Saturday, March 13, 2010

Zan-Gah-A Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman

Title: Zan-Gah-A Prehistoric Adventure
Author: Allan Richard Shickman
ISBN: 9780979035708
Publisher: Earthshaker books/2007
Pages: 148

A coming of age story of Zan-Gah, is well told. Filled with adventure, it kind of gets hold of the reader right from the beginning. Zan-Gah sets out to find his twin brother Dael, who has walked off after a trivial fight with Zan-Gah and now is lost.

In his quest for his brother, our hero goes through captivity, conflict, finds love along with getting re-united his twin brother, Dael. In the three year period, Zan-Gah emerges as a strong, intelligent person along with leadership qualities, filled with vision.

We are introduced to a savage, cruel world. Yet there is beauty and heroism in its people. As it is prehistoric, the survival mode of people is well depicted in caves and to what length they go to save themselves from the natural vagaries. Despite the brutalities, love and friendship persists. The various clans, the Ba-Coro, the Noi, and the wasp people (who use poison-tipped spears to sting like wasps) come alive for us through the words of the author.

I am already half-way through the sequel, Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country.

2 comments:

Allan Richard Shickman said...

Hi Guatami, I'm glad you liked my first Zan-Gah book and are reading the second. I really like the Kafka quote you have at the top of your blog. I tried to write books that would "wound and stab"—a little bit.

Thanks for reviewing.

ARS

Allan R. Shickman said...

WOW! All of a sudden the Zan-Gah orders have started pouring in. I don't know what happened. It must be all of those blog reviews I have been getting lately. Not a single order for a while, and suddenly I am selling Zan-Gah by the case! I may even have to go to press again (3rd printing!). My thanks to you, to my many reviewers, and to all of my new readers. People are paying attention.