Meet the Ancestors

The ice age is not a period that is terribly well-represented in fiction. Indeed, just trying to imagine how anyone could function in such harsh conditions is beyond the scope of most imaginations. Nevertheless, this is the task that Peter Stockwell has set himself in his novel, The Horse Painters, and the result is a vivid and sympathetic picture of early human existance.

Some of us may think it strange and even incomprehensible just to contemplate photographs of our grandparents and to imagine the way they lived. Peter Stockwell goes one step further in his novel, The Horse Painters, and conjures up scenes of the relentlessly challenging lot of our ancestors living through the ice age.

The story of The Horse Painters revolves around the adventures of two cave-dwelling bothers, Umalik and Aku. Their sister, Aariak had been a gifted painter of animals - a gift believed to draw animals to the family in order to be hunted and provide vital food. The jealousy of Uirngut, another young boy, leads him to murder Aariak, believing that he will acquire her talent. As Aariak is only person in the family with the gift, her killer must be caught and killed in order to bring the soul of the Horse Painter back to the family and save them from starvation. Umalik vows to avenge his sister’s death, despite the knowledge of danger on the hunt. With his pet wolf accompanying him and his younger brother Aku, the journey takes them through perils of the wild, dangers of other humans and the conditions of the ice age weather as they track down Uirngut.

The boys’ journey offers a vivid portrayal of everyday life for ice age hunter-gatherers, where obtaining food is a daily challenge and treacherous weather conditions pose a constant threat. But in its clear story telling, The Horse Painters presents a wholly sympathetic and recognisable portrait of characters who, although not of our time, bear a striking family resemblance to 21st Century human beings. Life for our ancestors may have presented constant threats and perilous conditions but we also see a certain harmony with nature, a respect for fellow creatures - human or animal - and a wisdom engendered by the imperatives of living in such a demanding environment.

Peter Stockwell is a writer, walker and naturalist. His stories for both adults and children have been published widely and read on National Radio. The Horse Painters, his first novel, was inspired by his knowledge and love of the arctic, its wildlife and its people.

The Horse Painters is a delightful book that grips the imagination of readers, young and old, and transports them to a world that both intrigues through its strangeness and gives comfort through its underlying humanity and kindness.