Book 6 Release Date News!

OMG! There is finally news about Jean Auel's Book 6 release date and about Book 6 itself - and it's both good and bad!

The title is The Land of Painted Caves and it will be published on March 29, 2011. That's right fans! It's still a long time from now (bad news!), but at least there is a date (good news!)!

It was also announced that it will be the last book in the series - no book 7 (sad news). That is too bad, but hopefully it means The Land of Painted Caves will be full of character development to conclude the story. I can't wait!

Click here to read the article where I received this news.

Book 6 - What I Wish For...

Well, just finished another internet search looking for any information about the release date for Book 6. Of course, there is nothing new! So, I thought I would make list of things I am hoping to see (or not see!) in Book 6. You know, other than just the book itself before I'm 80!

1. Character development! I get that Jean likes to research a lot, and likes to give us every detail of that research. But lets be honest - all we really want is to know what happens to the characters. So I wish for very few long descriptions of landscapes or vegetation or caves or animals and lots of information about what the people are doing!
2. Minimal recaps. Yes, I know. Ayla has discovered/invented pretty much every modern convenience imaginable. But can we please not spend half the book "remembering" how she domesticated animals? Can we not rehash the fire stone discovery? Or talk about the thread puller? And while we're at it, I don't need to be reminded of salient moments from previous books unless they directly impact what is just about to happen. Even then, keep it brief!
3. No more Mother's Song. How many times did it appear in The Shelters of Stone. Six? Eight? I don't really know, because even the first time I read the book I stopped reading the Mother's Song after the first time. In fact, I grew to hate the Mother's Song, and I don't even read it once anymore when I re-read the book.

Well, those are my first three, and main wishes. Another time we'll talk about things I'd love to see in the storyline!

What are your wishes for Book 6?

Fan Fiction

If you're jonesing for a story about Jean Auel's wonderful characters, there is actually some really good Fan Fiction out there. I've read quite a few postings - some better than others. It's actually interesting how some of the stories are very similar to what happens to the characters in the "fan fic" in my head.

Of course, IMHO, you really need to learn the major character traits and plot lines before you start to write. Nothing will make me leave a fan fic story faster than reading that "a smile played at Brun's lips".

Here's the link to the one I'm reading right now. It starts with Durc as a young, newly mated adult, and is quite good so far.

Let me know what Fan Fic you have read and enjoyed!