Shadow Valley Audiobook By Steven Barnes cover art

Shadow Valley

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Shadow Valley

By: Steven Barnes
Narrated by: Patricia Floyd
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

This mythical tale—a sequel to Barnes’ Great Sky Woman - is set in Africa in 28,000 B.C. and follows a tribal leader who must find a new land for her people.

After the catastrophic eruption of Father Mountain, the Ibandi are divided, desperate, and afraid. Most have followed the only person in whom they still believe: young Sky Woman, who was on the great mountain when it exploded and who, along with Frog Hopping, returned to tell the tale. Nurtured by an elder whose searing visions have left her blind, Sky Woman nonetheless doubts her own visionary powers as she follows a path she can hardly discern-across savannah and parched plains-to find a valley of plenty for a people on the brink of collapse.

But in fact, Sky Woman and Frog were not the only survivors of the mountain's explosion. Another man has emerged from the destruction, vengeance pulsing in his veins, to lead a separate group of Ibandi into a vicious and reckless act of war. Soon these two strands of survivors will meet, through chance, desperation, and sheer willpower.

In a world in which every moment is lived on the edge between life and death, where animal and human predators can strike in an instant, where the gods themselves seem lost, and dreams entwine with reality, a people's destiny rushes toward them. The Ibandi must make a last, violent stand against complete destruction.

Listen to Great Sky Woman.©2005 Steven Barnes (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC
Classics Fantasy Fiction Historical Fiction Science Fiction
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

“[A]ll at once rugged and elegant in style, a mix of harsh bloodletting with a primeval close-to-the-land beauty.” (Publishers Weekly)
All stars
Most relevant  
it takes strength to survive, it takes courage to stand up and be counted for the good of your family and friends.

Life as it should be

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I loved the multitude of different human species interacting with each other. Speculative prehistoric fiction and scifi is like my favorite genre, and imagining different human groups interacting for the first time is such a juicy question to flesh out, and I think it’s done well here. Complex characters, interesting plot, well-read. I loved it!

Fantastic first contact stories!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

If you could sum up Shadow Valley in three words, what would they be?

I enjoyed Great Sky Woman so much and was delighted to find this sequel. It certainly lived up to the task. Thank you and I do hope there will be more.

What about Patricia Floyd’s performance did you like?

I love Patricia's narritive. She really makes the characters come to life.

Any additional comments?

Thank you Steven, Patricia, and Audible.

Steven Barnes has done it again!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.