I like it, but I don’t love it.
One of the high points has to be Barnes’ description of the environment in which the characters are moving. This is obviously hugely important in a historical novel set in the Palaeolithic, as the environment often drove and directed people’s lives, and was the source of many of their challenges and obstacles. It also makes a good deal of sense that the Ibandi have created a faith in their mountain – any environments that were unusual, and not the routine, have the potential to be seen as “special places” and thus places where spirits or gods dwelt. However some authors, notably Jean Auel, fall into the trap of diverting from the plot in order to give the reader several pages of environmental information or herbal lore, and this is a distraction and unnecessary info-dumping. Thankfully, Barnes doesn’t do this. The environment does feature prominently in the story, but he doesn’t let it take over from the plot, or divert us from where the plot is going; thus his descriptions are like a flavoursome seasoning to the main meat of the story.
I will say I felt a little distant from the story, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I didn’t feel like I was getting inside the heads of the main characters enough, like I really knew them deep down. I think this was more pronounced in the first part of the book when several years pass as our young characters grow up and we’re skipping ahead and only getting glimpses into their lives. The sensation did lessen as the story headed towards the conclusion and I felt more in the present moment, with those characters, feeling the immediacy of what was unfolding and happening to them. However, slightly distant though they seemed to me, they were by no means stock characters or stereotypes; these did feel like nuanced, real people, and that was very much in the book’s favour.
I was a little surprised by the conclusion. It felt a little abrupt – though that may just have been because I raced through the final chapters, eager to see what happened – and it was not the solution I was expecting given the problem they were facing. Also there’s very much a twist in the tale, which I won’t give away, but I debated with myself whether I bought into it or not. It felt a little like it came out of nowhere, but on the other hand, given the slight sense of distance from the characters and questioning how well did I really know them, I can sort of justify it. More importantly it really shakes the story up. A predictable story can induce weariness and a humdrum feel; and this twist certainly shakes the story up and prevents that. I definitely couldn’t call the conclusion predictable or something I saw from a mile off, and I think that’s a very good thing.
7 out of 10
July 27, 2016
**edited 12/08/13
Great Sky Woman not only manages to completely avoid condescension and anachronism, but goes on to immerse its reader deep into the detailed world and complex culture that it creates.
...And that's all I'm going to post here. The rest of my (rather verbose) review is posted over here at Booklikes.
Why? Because I disapprove of GoodReads' new policy of censorship, I will no longer post full reviews here.
Great Sky Woman not only manages to completely avoid condescension and anachronism, but goes on to immerse its reader deep into the detailed world and complex culture that it creates.
...And that's all I'm going to post here. The rest of my (rather verbose) review is posted over here at Booklikes.
Why? Because I disapprove of GoodReads' new policy of censorship, I will no longer post full reviews here.
April 9, 2018
I enjoyed this story that slowly but steadily unfolded. I'm so glad that I assumed that I would enjoy this one enough that I would want to continue and ordered the second book after only reading a few chapters. Now I can go straight into book two, which is good because although this one didn't end on what would be a true cliff hanger, it ended in a way that I want to see where the store moves. Full review to come.
October 27, 2014
This book was amazing. Wonderfully unpredictable and engrossing, It had a little bit of everything: love, tribal conflict, coming of age, ancient spirituality, betrayal, ambition, joy, strife. I found myself not wanting to put it down at bedtime, and that's always a good sign.
The author did a wonderful job of taking me deep into the fantasy of a lifetime so long ago. I found myself completely vested in the experience, egging on certain characters while screaming (inside) at others. There was some very descriptive violence in parts of the book, which is why I didn't give it a full 5 stars. That is just not my thing, but it didn't take up too much of the book and others may not be bothered by it at all.
The author did a wonderful job of taking me deep into the fantasy of a lifetime so long ago. I found myself completely vested in the experience, egging on certain characters while screaming (inside) at others. There was some very descriptive violence in parts of the book, which is why I didn't give it a full 5 stars. That is just not my thing, but it didn't take up too much of the book and others may not be bothered by it at all.
