Zan-Gah Review

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman

Zan-Gah, seeking his lost twin brother in a savage prehistoric world, encounters adventure, suffering, conflict, captivity, and final victory. In three years hero passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a position of leadership among his people. Themes include survival, brotherhood, cultures, gender roles, psychological trauma, and nature's wonders and terrors. This is the electronic version of Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure, which has been awarded Mom's Choice Gold Medal for Series, the Eric Hoffer Notable Book Award, and was a finalist for ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year.

My Review:

I had no idea what to expect from this book except for it being set in a prehistoric era. When I picked it up to start reading, I wondered if I really wanted to begin it when I had so many other books to read. However, once I actually made my way through the book I became fascinated with this boy-to-man story.

Zan starts off as that kid who is trying so hard to be a man. His journey to manhood had me gasping, laughing and ready to turn the next page so I could see what happened next! Zan is the type of character that you don't expect to like, until you get to know him. He's honest, meaning he won't hold back his true feelings on the matter at hand. He's athletic, meaning he'll harm you if necessary, or get your dinner. The side characters like Zan's Uncle Chul, Aunt Siraka-Finaka, and Rydl made me smile through almost all of their story mentions.

The plotline of the story was completely unpredictable, well maybe not the ending, but every other aspect was something I didn't expect. One minute Zan-Gah would be scrambling over cliffs, and the next he would be wandering in the desert.

All in all, I'd recommend this book for anyone who just wants to try something different from the paranormal, fantasy, or contemporary books that rule your life. Also, I know this would have been one of my favorite books when I was in middle school/junior high, so anyone who has relatives or neighbors that age, you might want to prod them into reading this book, especially boys who are coming of age.

4/5 stars

*I received a copy of this book from the Earthshaker Books to review. This in no way altered my opinion/review.