Jih's Journey

"A really interesting read taking current historical and archaeological research and spinning it into a fictional story with characters you become invested in! Following Jih along his dangerous journey to find the "power rock" leads him to so much more than he expected. A variety of characters, terrain, and hunting predators keeps the story full of adventure. I especially appreciated the notes the author included highlighting interesting facts, as well as the character portraits. One thing I would have loved was a glossary of the Emic translations provided throughout the story in the back of the book to refer to later if forgotten. Overall an imaginative story combining fact and fiction of the Paleolithic era! I look forward to more!"

"Jih's Journey is a fantastic romp through prehistory, with impeccably researched paleotech and a lushly populated world full of flora and fauna. The characters are unique and memorable, with well-realized personalities. If you like character driven stories, this book is for you. If you like extreme human relative vs stegodon action, this book is for you. If you've ever wanted to try flintknapping, this book is definitely for you. As an anthropologist, I really appreciated the work that's gone into this book. Xavier's a top-notch researcher and his care in crafting the prehistoric landscape. It's very obvious that an archaeologist wrote this book; the attention to detail is meticulous. But at the same time, it's not overwhelming. You don't feel like you're reading a textbook. The characters and their world feel very real- and while many of them might not feel like *friends,* they are rich and compelling. It's a look at a world that's very much unlike ours, populated with people who are very much like us at the core."