Book Review: Song of the Earth
I picked up John Dann’s Song of the Earth in the library the other day, lured by the blurb on the front that read “In the tradition of Clan of the Cave Bear.” You see, I’m a very big fan of what I guess you would call pre-historical fiction.
In Song of the Earth, we are told the story of how modern man (as opposed to all the homo erectus, homo habilis, and other pre-human species) emerged from Africa and came to populate the rest of the world. A good idea for a book, but unfortunately, the execution falls flat.
Dann’s book covers a large span of time, but in doing so, manages to gloss over any of the details that make a book interesting to read. There is very little character development, and the explanation of new discoveries and inventions is weak and simplistic. Over and over, we hear characters say “oh, you just made a new word, what does that mean?” And the new words are often less difficult than other abstract concepts and words that the characters have already been using.
Nowhere in this book did I feel a real connection with any of the characters. If any died, it was not upsetting.
If you’re interested in pre-history, I’d go straight to Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear and the rest of the books in the series. She’s on the complete opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to writing and detail! I’ve also enjoyed Sue Harrison’s Mother Earth Father Sky, set in North America. I’d skip Song of the Earth, though, if I were you.
