January 3, 2026
Man vs Nature–the series–explained
The way I organize my prehistoric fiction confuses people. Here’s what you need to know:
Each book is part of a trilogy which is itself part of a bigger series called Man vs. Nature, a collection of trilogies, each dealing with a seminal point in man’s evolution when we could have–probably should have–become extinct.
The first trilogy, Dawn of Humanity, is set 1.8 million years ago and features Lucy, a Homo habilis. She and her kind were the start of man’s genus, Homo. They were the first creatures to create tools, routinely walk upright, and solve problems they’d never encountered. But Lucy had thin skin, no claws, and tiny teeth–pretty defenseless in a world of sabertooth cats and thick-hided mammoth. There was no reason to believe she’d survive much less thrive. In Dawn of Humanity, I show you how she took control of her world. Book 1, Born in a Treacherous Time, is published. Book 2, Laws of Nature, will be available July 10th and Book 3, Natural Selection, Winter 2022.
The second trilogy is Crossroads is set 850,000 years ago and features Xhosa, a Homo erectus. She and her kind were tough, resilient, brilliant for their time, and the inventor of many of man’s greatest creations–fire, clothing for warmth, and sophisticated tools. This also was the first of our genus to leave Africa and spread throughout Eurasia. The trilogy title, Crossroads, comes from that concept, following groups of Homo erectus from five different parts of Eurasia (and Africa) who come together in the Levant. All three books are published.
Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature. Written in the spirit of Jean Auel and the Gears, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky for years, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, raging fires burned the land. Each tribe in this story considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she seemed intent to wash the blight of man from her face. Scientific evidence shows she almost succeeded as man’s numbers worldwide fell below 75,000.
Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.
In the Shadow of Giants is the fourth Man vs. Nature trilogy, spotlighting a time when the planet itself seemed to work against man, the poles fluctuating madly, glacial and interglacial events making life almost impossible, and then there were cataclysmic volcanic eruptions. The powerful Neanderthals struggled to survive, as did the earliest of our species, Homo sapiens.
