I do not even pretend to have deep knowledge of anthropology. But I know that KSR makes every attempt to get the science and engineering right in his future-focused books (including my new Robinson favorite, [b:Aurora|23197269|Aurora|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1436300570s/23197269.jpg|42742263]. So I assume the details in this novel are correct. The story itself is not particularly complex or world-shaking. None of the main characters are discovering new things or breaking new ground (as was the case in those groan-inducing Jean Auel novels). Here, the pleasure lies in getting to know the characters themselves and seeing life as it was in Ice Age times. And Robinson doesn't sugar-coat that life. He shows that it was filled with constant work, frequent hunger, and many kinds of dangers. But the humans in it are still humans: understandable and engaging. ( )

de fiecare dată când am citit Robinson mi s-a părut plictisitor, dar pentru că Șamanul nu e SF, ci realist cu o tușă de fantasy, am zis că poate e altfel. Și da, e altfel: e chiar muuuult mai plictisitor. Cum spunea deja alt cititor, e 10% poveste și 90% viața de zi cu zi în paleolitic. Ca să dau un exemplu, aprinderea unui foc ține 20 și ceva de pagini și nu conduce la ceva remarcabil. Doar la un foc...
Nu mi-a plăcut deloc, mi s-a părut infernală la ritm și uluitor de neinteresantă; nu o recomand deloc. ( )

I suspected while reading *The High Sierra*, by the same author, that Robinson had it in him to write a well-researched and empathetic treatment of Cro Magnon life. That turned out to be correct; I enjoyed this one a lot. His descriptions of the land and animals are evocative and seem personal, and he lends humanity to a people whose world view is both foreign and recognizable to us. Some of the details are, by necessity, speculative — tribal ("pack") behavior, religion, outlook, technology — but all these counterfactuals seem to me at least within the bounds of possibility, so they didn't distract from the story. ( )

DNF 55%: UGHHhhhhh ( )

A window into the ancient world. Slow paced, but the story draws you ever onward. ( )