The Shelters of Stone (Earth's Children #5) Book

Now in its fifth incarnation of The Clan of the Cave Bear...The Shelters of Stone, the decline is quite noticeable here, there is no real plot just Jondalar taking Ayla back to his home after being away for half a decade. Obviously missing the family , still his future mate is rather nervous understandably, her background ... raised by Flatheads as the Cro-Magnon call their disdained rivals, the less developed Neanderthals. They on the other hand more kindly referred, as the Others, the newcomers, are taking over the territories of the long established Neanderthals who have inhabited the lands for 200,000 years. And are not anxious to leave, nevertheless the static "Flatheads" are having trouble competing, haven't changed in those hundreds of thousands of years. The newcomers numbers are increasing, the original inhabitants, the opposite... survival of the fittest is the law of nature, their rivals strive to progress, always making better spears, knives, shelters, rafts etc., guess who will prevail? Arriving in an area after many tough adventures, ( crossing frozen glaciers, wide rivers, high mountains, not to mention battling wild dangerous animals, and unfriendly people) which someday will be the modern state of France. He Jondalar, is greeted by his mother Marthona, brother Joharran and sister Folara, and lesser relatives. However he needs to explain a missing close member...Yet not all are happy he's return especially bringing a foreign woman, along with her strange horses, and even stranger ways... Whinney, Racer and the lethal, giant wolf named improbably...Wolf, she too seems dangerous... maybe some kind of evil spirit..This group live under cliffs not large caves, rock shelters and very well indeed .The uneasy girl feels uncomfortable, they stare at the clothes, listen as she speaks with a weird accent and the unusual, living among her animals, this is not the Zelandonii custom, Jondalar's people, can she ever assimilate . Morona the beautiful, spoiled former love of Jondalar hates her, does anything to embarrass the foreign girl... Anyhow the couple needs to rest after the endless hardships of traveling together, Ayla wants to stay and belong, the teenager is desperate, having no people of her own, her man... simply...return to live as before . Still dark secrets are hidden , too painful to reveal , the past never forgotten, the memories constantly on her mind....The Clan raised the orphan, fed the little girl, gave a family to her, for a short time , taught her to be a healer...until she was able to take care of herself. The exile was involuntary, but Ayla somehow survived with the help, companionship of her animals in a lush valley, and later meeting Jondalar her lover, more important a friend. The novel has familiar characters and situations, that is a pleasure ...On to the sixth and last in the series, may it be good...