Driven from her home. Stalked by enemies. Now her closest ally may be a traitor.
In her recent novel, The Quest for Home, Jacqui Murray ( using paleontological facts as backdrop) has written a well-researched work of fiction in which she brilliantly brings to life what it was like to live 830,000 years ago.
Through her main character, Xhosa, Jackie Murray provides the reader with the keys to survival: wit, strategy and perseverance. I loved that the lead warrior is a woman and that her characters come from diverse backgrounds such as Africa, Indonesia, China and Israel. Through them we learn how these people communicated, how they interacted with the animals in the wild and their struggle to survive. I was in awe by the physical and psychological strength of these people – our ancestors.
If you have followed Jacqui’s blog you know that she has a series of “how-to-describe” posts. For example, how to describe sight, how to describe pain, how to describe nature and so forth. Here, in The Quest for Home she applies her advice in how to describe similes:
Pan-do was like a river, curling over the land, sunlight glinting off its rippled surface, a welcome sight because it brought life. But underneath flowed fierce currents. Sharp rocks and treacherous plants filled its depths and it was home to vicious creatures that bit and tore without remorse. Pan-do, once riled, was no stranger to violence. He used it skillfully when he had no other choice, as a means to an end.
A word about violence. In her non-fiction introduction – which is an elucidation on prehistoric man – Jacqui Murray explains how the need to be violent was necessary in order to survive a treacherous world. In the novel’s opening, the violence was against Nature whereby flood forced tribes to migrate; but the violence was also a means to survive against rival tribes. In this respect, we as mankind have not evolved all that much. We still have our wars, floods and hurricanes that force people to migrate, just as they did in prehistoric times.
The Quest for Home is book 2 of her Crossroads trilogy; however, it can be read as a standalone. Besides using her creative skills to craft a captivating adventure, Jacqui, also shines as an educator in sharing her knowledge of this period. If you are at all interested in learning about your prehistoric ancestors this is a novel you should pick up.
Bravo, Jacqui, for such a notable and sweeping novel.
Carol Balawyder 
This was such a great book. Thanks for hosting Jacqui, Carol. She is the hardest working person I know.
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She must be to have tackled such a well-researched novel. Thanks, Jill, for stopping by. It’s always appreciated. xxx
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Thanks, Jill, for commenting. I am so happy you liked it!
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Thank you so much for this wonderful review. I loved reading my story through your eyes. You really got it, Carol!
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Ah, that’s so sweet of you to say, Jacqui…:)
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Carol, a superb review of ‘The Quest for Home’. Jacqui has embraced this genre and era and made it her own! The extract is fantastic descriptive writing and brings the power, energy and force of Pan-do to life!
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I’m glad you enjoyed the review, Annika. You’re so spot on saying that Jacqui has made this genre her own. I can’t imagine all the work that goes into this genre. She’s super hard-working and I feel I can count on her to get the facts right.
Thanks for stopping by, Annika. Your presence here is always appreciated. ❤
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Thanks so much, Annika. I have fallen in love with this era.
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I’ve been so busy these last couple of weeks I haven’t gotten to Jacqui’s latest yet, but I will be reading it next week. After reading this, I can’t wait!
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Thanks, Jennifer. I am reading and enjoying your novel Calmer Girls. Coincidently, I also heard an interview with the British writer Tessa Hadley and picked up her novel Clever Girl. If you haven’t read it, I think you’ll enjoy it. It has a lot of similarities with your novel. ❤
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Thank you so much for reading my debut novel, Carol! I would greatly appreciate it if you left a short review on Amazon or Goodreads, or both when you’re finished. And thanks for the recommendation. I will look for it. xo 😊
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🙂
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I hope you enjoy it, Jennifer!
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I have zero doubt that I will. 😊
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