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Legends abound about long lost female warrior tribes. These tall blonde women known for their fighting skills, would capture men for procreation, kill them, then raise the female offspring. In the vein of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible epic and Jane Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear saga, here Ken Filing sets his central character on an adventurous path carved from the harsh beauty of the Amazon Basin.
Calida is the beautiful warrior child destined to become a leader. As a smart and skilled fighter, she also maintains an innate curiosity about the healing powers of native plants. When a volcanic earthquake destroys her tribal village, Calida embarks on an evolutionary journey to find a new home and hopefully to locate the missionary doctor she believes to be her father.
Through strong narrative and creative vision, Filing brings to life the sights and sounds of the Amazon jungle. With a traveler's eye he knowingly details the scope of coffee-colored waterways, monstrous reptiles, and preying beasts. In this humid terrain ripe for malaria and dengue fever, the intended flight of a poison blowdart is likened to a mosquito's ominous buzz. From dangerous river excursions and near plane disasters, to white slavery encounters and nefarious pharmaceutical dealings, Calida navigates unsettling territory. Contrasts of an antiquated rainforest and the modern day world showcase classic themes of man vs. nature and man vs. man.
As an artful blend of historic myth, ancient tribal culture, and the consequences of modern technology, Filing's novel is rich in storyline and character. Here readers will follow Calida's full-circle odyssey along an arcing path that honors loyalty, friendship, family bonds, and the warrior spirit. Ultimately it is a captivating, literary adventure into the heart of the Amazon jungle and indigenous humankind.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review