Is anyone reading the final book of the series...Earth's Children...
The Land of Painted Caves...
I can't wait for my copy.
I loved this series since it was started.

Sounds good, what is the basic story line?

* Culture
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Jean M Auel announces final Earth's Children novel

The last novel in Jean M Auel's epic prehistoric series, The Land of Painted Caves, will be published in March 2011

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* Alison Flood
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 May 2010 15.32 BST
* Article history

mammoth Jean M Auel's Ice Age saga has so far sold more than 45 million copies around the world. Photograph: Corbis

Thirty-one years after readers first embarked on Jean M Auel's epic prehistoric Earth's Children series, the author is finally bringing it to a conclusion.

The sixth and last novel in Auel's series about Ice Age humans Ayla and Jondalar will be published on 29 March next year, it was announced yesterday. Called The Land of Painted Caves, the novel will see Ayla struggling "to find a balance between her duties as a new mother and her training to become a Zelandoni – one of the Ninth Cave community's spiritual leaders and healers", according to UK publisher Hodder & Stoughton.

The Oregon-based Auel began her series in 1980 with The Clan of the Cave Bear, in which Ayla was raised by Neanderthals following the death of her parents. She continued Ayla's story with The Valley of Horses and The Mammoth Hunters – the first hardback book with an initial print run of more than one million copies, said its publisher – The Plains of Passage and fifth novel The Shelters of Stone in 2002. The books have sold more than 45 million copies around the world, according to Hodder.

Auel's long-term agent Jean Naggar said The Land of Painted Caves was "a triumph and a wonderful read"; her UK editor at Hodder Sue Fletcher said the author had "a unique ability to transport her readers to other worlds". Both promised that the publication of the final novel next year would be an "international extravaganza".

Oh, I didnt know a new one was coming out. I loved those books. I saw the movie of Clan of the Cave Bear....okay, but the books were SO good!

Haven't read it...Haven't read Shelters of Stone either. In fact, I saw it at a book store the other day and don't, for the life of me, know how I missed it!!!! Will get it soon.

As for the movie Clan of the Cavebear......that should have been an embarrassment to the director, producer, and actors. It was awful! The book was REALLY REALLY good!

Oh yes, I will be for sure. I can't wait. I've been waiting half a lifetime for the next book..lol. I thought I'd be gone to heaven before it got written and published...lol.

she has been very ill for several years now.
the last book that was put out took forever and we weren't sure if the last of the series would ever get finished.
She sold her home on Lake Oswego for 35 million and I don't know if she retired to the beach or France.
I have signed copies of all her books.
Unless she does a signing for the last one; sadly it will never get signed.

Oh...I didn't know she had been ill. Yes, I did notice the last book did take a long time but didn't realise why.

I am thrilled to hear that she has finished this last one. It's been a long time coming!

LOL...I think Oregon has her biggest fan base.