Title: Bits of Sky
Author: Marc Severson
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: B07GQRL433
Pages: 264
Genre: Prehistoric Fiction
Reviewed by: Thomas Macolino
Pacific Book Review
While some of us tend to romanticize history, many of us dismiss prehistory altogether. We view it as a time of simple-minded folk with primitive tools, hunting and foraging in the day and huddling in packs around a single campfire at night. Yet Marc Severson’s work of Prehistoric Fiction, Bits of Sky, paints a very different picture. Sky Valley, in prehistoric Arizona, is boiling over with culture, as alien to the readers as ancient Rome might be, but no less complex and fascinating.
A man falls to his death from the sky, and thus begins the first of Fat Badger’s many troubles. Fat Badger is the Winter Chief and Trader, responsible for the people of Sky Valley’s physical and economic wellbeing. Yet as winter approaches, Fat Badger finds this task more and more difficult. As stones begin to fall from the mountain outside of the mine where Fat Badger’s people mine the precious sky stones, and men begin to die and women begin to disappear, the people begin to whisper of ogres. It is up to Fat Badger to discover the truth behind these mysteries before his people give up and abandon their homes in the face of this supernatural threat.
Severson’s background as archaeologist serves him well in this novel. Bits of Sky blooms with a civilization both completely foreign yet utterly comprehensible. The varying tribes and their differing cultures and political structures are distinct and interesting enough to nearly hold up the story on their own. Yet Severson does an admirable job keeping the plot from getting bogged down in politics and cultural explanations. Bits of Sky is a fast-paced read with invigorating action and a powerful driving mystery.
Bits of Sky introduces a new character every few pages, and while Severson can make most characters memorable with just a few pages spent in their point of view. After a few chapters I found myself wishing I’d kept a journal or list of every character and village.
Severson has taken a world and people long ago buried and breathed new life into them. I would recommend this novel for readers who enjoy exploring new cultures and foreign places in their fiction. Likewise, those who enjoy a more exciting read might find something to love here as well. Either way, Severson should be proud of his Bits of Sky.
