Shaman - Kim Stanley Robinson Audiobook

Written by Kim Stanley Robinson
Read by Graeme Malcolm
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 48 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher’s Summary
There is Thorn, a shaman himself. He lives to pass down his wisdom and his stories - to teach those who would follow in his footsteps. There is Heather, the healer who, in many ways, holds the clan together. There is Elga, an outsider and the bringer of change. And then there is Loon, the next shaman, who is determined to find his own path. But in a world so treacherous, that journey is never simple - and where it may lead is never certain.

Review

I had almost given up on Kim Stanley Robinson. Although I love the Mars Trilogy (warts and all), his subsequent work seems to have degenerated as his brilliant ideas are too often let down by plotless pontificating and lengthy passages that read as though he is typing up his research notes. After the execrable disappointment of “2312″, I had sworn off him.

But the good reviews of Shaman made me take a risk - and it is indeed wonderful, one of the best things Robinson’s done in a long time. Although this is not a book with a lot of plot, and much of the writing is clearly based on immense amounts of research, the structure is clear and focused, and the descriptive writing is always clearly tied to developing the relationships between the characters. The novel plunges you into an alien world and all the myriad details serve toward making that world feel intensely real. And the central relationship of Loon and Thorn is a sensitive and moving depiction of the value of passing on knowledge.

Having read other attempts at depicting this period - “Clan of the Cave Bear” and “The Inheritors”, I found this one by far the most convincing and absorbing. I particularly liked the way Robinson rendered the Neanderthal character - he’s succeeded in creating a figure that is intelligent and humane and yet not *quite* human.

I recommend that readers watch Werner Herzog’s documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” before reading, as the book is clearly inspired by it and it will enrich the cave-painting scenes.

The narrator is so good and makes the novel flow so effortlessly that I cannot thing of anything to say about him - the highest compliment possible!