I don't know if I ever mentioned it before, but I am a huge fan of the "Earths Children" series of books by Jean Auel. Folks might know them better by the name of the first book "Clan of the Cave Bear" which was subsequently made into a dreadful movie by the same name - tolerable only by the presence of Darryl Hannah playing the role of the main character Ayla.
Anyway, the books are actually quite good. While none of the other books can touch the excellence of the first two books, the latest one has come out and it might be of more interest to cavers. Entitled "The Land of the Painted Caves" it follows the journeys of Ayla as they visit the various painted caves in the land now known as France. The author has obviously visited these caves and has learned a wealth of knowledge of the archeological sites in western Europe - enough to make a believable series of fictional novels about life in the Ice Age. In some of the scenes the cave descriptions and the descriptions of the prehistoric cavers as they explore are so realistic to me. We as cavers don't seem much different than our ancestors.
Has anyone else followed this series over the years? Read or reading the latest book? I'm only half through the latest (and last?) book so don't spoil it for me. These are probably some of my all-time favorite novels.