Reindeer
Moon, another book I bought cheaply at a secondhand book fair. It
somewhat grabbed my attention due to the premise and world building seemed
similar to Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear, a book I’ve liked for a long time
now. So how does it hold up? Let check it out. Reindeer Moon by Elizabeth
Marshall Thomas. Spoilers below the break.
This story follows a group of prehistoric humans living in
the Siberian wilds, most notably young Yannan, as she is wed to a man at a
young age (though considered a woman for their culture) and has to deal with
the wells and woes of her people and her sister, Meri.
This book isn’t as much as a real overarching plot, but more
some parts of the life of this girl. Reindeer Moon is divided up into a few
sections, all addressing a different part of her life. We don’t get to see her
grow up from when she was very young or anything, but just a few years or so (I
think) out of this girl’s life.
Something that I found very interesting about this book is
that it is being narrated posthumously by the main character. The first chapter
is just narrated in first person, which, okay, happens a lot. But soon after
that we get a chapter where we get to see Yannan enter the spiritual realm. She
still watches over her tribe, though, and also takes the form of various
animals after her death. But most of the story still focuses on her narrating
her life prior to her early death, with a few “spirit-chapters” where we
actively follow her as a spirit spliced in between.
There are obviously some fantasy elements to this book with
the spirit realm being real and us seeing the main character after her death
assume a few animal forms, but I honestly thought it worked well in the context
of the story. If it’s not for you, I get it, but it did it for me.
The main character was also definitely a good one. In
comparison to Ayla from Clan of the Cave Bear, who borders on being a Mary Sue
in the first book (and just downright becomes one in the later installments),
Yannan has a clear personality. It’s also good to keep in mind that she’s a
teenager through all of this. She’s outspoken and makes mistakes and will be
rude sometimes, but I liked her much more than boring Ayla.
The part of the story that appealed to me the most was the
world building it had. How these tribes functioned, what their beliefs are,
etc. The side characters aren’t mightily interesting, but they still get the
job done, too. Meri was my favorite non-main character, by the way!
Overall, I think that Reindeer Moon is a good story that at
the very least deserves a look. Not quite amazing or anything, still neat!
Rating: 4/5
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