Customer Reviews

Beyond the Sea of Ice: The First Americans, Book 1

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In my opinion, this was an all-around good book. It captivated me through the duration of the novel and made me feel like I was really there. The author gives fantastic visual images but does not provide too much so that nothing is left up to the imagination. I understand that this is the first book of the series so all of the characters, settings, relationships, and plots must be introduced to give the reader some type of basis for reading. This process, in several books, can be uninteresting and tedious but Sarabande does a great job of keeping the reader entertained. Although, I'll admit, I chose this book to read because it appeared to be action-packed, I found myself emotionally invested in each of the characters as well as entertained by the intense action. They had to overcome countless adversities including the elements, the animals, and themselves. Their struggles to survive in the harsh environment were both compelling and inspiring. This book has everything... a great, well-developed, and interesting plot, believable and interesting characters with different relationships, an entertaining story-line, and even romance. I think it is an extremely well-written and well-thought out book. It defiantly deserves 4 solid stars.

The author must have put much thought into the framework of the story. It tells a story, but also give the reader an opportunity to "read between the lines." Full of action, drama, heartbreak and sex it is almost Biblical. The characters come alive and we see how many of today's applied beliefs and governmental systems may have come to be. Even though this story took place eons ago, the strain of society, getting along, argumental debates and electing a leader are all aspects that the reader can apply and see at work today. Please, don't let me scare you by saying that this book is "almost Biblical". Although I am of Christian faith, I always wondered about other parts of the world from the beginning, the differences in religions today and amazingly... I see that many have more in common than they realize. This book give us a clear understanding on how people gathered answers to the unanswerable. I'm on book four now and have enjoyed each book equally thus far. I highly recommend these first four of the series for anyone who enjoys fiction and has interests in Philosophy, Social and Anthropological History. It's not in anyway "Chick Flick Romanced" instead it's pretty hardcore.

This is not the worst book I ever read, nor the worst book I ever finished; the best I can say for it is that it held my attention while I was reading it. I took nothing away from it; it's the cheap action thriller of the prehistoric fiction genre, except of course that most of the fun in the cheap action thriller comes from its tendency not to take itself too seriously - a trait that Beyond the Sea of Ice certainly does not share. Despite its tendency to regard itself as epic fiction in the highest degree, it's not an intelligent read by any means, and while I don't expect earth-shattering conclusions from every piece I read, I also like to have engaging characters in my fluff, something I found painfully absent from this book. Sarabande's work suffers from the people-perfection syndrome and centers on characters without dimension. Their motivations are murky; at many points, they undertake the actions set to them not because they are people with motivations and goals of their own but because the script tells them to. If this book were a movie, it'd be the kind I might rent out of curiosity, watch once, go "okay then" and never see again.

The idea that Torka and Lonit become the Adam and Eve of prehistoric American civilization hurts me in ways I don't even think I can communicate.

This was a great book. Interesting characters, good plot, nice storyline. I really enjoyed Torka and Lonit's struggles to survive in this harsh land. Well I didn't really ENJOY it, but you get the picture. The first series by the author is decent, I had no problem reading all four books. The FIRST book in the next series is good. After that don't even buy them used, you'll still hate yourself. Just bask in the glow from the first series and pick a new author.

Petty, catty, backstabbing, powerhungry, cruel, spitefull, and vindictive to a certain extent in a hunter-gatherer culture, but mabey not to the extreme degree in this book.
A good first outing and a breakthrough work of pre-historic fiction.

I don't get the impression that there is a great deal of anthropological/archeological accuracy to these books. Also, much of the brutality is gratuitous, IMHO. Lastly, the author's style is rather weak. People of the Wolf and its successors are infinitely superior--better style, better stories/character development, and much better grounding in anthropology/archeology.

I'm a little suprised at the one very negative review posted, as I prefer Sarabande's sagas to Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series (I bought Auel's first book and never wanted to read another), but that just goes to show how opinions differ. Like another reviewer, I have eclectic taste and enjoy thriller, mystery, sci-fi and fantasy genres, but after giving this book a read, I liked it enough to run out and purchase several more. I think some are better than others and haven't tried to read them all. They do go on forever! But if you peruse the back cover copy you can select the storylines and timeframes that most appeal to you.

Since Beyond the Sea of Ice begins the saga of Man leaving Siberia and entering the Americas via a land bridge, it's a good place to begin. I found the main characters simple, but compelling. It seems to me that each represents a role within prehistoric society: the hunter, the wife/mother, the elder, etc. They are developed as individuals, but they also serve to highlight the author's painstaking and detailed research. The author (actually a woman writing under a pseudonym) has a dramatic, very visual style. I think she does an excellent job of bringing the prehistoric world--in this case the windswept Siberian and Alaskan tundra--to life All the details of daily life are here--how camps were set up, clothes and weapons made, game stalked, wounds dressed; how men, women, children, and the elderly may have interacted in prehistoric hunting/gathering society. These theories are NOT presented in a boring way, but they are a big part of the story. So if you're looking for pure action, this is not the book for you.

The story begins when an insane mammoth attacks some hunters, then follows their trail back to the main group's encampment where it wreaks havoc on the inhabitants. The sole survivors, the young hunter Torka, the strange "round-eyed" girl Lonit, and Torka's grandfather and spirit master Umak begin an epic trek across the Bering Strait. Along the way they encounter caribou, dire wolves, a great cave bear, and Galeena, the wily leader of another small band decimated by the same malevolent mammoth. Galeena competes fiercely with Torka for leadership once the two bands unite. The outcome of their struggle will determine the band's future and survival.

And always far behind them follows the mammoth. Thunder Speaker. World Shaker. The Destroyer: "Torka paused, his eyes inextricably drawn back across the way they had come. The plain lay far below. The miles seemed to tremble in a glaring haze born of distance. And in that haze, upon the far horizon, he could just make out a dark form following . . . its back as high as the distant hills, its tusks glinting in the sun, its color as red as dried blood."

I know most of the reviews here are favorable - I will go out on a limb and say I severely disliked this book and will never pick up another by the same author. The characters were flat, the plot unbelievable, the conflict forced (and distasteful), and the writing bad.

For example, all throughout the book the characters don't use pronouns, then all of a sudden they're using them. There's a lot of cheesiness where the author tries move the reader emotionally and falls flat. I hated the part in the middle with the "visitors," (trying to not give away the plot) it made me cringe it was so obvious what was going to happen and what should not have. The characters are all evil or all good - or they make a complete switch midstream. And how many books am I going to read where a woman gets pregnant after having sex ONE time! Not that it's impossible but come on! :)

If you're looking for an Auel fix - re-read the series. Don't try to find a replacement here.

Another interesting book written by Sarabande.

William Sarabande proves in this first installment of the "First American's" series that he is a truly great writer. His ability to quickly introduce the reader to characters that you can care about is really quite fantastic. Sarabande paints a picture of his Pre-Historic times crisply, providing the reader with a vivid image on the landscape, elements, and people. I could hardly wait to read the next book in the series!