If I were to try to create some kind of thematic key to the
many books of Kim Stanley Robinson, nature would be high on the list. He’s always been fascinated with the natural
world, whether it is the artificial landscape of an orbiting habitat, the
wonders of other planets in our solar system, or the Earth itself. Shaman
gives him a chance to explore the wonders of prehistoric Earth.
The plot itself is slight.
Shaman is a coming of age
story for Loon, a shaman’s apprentice during the Ice Age. But the plot is just a frame work for
Robinson’s real concern: what was life
like during the Ice Age?
With that in mind, Robinson crafts an immersive world, where
we are following Loon as he goes through the rhythms of life. Loon’s world is as terrifying as it is
wonderful. For every spectacular vista
or view, there are dangerous predators or Neanderthals.
This immersive experience is the real draw here. The lack of a propulsive story means that the
book doesn’t move quickly. Just as Loon
lives to rhythms that are slower than the modern world, so to this book demands
a slower read that simply is content to exist in the past that Robinson has
crafted. This isn’t an experience that
will appeal to all readers. But for
those that have felt the lure of the Wild, this is an unforgettable experience.
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