A prehistoric adventure, this is the third of the Zan-Gah young adult books. When Dael, guilty and tormented, came to live with the tribe of the painted people, he longed for peace and restoration; but without knowing it, he made a powerful enemy. Luckily, Dael had friends-including a troop of crows-and his own mystical powers. The disturbed and violent hero learns from the Children of the Earth, and from his submissive wife, a new way of life that is peaceful and generous. Dael and the Painted People is a story of conflict, healing, hate, and love by the winner of the Eric Hoffer Award, a finalist for the ForeWord magazine Book of the Year Award, and the Mom's Choice Gold Seal for Excellence in a family-friendly book series.
(Summary from GoodReads)
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The Zan-Gah series is definitely one that has grown on me as I have read more of it. This book is a self discovery and coming of age story, which is where Shickman clearly excels. In terms of writing and plot, Dael and the Painted People was my favorite and showed how much Allan Richard Shickman has grown as a writer.
Dael spends a lot of time with a character named Sparrow as he goes on a journey to find peace. Of course, it was fascinating to learn about Sparrow and Dael’s new life. I loved reading about Dael’s interactions with everyone around him, but especially Sparrow.
Much moreso than the other two books in this series, I felt that Dael and the Painted People was a spiritual and poetic story. While there is still some action, it’s about healing and new beginnings. I preferred this one to the first two books in the series is that the slower and quieter but still emotional tone better showcased Shickman’s talents as a writer.
While the Zan-Gah books may not be among my very favorites ever, I am really impressed with how much Shickman grew as a writer throughout the course of this series. I think this would be a great series for readers ages 10-14 who are interested in this particular era or have exhausted all the other historical fiction. I’m sure that as Shickman keeps writing his work will only get better and better.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Other reviews:
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Other reviews:
Thank you for your sympathetic review. I am gratified that you see development in my writing. I hope you also perceive that my characters grow in the course of the three book series, not just me. Zan, Dael, Rydl, and Siraka-Finaka change and grow significantly. Character development is central to my writing. I don't think much of books that don't have this feature, and when I think back on the novels I have really loved, they all had it and concentrated on it.
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