# The long wait is over for Earth's Children fans! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 16, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386 "2010-06-16T02:36:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/1 "2010-06-16T02:36:17Z")
The 6th and last book will be released in March 2011. Press release is [here](http://www.scribd.com/doc/32056404/Press-Release-The-Land-of-Painted-Caves-by-Jean-M-Auel). Anybody else excited about this? ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/2 "2010-06-16T03:11:08Z")
Jeez. I guess I Should go and re-read Shelters of Stone and the Plains of Passage I Guess, as I don’t recall any of those books. But I did read _Clan of The Cavebear_ back in the 7th grade and really liked it, and I really enjoyed _Valley of the Horses_ as well. So yeah, I guess I’ll give it a read to see what’s been going on with Ayla and the gang. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/3 "2010-06-16T03:32:17Z")
I was very disappointed in Shelters of Stone, but I look forward to the finale of the series. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/4 "2010-06-16T13:01:14Z")
I just can’t bring myself to read the “Cave of the Bare Clan” series again, sorry. Too angsty for my tastes. The first volume mesmerized me when I was younger, though. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/5 "2010-06-16T13:37:32Z")
Let me guess–Ayla, bronze sex goddess, animal charmer, surgeon, and inventor, battles through adversity and emotional upheaval to invent representative democracy, a cultural exchange program with the Clan, and airplanes (and becomes the first member of the Mile High Club.) I keed, I keed. I enjoyed the books, but after the second one they got a bit silly with how insanely perfect Ayla is. And to be totally honest, the story was a lot more interesting when it was her trying to survive than after Twoo Wuv came on the scene. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/6 "2010-06-16T14:15:12Z")
I loved Clan and Horses, Mammoth too soap opera-ish but finished it. Plains I could not finish because almost all of it was descriptions of flora & fauna (FF)and sex, FF sex, FF sex, FF sex, FF sex… I did not bother with the last book. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/7 "2010-06-16T15:46:51Z")
I can’t say I am really _looking forward_ to it because I got kind of fed up with _Plains of Passage_ and _Shelters of Stone_, but I will nevertheless buy it and read it. I’m a sucker and I do want to know how it all gets wrapped up. Based on the title _The Land of Painted Caves_ I fear that Ayla is going to paint Lascaux. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/8 "2010-06-16T15:48:47Z")
Yeah, I have to say that I really enjoyed the first couple of books and always looked forward to the next one, but once the focus went to every “throbbing member” that Ayla could find, I just lost interest. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/9 "2010-06-16T16:29:29Z")
I’ll see it to the end of the story, but like others, after the first two books it all just blurred into a lot of FF & sex. StG ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/10 "2010-06-16T17:36:25Z")
I burned out after the Mammoth Hunters, but continue to read because I’m a completist. The FF and sex gets old, but at least in some of the later books other people actually invent things; Ayla just gets to take them to new and exciting places. I wonder what wonders Ayla’s daughter will get to invent! ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/11 "2010-06-16T18:05:02Z")
I had almost given up hope that there was going to BE a book 6!! The last few have been disappointing to me- LOVED the first two, the third wasn’t bad, but 4 & 5… meh. I \*have \*to read 6 to see how it all wraps up. ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/12 "2010-06-16T18:12:23Z")
Maybe she’ll invent the wheel in this one. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/13 "2010-06-16T18:19:59Z")
Whenever this series comes up, I recall that someone, in some thread long ago, referred to Ayla’s true love as Long Dong Jondular. That’s what I think every time _Clan of the Cave Bear_ is mentioned: Ayla and Long Dong Jondular Fuck Their Way Through Prehistory. So yeah, I’ll read it … but like everyone else, I could do with a whole lot less LDJ & Co. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/14 "2010-06-16T18:38:37Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Let me guess–Ayla, bronze sex goddess, animal charmer, surgeon, and inventor, battles through adversity and emotional upheaval to invent representative democracy, a cultural exchange program with the Clan, and airplanes (and becomes the first member of the Mile High Club.) . . . 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/15 "2010-06-16T20:19:16Z")
Oddly enough, I’ve just been re-reading these (the things you do when you finally get your books OUT of the boxes after 5 or so years!). I found that skipping over the flora, fauna, and sex made it a much quicker read, and far more enjoyable. I found out about the new book a couple days ago, and was pleased (for varying values of the word “pleased”) to see that this time it only took her about 9 years, instead of 12, to get to the end of it. Maybe she’s left out some of the FF&S … ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/16 "2010-06-17T09:57:24Z")
SQUEEE! I reread the whole series once a year or so. I really liked _Shelters of Stone_, enjoyed getting to know Zelandoni and Jondalar’s family. (LOL@ Long Dong Jondalar!) I second skipping over the sex scenes and the longer descriptions. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/17 "2010-06-18T19:29:18Z")
Yeah, I’ll read it, but I won’t admit it. I do remember in another thread, someone mentioned that Ayla scored a 99% on a Mary Sue test. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/18 "2010-07-01T03:42:59Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > I can’t say I am really _looking forward_ to it because I got kind of fed up with _Plains of Passage_ and _Shelters of Stone_, but I will nevertheless buy it and read it. I’m a sucker and I do want to know how it all gets wrapped up. > > Based on the title _The Land of Painted Caves_ I fear that Ayla is going to paint Lascaux. Sigh. I don’t think she’ll paint the caves. That will be Jonokol, former acolyte of Zeladonia. But Ayla will likely have visions that inspire at least part of the subjects. She’s already done that. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-long-wait-is-over-for-earths-children-fans/543386/19 "2010-07-02T19:21:13Z")
I like the flora and fauna scenes. Did anybody else do a groaning eyeroll when Ayla made up her daughter’s name by squishing their names together? Bleargh.