The Ice Lion by Kathleen O’Neal Gear
Review by Melissa B. (dragoneyes)
A tale that is set in the far future where the earth is now in ice age. It is cold and growing colder. Humans have survived but they are not like the humans of today. They look different and are more adaptable to the freezing terrain. There are also animals that survived. Some are the prey of man and others, the man is the prey. It is a brutal world and you must keep watch for hungry beasts, severe weather and other savage clans.
In this book we meet the Sealion People. From the very beginning there is a tragic event that sets Lynx, a kind-hearted boy, off on a journey to find himself. Along the way he meets and elderly man that looks very different from any clan member that he has ever seen. He realizes later that the old man is the last of the Jemen. Stories tell of these transcendental beings that existed long ago and created the people that now exist so that mankind would not go extinct. Together, they set off only to get separated trying to help others.
Quiller, who is in love with Lynx and also a good friend, sets off with a group to try to find him. They come upon a massacre of a rival clan and find 3 children who survived. Quiller automatically takes them under her protection. Now burdened with the decision of taking care of the children or finding her friend, she goes on her own journey.
While I really enjoyed the story and found the characters charismatic, I did struggle with the backstory for this one. I didn’t feel that the Jemen, the climate change incident and the odd things they found were well developed. I got more of what happened in the past by reading the synopsis of the book than the book itself. Hoping that book 2 will go into more depth on that topic.