August 19, 2011
(My amazon.com review)
"If you like Auel, you'll love Barnes"
I found this book mentioned in a review of one of the books from Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series. I can't remember which book, or which reviewer, but I wish I could, to send a hearty "Thank You!" If you like the prehistoric genre that Auel basically started, but you'd like to read something less mind-numbingly repetitive, with more attention paid to plot and character than to textbook descriptions of flora, fauna, and geological phenomena, then this is the novel for you! Barnes seamlessly weaves depictions of the environment into his narrative, so you get the science lessons without feeling like the author has paused to whip out a chalkboard. He conveys the societal structure and spiritual beliefs of his milieu with an elegance and believability that invites the reader to inhabit this setting with the characters (much like the best "world-building" of Fantasy and Sci-Fi, even though this novel is more like historical fiction). And, his characters are likable and not-at-all one-dimensional or static. Frog Hopping and T'Cori (the two main characters) each have their own complexity of character, and grow as individuals while they actively participate in their own destinies and the destiny of their people.
I won't go much into the plot (an adequate synopsis is already given in the description), other than to say that I found it engaging throughout, and well-paced. The fact that Frog and T'Cori (and their people) face destruction from geographic and human threats, and how they face these threats and become greater in the face of them, was a touching and engrossing picture of the capabilities of the human spirit. I really couldn't put the book down, and I'm sure I'll be reading it several times, and recommending it to my friends.
On another note, it is immensely refreshing to read excellent fiction that centers around African characters (that aren't either evil savages or one-dimensional caricatures). This novel is a wonderful cure for the snow-blindness that results from seeing nothing but white protagonists blanketing all of literature. (And that's coming from a Caucasian.) Kudos, Mr. Barnes!
For anybody looking at the kindle edition, I read that edition, and as I recall, it had none of the industry-wide issues with editing, formatting, etc. The kindle version was as well-produced as any hardcover would be.
If he always writes this well, Steven Barnes' books will be sitting in the "Read and Read Again" section in my library (and kindle) from now on.
"If you like Auel, you'll love Barnes"
I found this book mentioned in a review of one of the books from Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series. I can't remember which book, or which reviewer, but I wish I could, to send a hearty "Thank You!" If you like the prehistoric genre that Auel basically started, but you'd like to read something less mind-numbingly repetitive, with more attention paid to plot and character than to textbook descriptions of flora, fauna, and geological phenomena, then this is the novel for you! Barnes seamlessly weaves depictions of the environment into his narrative, so you get the science lessons without feeling like the author has paused to whip out a chalkboard. He conveys the societal structure and spiritual beliefs of his milieu with an elegance and believability that invites the reader to inhabit this setting with the characters (much like the best "world-building" of Fantasy and Sci-Fi, even though this novel is more like historical fiction). And, his characters are likable and not-at-all one-dimensional or static. Frog Hopping and T'Cori (the two main characters) each have their own complexity of character, and grow as individuals while they actively participate in their own destinies and the destiny of their people.
I won't go much into the plot (an adequate synopsis is already given in the description), other than to say that I found it engaging throughout, and well-paced. The fact that Frog and T'Cori (and their people) face destruction from geographic and human threats, and how they face these threats and become greater in the face of them, was a touching and engrossing picture of the capabilities of the human spirit. I really couldn't put the book down, and I'm sure I'll be reading it several times, and recommending it to my friends.
On another note, it is immensely refreshing to read excellent fiction that centers around African characters (that aren't either evil savages or one-dimensional caricatures). This novel is a wonderful cure for the snow-blindness that results from seeing nothing but white protagonists blanketing all of literature. (And that's coming from a Caucasian.) Kudos, Mr. Barnes!
For anybody looking at the kindle edition, I read that edition, and as I recall, it had none of the industry-wide issues with editing, formatting, etc. The kindle version was as well-produced as any hardcover would be.
