Quest for Fire and Clan of The Cave Bear

[Stringmaker]

Has anyone read/seen these two stories?

My wife gave me the DVD for both of them, and I am reading COTCB now before watching the film.

If you want to get right into a pre-historic bushcraft mindset (as I do at the moment; think iron pyrite and flint) then I recommend them both.

Quest for Fire:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128473&pf_rd_i=468294

COTCB:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clan-Cave-Bear-DVD/dp/B0006M4S1E/ref=pd_bxgy_d_h__img_b

I guess a lot of you will have read/seen these years ago but I only came to them very recently.

 

[Magentus]

I read COTCB about a year ago and loved it, and my daughter and I read Wolf Brother together - also excellent.

I'd be interested to hear about the films.

 

[mousey]

I read one of these books a while ago can't remeber the title, I borrowed if from my local library's 'free' section. I really did enjoy the story, will have to think about getting the movie also.

 

[TurboGirl]

Yeah, theres a whole series of the Earths Children books by Jean Auel... Clan of the Cave Bear is best in my book tho, the film is ok but misses out on her lovely descriptive (and really fabulously researched) factual input. It moves on through 'Valley of the Horses' to 'Plains Of Passage' and the more... mmmmm.... 'story' orientated 'Mammoth Hunters'... not sure I'm in the right order there but the series is well worth a read and you often see them in bookshops/ charity shops/ car boots for next to nowt as they were bestsellers of the 80s

Never heard of Wolf Brother or Quest for Fire tho, thanks for the link!

 

[Magentus]

Yeah, theres a whole series of the Earths Children books by Jean Auel... Clan of the Cave Bear is best in my book tho, the film is ok but misses out on her lovely descriptive (and really fabulously researched) factual input. It moves on through 'Valley of the Horses' to 'Plains Of Passage' and the more... mmmmm.... 'story' orientated 'Mammoth Hunters'... not sure I'm in the right order there but the series is well worth a read and you often see them in bookshops/ charity shops/ car boots for next to nowt as they were bestsellers of the 80s

Never heard of Wolf Brother or Quest for Fire tho, thanks for the link!

I loved COTCB and knowing how well researched it was made it even more enjoyable. I remember the way they gave each other privacy in the cave by behaving as if there were walls between them and their neighbours - brilliant!

Wolf Brother and the sequels Spirit Walker and Soul Eater are aimed more for the pre-teen market, less factual and dealing more with the spiritual side of life in those days than COTCB but similar style of writing.

 

[shaggystu]

.....Never heard of Wolf Brother or Quest for Fire tho, thanks for the link!

wolf brother was the first of the "chronicles of ancient darkness" series of novels by michelle paver, pretty much your standard road trip/coming of age novel but set in pre-historic britain. they're aimed at kids but i never let that kind of thing bother me. as it happens i'm currently half way through re-reading the second one, "spirit walker", and it's just as good as the first time.

if you want to borrow the first two, PM me your address and i'll pop them in the post for you (in a couple of days of course, i've got to finish one of them first!)

as for jean auel......................

stuart

 

[Stringmaker]

I think what impresses me about COTCB is the obvious quality of the research.

I did try reading it before I was interested in the subject matter so much; coming back to it now it makes so much more sense. I am actually learning all sorts of things from it as I read, such as making maxiumum use of a hide for cordage by cutting two spirals instead of strips. Obvious unless it hadn't occurred to you!

Quest for Fire is a great film too; kind of a condensed journey through early man's acquisition of new concepts, skills and technologies.

 

[neoaliphant]

ive read all of the COTCB series apart from the last which came out last year, it is apparently dissapointing
extremely well researched, especially the herb/plant lore, Ayla uses iron pyrites that behave a bit like a flame thrower it seems, but otherwise excellent books.

Film is OK, worth £2.80, not much bushcraft in film tho,

 

[John Fenna]

Compared to the books COTCB film is realy poor - still a good watch though it is just that the books are so much better!

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I've seen the movie quest for fire ( La guerre du feu) a lorra times, haven't read the book though.
Although full of anachronisms it's a fun watch as long as you don't take it as factual....not for kids though.
The directer Jean-Jacques Annaud also directed The Bear (l'ours) which some people here may be familiar with.

 

[TurboGirl]

ive read all of the COTCB series apart from the last which came out last year, it is apparently dissapointing

Thats exactly what I've heard... in fact the Earths Children series all tended downhill a bit in the later years for me with repetition and 'padding', she started writing more 'story' than researched facts and that always looses me I haven't bothered with the last book as the reveiws are awful for something that was supposed to bring together all the threads :S

 

[BOD]

What's the latest one called?

I might as well finish the whole series even if it is not as good as the earlier ones.

 

[Brewers Whoop]

Wolf Brother is available as an audiobook narrated by Ian McKellen, which young people are able to download free (and legally) from i-tunes as a series of podcasts. This technology proved completely beyond me of course, so I bought it. A brilliant 'listen' for the boy and I on a long car journey.

Never read COTCB, so I'll be checking those out. Seem to remember Rae Dawn Chong resting easily on the eye in Quest for Fire!

 

[HeltorChasca]

Great post . Thank you. I loved the Earth's Children books and will get the 6th one for sure when it's paperback. I've got the other 5 out of the loft for my 10 year old to read when she's ready. I might even re-read them myself.

I've also just bought the bought the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness set for me and she can read them later. Thanks again for that brilliant idea.....hc

 

[mousey]

Wolf Brother is available as an audiobook narrated by Ian McKellen, which young people are able to download free (and legally) from i-tunes as a series of podcasts. This technology proved completely beyond me of course, so I bought it. A brilliant 'listen' for the boy and I on a long car journey.

Never read COTCB, so I'll be checking those out. Seem to remember Rae Dawn Chong resting easily on the eye in Quest for Fire!

OOooohhhh

I don't think I can qualify for 'young person' status any more [although I do still occasionally get asked for I'd when buying a beer from the supermarket ] but I think I'm going to test my technical skills and try to download that....

 

[TurboGirl]

What's the latest one called?

Land Of the Painted Caves, released March 2012 in paperback- heres the advance order link at Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Land-Painte...4271/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326205436&sr=8-2

 

[BushcraftAndSurvival]

got given ccotcb last month, this has inspired me to get around to reading it

 

[Realbark]

Compared to the books COTCB film is realy poor - still a good watch though it is just that the books are so much better!

Always the case John. With a book you build pictures in your head - with a film its literally someone elses picture! Films always dissapoint compared to the books IMO.

 

[copper_head]

Clan of the CaveBear and the Valley of Horses are really good and has others had said meticulously researched, I'm up to Shelters of Stone now, and they definately go downhill in terms of storyline and well... credibility. At the point I'm up to Ayla has invented animal husbandry, fire from sparks, the wheel, hunting with hounds... And I'm pretty sure she rides a sabre tooth tiger at one point!

 

[Tengu]

QFF did a very good job of the marvel of being able to make your own fire, I thought. Which is all its about, really.