Florida, Long Ago

Many years ago -- about 10,000 years, to be specific -- the peninsula of Florida was inhabited by a plethora of animals and plants, and by tribes of early humans who made their living by hunting and gathering. David O'Connor's novel The Beast and the Silent Blue brings this time to life through woven storylines of mentorship, tribal politics, and the appearance of the Beast, with many indications that it is the last of its kind.    

Another intriguing aspect of this novel is its geographical connection to the area we now call Paynes Prairie, a wilderness preserve near Gainesville, Florida, where bison and wild horses still roam.   

Through the eyes of Old One, a hunter whose prime is past, we learn the history of these people. Only the children still look to him for guidance, but it's clear that he has both knowledge and wisdom that surpass the current leaders, and especially the current leader, The Strong One, who seems to revere power and the exercise of force above all else. Old One feels he is becoming a burden to the tribe, because an injury has left him unable to hunt with the others. But he stays on the periphery to teach the children, contribute small game when he can, and keep watch on an ominous situation: The Strong One has his eye on one of Old One's students, a girl who is not receptive to The Strong One's intentions. Old One hopes to protect her but he's not sure how to accomplish that.

The appearance of the Beast -- or rather, the calls and tracks of the Beast -- brings a crisis of a different kind to the village, accompanied by the appearance of a competing band of early humans called The Strangers. Only the Old One's memory and cunning give the village a chance of success.  

I have long resisted pre-historic novels, but this tale won me over. I felt I was learning a tremendous amount about pre-historic life in Florida. If it was difficult for me to fully "suspend my disbelief" and sink fully into the story, that's on me. It's engrossing, fast-paced, intriguing, and mysterious. Old One's tale of late-life usefulness and understanding keeps us reading, reflects his time, and touches us all.

Excerpt:

[Old One] sniffed to scrutinize the smell. His heart thumped in his chest as if he were actually seeing the animal charge rather than only anticipating its presence. The odor was unmistakable. It was not the familiar smell of deer or the rarer peppery smell of cat. It hurled him back in time to the small child at the core of what he had become. Struggling to stand, he took the risk of exposure.

He stepped to the side and leaned out to check the blind spot of the tree's crown. It, too, was empty. But the smell set afire his awareness. And there was the disturbed ground, the uprooted scallions, a moist lump of excrement. It was alive. It was somewhere near. The Beast had returned.   

Note: This book counts toward the Color Coded Reading Challenge and the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.