If he always writes this well, Steven Barnes' books will be sitting in the "Read and Read Again" section in my library (and kindle) from now on.
July 5, 2017
I've gone through this book like a hot knife through butter. It's an excellent, fast read with well drawn characters. I'm really enjoying it! The fact that the author is an African American scifi writer is also a plus--there are very few of them. This is one of the best and most entertaining books I have read in a very long time.
May 25, 2010
Set 30,000 years ago, this is a magical coming-of-age journey set at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
August 1, 2010
What I liked most were the details of the physical environment, the appropriateness of the names and how each one had a place in the story, the use of the herbs and plants, and the growth and development of the main characters.
May 4, 2018
This is an excellent book, and an Own Voices novel, so I highly recommend you check it out.
This book takes place thirty thousand years ago in prehistoric Africa, exploring a tribe that lives near Mount Kilimanjaro: the Ibandi. There are two main characters, T’Cori and Frog Hopping, and when invaders threaten their homeland, they must climb Mount Kilimanjaro to seek advice from a god.
I loved this story’s depiction of an ancient African culture, especially the coming-of-age rituals. This is also a welcome addition to the “ancient history” genre. Most books I’ve come across focus on either Europe or North America. It’s nice to find a book that centers on prehistoric Africa, considering that is when and where humanity dawned.
I have to say that this book is a very reasonable length. One criticism of Jean M. Auel’s books has been that the later entries in her Earth’s Children series are very long with very little plot. This novel is of average length and is very well plotted.
As I said before, this is an Own Voices book, written by African-American writer Steven Barnes. If you’re looking for a read next Black History Month, I recommend this novel: it’s essentially about the birth of black history.
This book takes place thirty thousand years ago in prehistoric Africa, exploring a tribe that lives near Mount Kilimanjaro: the Ibandi. There are two main characters, T’Cori and Frog Hopping, and when invaders threaten their homeland, they must climb Mount Kilimanjaro to seek advice from a god.
I loved this story’s depiction of an ancient African culture, especially the coming-of-age rituals. This is also a welcome addition to the “ancient history” genre. Most books I’ve come across focus on either Europe or North America. It’s nice to find a book that centers on prehistoric Africa, considering that is when and where humanity dawned.
I have to say that this book is a very reasonable length. One criticism of Jean M. Auel’s books has been that the later entries in her Earth’s Children series are very long with very little plot. This novel is of average length and is very well plotted.
As I said before, this is an Own Voices book, written by African-American writer Steven Barnes. If you’re looking for a read next Black History Month, I recommend this novel: it’s essentially about the birth of black history.
August 14, 2021
masterful
This book is (almost) absolutely everything you could ask for in a work of historical and prehistoric fiction. The characters were believable & flawed (but still mostly likeable). They had very realistic and human relationships & growth. This book was also very well researched and had just the right amount of detail into the tribes’ customs without going on tangents. The pacing was well done and the build up to the climax was perfect. If you want a peek into the lives of our oldest ancestors - I highly recommend this book!
The ONLY thing that I would have changed was how strict & influential modern patriarchal conceptions of the gender divide/roles were in the story. That took away some of the believability and imagination for me but only minorly so. There is also a scene describing S.A. (y’all know what that stands for)- so a warning to everyone about that. It doesn’t jump out of nowhere though so you will know that it is coming and be able to skip ahead if you wish to do so.
This book is (almost) absolutely everything you could ask for in a work of historical and prehistoric fiction. The characters were believable & flawed (but still mostly likeable). They had very realistic and human relationships & growth. This book was also very well researched and had just the right amount of detail into the tribes’ customs without going on tangents. The pacing was well done and the build up to the climax was perfect. If you want a peek into the lives of our oldest ancestors - I highly recommend this book!
The ONLY thing that I would have changed was how strict & influential modern patriarchal conceptions of the gender divide/roles were in the story. That took away some of the believability and imagination for me but only minorly so. There is also a scene describing S.A. (y’all know what that stands for)- so a warning to everyone about that. It doesn’t jump out of nowhere though so you will know that it is coming and be able to skip ahead if you wish to do so.
