The Land of the Painted Caves

Post by **vison** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:22 am

Jean Auel's 6th (and, one hopes, final) book in the Earth's Children series is about to be released: Land of the Painted Caves.

I've read 2 reviews, not very enthusiastic, but I admit I will read it just to see if Ayla invents nuclear fusion and is the first woman on Mars.

Post by **narya** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:22 pm

Oh boy! 500 more pages of botany and sex!

Post by **Inanna** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 6:06 pm

I didn't know about this author, or the series. notes down name

Post by **Maria** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 4:27 pm

I only read the first two and quit. Or maybe I quit in disgust after starting the third?? I really don't remember, but it did seem like too much stuff was being invented by a single character. She would have done better to have based her other books on new characters, I think.

Post by **Alatar** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:14 pm

Ah yes! Ayla, the ultimate Mary Sue.

Post by **vison** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:10 am

I confess I rather enjoyed the first 3 books. Ms. Auel did a lot of research into the flora and fauna of the period and it was quite interesting to read.

I admit the 4th and especially the 5th book were just awful. But I'm in for the long haul and will read number 6 out of a kind of weird loyalty to Ayla. I like her.

Post by **axordil** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:29 pm

It's not just the Mary Sue aspect that makes the story memorable--don't forget the clumsy sex scenes! And of course, since Ayla invented the missionary position too, they're, ah, intertwined...

In many ways, Auel was just doing what a lot of male genre authors had been doing for years (and continue to do): writing about improbably talented and sexually active protagonists doing interesting stuff in an interesting setting. The fact that hers was, you know, a girl, was the only different.

Post by **vison** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 4:20 pm

Were the sex scenes clumsy?

Post by **Alatar** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 4:26 pm

All I remember is that some guy had to keep listening to Ayla and Jondalar bonking while gritting his teeth, cause well, he couldn't actually say anything, and of course, she couldn't say no, cause she was a female and the guy hadn't phrased it as a question and.... enough already!

OR maybe Jondalar was the guy listening. I forget.

Post by **Griffon64** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:37 am

I rather enjoyed the first 2 books because of the depth of research. The third wasn't too bad but the overwrought thing going on between Jondalar and Ayla and who-ever that third guy was ( R- something ... I think ) got old. And I quickly started skipping through parts of the 4th where it was just scenery description for pages at a time, or repetitious paragraphs explaining how people react to Ayla's awesomeness. I found the 5th book quite awful, but I will read the 6th out of that sense of loyalty or ... something

It takes a lot for me to stop reading a series ( except in the case of that L. Hubbard thing where it took a smallish portion of the first book only )

I think my copy of the 2nd one is a secondhand copy and a previous owner had dogeared all the sex scenes page, and someone else had folded them back. I didn't notice the creases when I bought the book, yikes.

I do hope she stops after this one. I had no idea - *no idea* - that a sixth novel was even coming out. I'd probably wait a year or two and pick it up for 50 cents at a second hand bookstore

Post by **vison** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:52 am

I read that she had contracted for 6 books, so we shall hope this is the last.

I also read somewhere that she has a MAJOR problem with booze, but I guess that's just gossip.

Post by **Inanna** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:20 pm

Has anyone read George R.R. Martin? I just received a Borders email about his new book. Is his fantasy series any good?

Post by **Alatar** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:34 pm

Its supposed to be fantastic, however, its not finished and having been annoyed by Robert Jordan, I had decided to wait until he finished the series.

Now, the Game of Thrones series is coming to HBO, so I'm reconsidering!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpJYNVhGf1s

Post by **Pearly Di** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 5:24 pm

vison wrote:I've read 2 reviews, not very enthusiastic, but I admit I will read it just to see if Ayla invents nuclear fusion and is the first woman on Mars.

I've not read this series, although have certainly heard of it, and this comment made me

Post by **Maria** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:39 pm

Mahima wrote:Has anyone read George R.R. Martin? I just received a Borders email about his new book. Is his fantasy series any good?

We listened to all four very long books and liked them- but were a bit dismayed at the non-appearance of "Dances with Dragons" in 2007 as promised. Now that it's finally coming out this July, we'll probaby buy the audiobook right away. Of course, I've forgotten most of the preceding story by now, so I'll have to read some blurbs somewhere before we start this last one.

edit: I hope it's the last one! Four years between books is too slow! Wrap it up already!

Post by **Alatar** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:11 pm

Its not...

Post by **Maria** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:29 pm

Maybe I'll wait until the last book is published, then. I'm already playing the waiting game with two other series, but at least those authors only have single year gaps between books. Mr. Martin just doesn't seem to have much enthusiasm for the project anymore.

That, or really long books just take a lot longer to write than short ones....

The Hall of Fire

The Land of the Painted Caves

The Land of the Painted Caves

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