First read in 1963 as a high school student and found it to be imaginative and involving. It was as if I were the main character transported back in time to the Neanderthal and experiencing their daily existence and survival. Since then there have been more venues for time travel fiction and certainly more descriptive technology and special effects but still nothing to compare with the mental visions evoked by this fiction narrative of a boy thrust into a violent environment of hunter gatherers who themselves were in turn hunted.

As a 5th grader in a small Midwestern town I had no idea the impact this small book would have on my life. Many times over the past 32 years I've recalled how at the age of 10 this book single handedly opened my mind to the magical world that can only be reached through the pages of a truly good Sci-fi read. Even now I can see in my minds eye the books character and the images Oliver's words created so long ago. I now have a 10 year old son in the 5th grade, in a small Midwesten town. He is somewhat indifferent to books and would much rather play Nintendo than read. If I can just find a copy, maybe....

This book put me on the trail of Si-Fi when it came out in 1954(?). I've re-read it many times since (by reserving it through the library system) and have been searching all the nooks and crannies of used book stores for lo, these past 20 years, to no avail. I can't expalin its hold on my psyche, but it's not to be denied. Chad Oliver penned a classic with this one. I'd like to give it 10 stars.

Unbilivebly horrible conclusion to a grea trilogy! The begining starts a bit strangely but it starts to get good. In the middle of this book i thought that it was going to turn out just as well as the others. But soon to my astonishment it started to get worse and worse and worse and worse and so on and so forth. It looks like it will be a good ending when one of the main cherecters dies, the Baron dies, all of the worm suddenly die and Lord Faran dies in a way that he could have gotten out of after living through so many unescapeable traps. Not only that but Urthred is blinde and Oliver Johnson loeses his touch for great description and good writing!

READ THIS BOOK AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Mr. Johnson really knows how to tell a ghoulish, yet engaging tale. A fascinating trilogy, one should start with book one "The forging of the shadows", then "The nations of the night" before tackling this one. Otherwise it leaves gaps in the flow of the story, although the author does "update" one within the first few chapters. I felt enormous empathy toward the badly burned, utterly isolated priest of Reh (their sun god of Light). The priest, Urthred, is forced to wear a mask and special gloves to cover his burned face and hands and is the wonderful hero of this saga. His devastating experience with such immense pain has created within him a wellspring of compassion and strength that are remarkable in contrast to Thalassa, the self absorbed heroine whom prophecy has foretold would be the Lightbringer. Her task is, through some great act, to reanimate the dying sun caused by the evil forces in their world. Personally I prefer strong women and for me Thalassa, so full of doubt and self pity was the one weak link in an otherwise strong cast of characters.

The only other problem I had with these otherwise excellent books is Mr. Johnson's use of words that force a reader to grab the dictionary. However, I very much liked the mix of primitive culture contrasted to the sci fi notion of the "gods" coming from the stars in their "metal dragons" (a metaphor for space ships). The war of good vs evil/light vs darkness is enhanced by the author's facility in not hammering religion down one's throat on the assumption that everyone in the (readers') world is a christian or whatever. There is a subtle injunction for the reader to look at self accountability vs being an unwilling participant tossed about by the everchanging whims of the gods.

The story illustrated the power of the individual's "ego" (free will) to make choices based upon the drives of his/her "id" (the subconscious mind or baser levels of humanity) and make them real for better or for worse. For example: as the archetypal bad guy, Faran Gaton Nekron if filled with rampaging jealousy, resentment, hatred and warped lusts. He manifests his vindictive revenge and sick needs into hideous annhilation of everyone whom he cannot conquer. He claims that he is doing the Worm God Iss' will, but in fact it is Faran's own dark and destructive desires disguised as "religion". This conflict creates an astonishing amount of tension which is so vital to the tenor of excellence in a horror story.

This saga shows the shadow or nihlistic part of human nature (jealousy, greed, hate, revenge, etc.) as contrasted to the higher nature of mankind's drive toward the light and love that creates and sustains all life. There are many layers to Mr. Johnson's genius and this trilogy, albeit more than gruesome at times, that indeed stimulates deeper levels of thought, plus rereading in the future.

This book blew me out of the water. It is a great adventure that everyone (excluding little kids) should read.