February 15, 2023
This takes place in prehistoric Tanzania near Mount Kilimanjaro or the Great Sky Mountain as the locals call it. We follow the lives of two individuals, a boy named Frog Hopping and girl named T'Cori (which means to have no name). T'Cori was abandon by her family and was reared by the holy woman of the tribe. Frog is trained to be hunter. Both of them become players in their people's struggles. The main problem is an invasion form another tribe. All the characters a very well defined. We know their motivations for their actions. Plot is a bit loose but it goes somewhere. This allows the development of the main characters whom we follow from birth to adulthood. Some great descriptions of the area. Makes you feel like you have been there.
November 13, 2020
I found it to be a great premise that was not executed well for me. The action didn't move fast enough for me although the descriptions and world building by the author were very well written and helped me visualize the scenes.
December 20, 2022
I guess this is what you call a sweeping epic saga. I’m curious about how much of it is based on research. Definitely interesting to learn about prehistoric peoples. I needed something that would not be triggering and it got me through a difficult long weekend so I guess I chose well.
February 3, 2019
Great read rich with detail and an interesting story with characters you will love
February 3, 2020
3.5* Parts kind of dragged for me. The middle was more engaging but also very violent and hard to read at times. The world-building was good, though I could have used a longer author's note.
September 13, 2021
Life in prehistoric Africa. Not really my cup of tea. YA with a bit more sex.
May 12, 2012
i enjoyed barnes' exploration of a culture more primitive, though it is clear that he is using the practices of actual and extinct tribal peoples. he sets this type of culture in a narrative of superstition, mystical power, and fantasy. barnes is an acute historian, wonderful storyteller, but most importantly, he writes interesting characters, so that even though fantasy writing isn't my main read, i can help but read it voraciously when the author is staven barnes.
September 26, 2021
I fell back in love with fiction with this book. Barnes' writing brings every scene alive. It had been a long time since I both loved and dreaded a story's end. Every relationship and character in Great Sky Woman is developed into a thing of beauty. I felt emotionally invested in the individual characters, their interpersonal relationships, and the entire culture in this book. I look forward to reading book 2.
July 22, 2010
This I found very entertaining. I chewed through this book over two days, and just couldn't put it down!
The author had an excellent understanding of his setting and characters, and must have done an admirable amount of research to create a story this convincing. I particularly enjoyed his portrayal of the spiritual aspects of the people and the meanderings of their daily lives.
The author had an excellent understanding of his setting and characters, and must have done an admirable amount of research to create a story this convincing. I particularly enjoyed his portrayal of the spiritual aspects of the people and the meanderings of their daily lives.
February 16, 2021
This was an incredibly in-depth look at the Africa of the past. The author does a great job painting a picture of this place and time.
You can find my exclusive interview with Steve Barnes here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/a-...
You can find my exclusive interview with Steve Barnes here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/a-...
February 23, 2012
Completely believable and written in a crisp, immediate style that places the reader in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro and the footsteps of all our ancestors, I cannot recommend this highly enough. Terrific. Simply terrific.
Want to read
December 18, 2007A friend just added this to her list and the description totally got me!
May 22, 2009
Read from 5/17 to 5/20.
January 18, 2013
I feel like Steven Barnes was at the height of his storytelling powers with this one.
January 27, 2011
Variation on Clan of the Cave bear. I wasn't riveted, but I don't need that when I'm doing repetitive work.
June 13, 2011
Found the book very interesting. An easy read
May 2, 2012
I love Steven's books, for the most part,but for some reason I could not get into this one.
Sorry Steven.
Sorry Steven.
August 8, 2013
It was a little slow for my taste, but not bad. Relaxing read.
April 6, 2015
Very good book, a little sad in spots.
September 29, 2015
Tried listening to the audio book and didn't get too far. It started out slowly and I had a hard time staying engaged.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews