Tor: Last of the Thals — Ronald W. Hull

Imagine yourself at 16 living in what is now Germany along the Rhine River during the Copper Age, 5300 years ago. Our hero, Tor, grandson of the famous Iceman of the Alps, Albere, in the novel, The Kaleidoscope Effect, suddenly finds himself alone when he finds his father, Wor, and the Thal raiding party he is with killed by an old man in their sleep. There are two young girl captives escaping.Thus begins a journey for this young member of the Thal clan whose ancestry goes back beyond memory of even the eldest Thal. Tor's father was chief of the clan, placing much responsibility on young Tor's shoulders. His first decision is to return the two young angry captives they were taking back home, instead of back to their encampment for trade or marriage. The coming of winter makes his decision for him.While taking the girls back to their village on the river Po, Tor begins to think of taking one of the girls as his wife, like his father did before with his mother, Nila. But that thought, is easily foiled by her death and the death of many along the trail of life that Tor follows. Instead, he takes the kinship of a horse and a dog as his companions.The story of Tor is one of survival in a world where one must be a member of a clan to survive, especially, the harsh winters. But Tor is already an experienced hunter, and has paid attention to many of his father and mother's ways. She was as strong as his father and brought many ideas to the Thals like planting grain from her childhood on the river Po.As Tor travels great distances in search of his mother, he encounters many adventures and challenges that life during that time presents. The only way to meet these challenges is with skill and ingenuity, something that grows within him the more experienced he gets. Along the way, he gathers companions and lovers. Having many children insured survival.If you think this is an epic story of a mythical fantasy like Conan, you will be disappointed. Every effort has been made to make the circumstances of the time as realistic as possible, given the revealing scientific information gathered from the Iceman of his life and times.