Here are some comments about The Eyes of the Leopard from young readers, archaeologists, and others.
Archaeologists:
In The Eyes of the Leopard, the author manages to recreate the world of the Solutreans [an Ice Age culture], their ways of life and of thinking in an entirely believable way. And the book makes for fascinating reading: when I started on it, I could not put it down!
— Jean Clottes, author of 20 books on cave art and the Upper Paleolithic, including What is Paleolithic Art?, and the leading archaeologist in documenting Chauvet Cave and Cosquer Cave. He was also Scientific Advisor on rock art for the French Ministry of Culture.
_____________________
The Eyes of the Leopard features a boy in Southwest France, 20,000 years ago, a time of complex hunters-gatherers during the Ice Age. Other novelists have tried to capture this time and place, often almost as sci-fi thrillers, but Hayden’s story is different. It rings true in details of everyday life and of extraordinary moments of the boy’s first communal hunt, his exploration of a forbidden cave, and his initiation into the group’s secret society. Hayden demonstrates a novelist’s ability to capture human experiences of friendship, rivalry, love, and survival in this vivid coming of age story. With a deep understanding of forager societies and a life-time career as an archaeologist, Hayden also provides a comprehensive scientific knowledge of their lives and achievements. These elements may exist in writings by other authors and anthropologists, but to combine them all so successfully is remarkable. I highly recommend this novel to the young reader certainly, but really to anyone interested in historical fiction.
—Timothy Earle, Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University, author of The Evolution of Human Societies and numerous works on inequality and social complexity.
___________________________
The Eyes of the Leopard is a true work of science fiction written by an archaeologist who shares his knowledge in the most generous way.
Choosing as a hero a teenager full of expectations at the mysterious doors of the adult world of Paleolithic hunters generates a strange and fascinating scenario. The book immerses the reader in a multitude of adventures and discoveries both for the hero living in the Ice Age in southwestern France as well as for today’s readers in the modern world.
The style and the words exchanged have the vivacity of a graphic novel.
With his talent, through the eyes of a young hero, Brian Hayden makes us discover the life of the great hunters of the Paleolithic that he knows so well. The hero’s candor and his desire to succeed in the world of hunters in glacial Europe avoids any didactic style and any radical explanation that could kill the imagination of the young or adult reader.
Reading Brian Hayden and following up this eminent archaeologist pursuing his most rational writings with a convincing and poetic fiction, one is in true admiration.
Through the thoroughly documented stories that compose The Eyes of the Leopard, we travel to the heart of an imaginary country, but above all we move between places of adventure which are the most exceptional habitats and decorated caves that archaeological science has revealed to the world in the last century and a half. This saga takes place between the most famous European Paleolithic sites of the Ice Age which are never named but which are as well known places as Lascaux or the Vézère Valley. This saga is therefore also a breathtakingly realistic story that compels admiration.
This story goes far beyond Brian Hayden’s scientific writings; it sublimates them and anchors them in the passion of our society for sciences of the ancient times.
— Jean-Michel Geneste, former Chief Curator of the Lascaux Caves for over 20 years and currently the Chief of Scientific Studies of the Lascaux and Chauvet Caves. He was Director of the National Centre of Prehistory, and is an Honorary General Curator of French heritage.
______________________________
I find this book a real success. It offers an unusual description of the life of the group of hunter-gatherers of the Upper Paleolithic far from the usual clichés. Life is hard and the dangers are numerous–not only because of the wild animals, ice conditions and famines but also because of the humans themselves: competition, rivalries, and jealousy. The reader discovers throughout the pages that Brian Hayden is not only one of the most renowned ethno-archaeologists but that he is also a fine connoisseur of human psychology. With great sensitivity, he narrates the inner torments and confusion of a teenager faced with the mysteries of existence (not forgetting love). The writing is lively and the dialogues totally credible.
Behind the fiction, Brian Hayden also reconstitutes in a very convincing way the daily life of these people: the collective hunts, the initiation rites, the role of the art of the caves, and the importance of traditions. A book intended for children but which paradoxically describes a prehistoric time that can be much closer to the reality than many specialized manuals.
—Emmanuel Guy is a researcher in prehistory (Phd, Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne) author of Préhistoire du sentiment artistique (les presses du réel, 2011) and Ce que l’art préhistorique dit de nos origines (Flammarion, 2017).
_________________________
An engaging tale — of survival, rivalry, mysticism and love in the last Ice Age – which will appeal to children looking for something to stimulate their imagination.
—Paul Bahn, author of “Images of the Ice Age.”
_______________________
Archaeologists studying the human evolutionary past are generally
timid about straying from conventional scholarship and into the
potentially treacherous paths of archaeological storytelling. What
differentiates Brian Hayden’s interpretative fiction from most
mass-market novels is how the author seamlessly draws from the full scope of
his long-standing archaeological and ethnographical skills and
insights to breathe humanity into the world of the Last Ice-Age 20,000
years ago. Anyone who is keen to discover an imaginary, but by no
means unimaginable hunter-gatherer past, will enjoy this book.
—Luc Moreau, editor of Social Inequality before Farming?
Children’s & Parents’ Comments:
Nicholas Hayes: I found this a very good book. It was interesting but parts of it made me a little sad, especially when Xabi drowned and the other kid was blamed even though trying to help him. This is a strong story.
I also found the hunting scenes in the early chapters really cool–especially his successful, first deer hunt. It was something that made sense to me. This was resourceful of him and it was very clear and well described.
I found the chapter about how Bakar stole the girl friend and ‘married’ her very different and a bit strange. Very different from how things work now.
I think this was a pretty harsh culture and clans—they put a lot of pressure on their kids but made them strong too. They taught them tons of things and skills it would be interesting to learn. The book described this pretty well.
My name is Nicholas Hayes. I am in the 5th grade and I like sports and WWII history.
Jack Hayes (parent): Nicholas finished it, devoured it really, and then reread it.
_____________________________
Eloïse Wilmsen, 5th grader
I think The Eyes of the Leopard is a good book. It was very hard to put the book down once I started reading it. Although it doesn’t talk about it much, it tells you what things would have been like before. Like to light a fire with a stick and rock. I liked learning about Sev as if it was really set in the past. It explained Sev’s character so you knew a lot about him by the end. The story also describes his surroundings really well. I also like the end because he becomes someone from the Lion’s Lodge. I enjoyed the structure of the book. It goes from one part of the story to the other and it always connects. It doesn’t go from one part of the story to something completely different. I think the thing that I liked the most about the book was the map of the bear clan territory but altogether I liked the whole book. I liked the map and how it described to you all of the places that you could go. The map gave you details about where Sev and the other characters were going—it explained where they had gone. I was surprised that the springs were so far away from each other. I think it’s a good book—I want to read it again! I hope another book like this one will come out.
Dylan Wilmsen (parent): we all very much enjoyed the story
__________________________
Serene Watson: Homeschooling mother of Ben (10 )and Bodhi (6): My boys were captivated by the first chapter of The Eyes of A Leopard and begging for more as I read it aloud. The Eyes of the Leopard was a great family read for us to enjoy together. I imagine this unique story will be read again by my boys on their own as it delighted their imaginations.
Others:
I couldn’t put it down and neither could my daughter. The Eyes of the Leopard is a triumph of historical fiction: bringing to life a time rarely written about, with the detail and nuance only an archeologist of Brian Hayden’s caliber could provide.
Don’t miss this read and share it with every school teacher, child, and amateur archeologist in your life. They will thank you for it.”
—Manda Aufochs Gillespie, author of the Green Mama series of books, founder of Folk University, & passionate YA book club leader
___________________
This fascinating adventure story for pre-teens reads on many levels. It can be enjoyed for the adventure and drama of the life of a boy in stone age Europe 20,000 years ago as he navigates coming of age, developing needed skills and understanding the mysteries of his society. Interwoven within the narrative is subtle learning for young and old readers on the geography, ecology, culture, diet and secret societies of his times. The information, conveyed accurately through the skills of Dr. Hayden, an internationally famed archeologist, enriches but does not impede the flow of the story. The emotions of Sev, the protagonist, are complex but recognizable as he deals with his own doubt, skepticism and fear to succeed in the next step of his life. I loved the book and the illustrations. I enjoyed it as an adult and want a copy for the kids as well. –Kirstie Overhill Physician and mother of three children
___________________________
We like to be transported from our daily lives to extraordinary places; very few people in the world have the knowledge to transport you 20,000 years into the past and the skill to make you live it.
Brian Hayden will embed you in the Bear Clan 20,000 years ago, when you will see the hunts, the feasts, the initiations, the ceremonies, the loves and griefs that mark it all.
You will participate with Sev in the life of the Bear Clan and be transported to a world that has long disappeared.
—Gabirel Dinim, weaver, photographer
_________________________
___________________
At first, I was skeptical about Brian Hayden’s goal to expose young people to archeology through reading a story. But by the time I started the 2nd chapter I was hooked on the story! I’m a fairly busy person so I have to admit, I didn’t read it all in one sitting; it took me two! The archeological aspects–the daily life of people living so long ago–are so well integrated into the storyline that I didn’t even know I was learning about them! Everything just flowed. I hope he’s planning a second book because I need to know if the hero gets to wed the girl he loves and how he fares with his initiation journey alongside his villain rival. Highly recommended even for older adults who like to read stories that make them feel young at heart.
—Rich Sobel, biologist, musician, composer, author
_________________________
The Eyes of the Leopard is an engaging journey though time to 20,000 years ago, offering an imaginative and intimate look at the everyday lives of hunter-gatherers–ancestors to us all.
I was fascinated by this coming-of-age story, set amidst the day-to-day life-ways of the Bear Clan and the challenges faced by young Sev. We learn how the resourceful Sev makes stone tools, like knives, spearheads, and scrapers–the tools he needs to help provide his family with food in a sometimes harsh environment. We see him growing more capable as he is challenged by the learning of hunting skills, by competition with rivals, and by the arduous attempt to join the ranks of the most important men of his community–all while buoyed by the wish to win the hand of an intriguing young woman.
The writing is deeply informed by the esteemed author’s lifetime of study, teaching, and writing in the realm of archaeology and ethnography, and flows easily from chapter to chapter, with a narrative, though primarily aimed at a younger readership, that can easily appeal to readers of all ages.
I read the advance copy of the book on the iPad, where the design of the book and its typography were a perfect fit. The artwork by Eric Carlson adds beautiful visual support to the narrative. I really enjoyed the book.
—Robert MacNevin, musician, senior drafting technician, book designer and layout artist
_________________________
It was a delightful trip with a chance to meet characters who displayed personalities that still exist, but set in their prehistoric context.
It is a wonder story with a message that hopefully will be heard by many young folk.
—Paul Gitlitz, musician, composer, teacher