Five tribes. One leader. A treacherous journey across three continents in search of a new home. Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Survival of the Fittest is an unforgettable saga of hardship and determination, conflict and passion. Chased by a ruthless enemy, Xhosa leads her People on a grueling journey through unknown and dangerous lands following a path laid out decades before by her father, … her father, to be followed only as a last resort. She is joined by other fleeing tribes from Indonesia, China, South Africa, East Africa, and the Levant, all similarly forced by timeless events to find new lives. As they struggle to overcome treachery, lies, tragedy, secrets, and Nature itself, Xhosa is forced to face the reality that her enemy doesn’t want to ruin her People. It wants to ruin her.
The story is set 850,000 years ago, a time in prehistory when man populated most of Eurasia, where ‘survival of the fittest’ was not a slogan. It was a destiny. Xhosa’s People were from a violent species, one fully capable of addressing the many hardships that threatened their lives except for one: future man, a smarter version of themselves, one destined to obliterate all those who came before.
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After Xhosa’s father dies, she must prove her value as leader of The People. Chased from their homeland, they must undertake a perilous journey through treacherous lands and savage tribes.
“Does anyone challenge this warrior?”
Her hands were neutral, giving nothing away about her feelings. When Xhosa rose, like mist from wet hot-season grass, everyone snickered except the Primary Female. A wisp of a smile touched her lips.
“I too am prepared. Nightshade, I challenge you.”
MURRAY, JACQUI. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST (THE CROSSROADS TRILOGY BOOK 1)
Along the way, they befriend Others making the same journey, each with unique talents that benefit the tribe and more than once saves them from certain death.
This book was so well-written I was sorry to turn the last page (cliffhanger alert!) and had to buy the next story in the series, The Quest for Home, to find out what happens to Xhosa, Nightshade, Pan-do, Zvi and all the rest of the characters I’ve become invested in- well done!
Survival of the Fittest by Jacqui Murray records the imaginative history of tribes of those times, (850,000 years ago) about which there is no conclusive evidence. So the arena is open for writers to explore and Jacqui has made a brilliant effort. While Born in Treacherous Times by her was my introduction to pre-historic times, this story is more intense, as it brings out the conflict between tribes trying to establish their supremacy.
Xhosa and her people seem no different than human beings of today. They were competitive, observant, strong and ferocious. They were eager to learn from each other, from friendly tribes, even from the strategies of an opponent. It is interesting to note that basic emotions of responsibility, co-operation, loyalty and jealousy stand out amongst all tribes. Though Jacqui has given them words but I wonder what was their language and how much of it they knew!
Murray’s characters are crafted so well that a reader could predict their behavior. Xhosa and Pan-do shine while Nightshade possesses some streaks of wickedness and jealousy. Lyta is sensitive, appreciated the sounds of nature, walking in rhythm with sounds soothed her and seems to possess a divine power, as she had the ability to smell evil and dishonesty, a subtle hint that human instincts were well-developed even in early man. Do they find a homeland? When did they find peace, which remains elusive even to modern man.
If you are fond of challenging adventures, this is the book for you.
After reading Born in a Treacherous Time, which was my first venture into the genre of prehistoric fiction, I was looking forward to reading Survival of the Fittest (Book 1 of the Crossroads Trilogy). Murray did not disappoint. It’s apparent that a tremendous amount of research went into this book. The lead character, Xhosa is a strong and fierce character and one that you’ll remember long after you read the last page. If you enjoy stories of survival and adventure, this is a must read. I’ll be looking forward to Book 2 of this trilogy.
I thoroughly enjoyed Jacqui Murray’s Born in a Treacherous Time which introduced us to one of the earliest humans, Lucy. In her latest book Survival of the Fittest, we fast forward to a mere 850,000 years ago, when the earth continues to be extremely unsettled as it goes through its own growing pains.
The dangers are frighteningly and ever present for humans, who are forced to flee, not just environmental perils, but the brutality of invading tribes who want to usurp rivals for the safest caves, and the lands needed to support life.
We meet a woman who is strong and unusually a leader of men. Xhosa has a massive responsibility on her shoulders to take her tribe to safety, as well as find a way to work side by side with other human species that they encounter. She is supported by a warrior who has to fight his own ingrained resistance to a female leader, and along the way she finds good counsel in Pan-do and his daughter who are also fleeing to safety with their tribe. However, at the end of the day, it is she who must decide which path to follow despite resistance from some of her followers.
There is adventure in abundance, since this is not a gentle environment, and one can only admire the strength, courage and intelligence required to navigate all the obstacles that stand between Xhosa, her people, and sanctuary.
The language is straightforward, descriptive and direct, which is appropriate, since at the time communication would have been reliant on body language, sign language and I would imagine a lot of guesswork. Especially as each tribe had different identifiers for the same animals, landscape or danger. But Murray has created a language and a world that we can become immersed and invested in, leaving us with a desire to find out what happens next to these people that have so many of the traits and flaws we understand and see in ourselves.
The environment has been established and the various groups are poised for the next stage in their development, which 850,000 years into the future led to the humans we are today.
This is what adds an extra element of fascination to the story. These are our ancestors and as we see their struggles, invasions of land, and the thousands fleeing anywhere to call home, it is difficult not to draw parallels with our world today. I am looking forward to reading book II to find out what my ancestors faced next in this trilogy.
I’ve never read a novel set 850,000 years ago. The details and obvious research were amazing, as was the story. Xhosa is a strong female in times when males rule the tribes. I loved her character and how she looked at the world through her senses, instinct, and duty. It repulsed me when they ate their kill without cooking it, but I had to remember they didn’t have control of fire yet. Ms. Murray takes the reader deep into that period, where I could easily imagine how it might have been living then. I was rooting for Xhosa and her tribe as they tried to survive other tribe’s attacks and nature. I loved the relationships that developed as they met up with others fleeing the same situation. I’m completely hooked on this moment in history and storyline. I will definitely read the rest of this series and highly recommend it.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
I decided to read outside of my usual genres – again – this year and got the chance to read this book that plays off in a time before time, okay 850,000 years ago. (I’ve enjoyed dinosaur stories and “The Flintstones” growing up and more recently “The Croods” – this story sort-of falls into that category, but more serious and factual with a great lead character.)
Xhosa (my favourite!) is an unusual character, but she is fierce, powerful, intelligent and follows her instincts.
It took a while to get used to the strange way these characters communicated and thought, but after a while, I just zipped through the story without any effort. I enjoyed the battles, the struggles and Xhosa’s inner demons hunting her as much as she hunted them.
My favourite scene is where Xhosa climbs the cliff… It resonated with me, being something more than just climbing that cliff.
A must-read if you like adventure, survival and strong female characters.
*I volunteered to read an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion.
Survival of the fittest by Jacqui Murray is a Historical Fiction novel that takes you back to a pre-historic period and race of humanoids never before written in such detail or with care, except Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear series. The early history of migration from Africa to Europe, the Middle-East and Asia has been well-researched; and the landscape, climate and dangers encountered, leap from the pages.
This is Book 1 in the Crossroads Trilogy, where we meet Xhosa, leader of her people, having to leave their home after a new humanoid species invades and threatens their lives.
It is evident from the story the author, Jacqui Murray has spent countless hours, most likely months researching into a period of time where new information on the pre-history of the world is continually discovered. She has created a remarkable story surrounding the plight of a group of people with their intrepid leader, Xhosa, and her ambition to find a new home where they can live without the constant threat of a more vicious human species. The setting of the period is easy to visualise, with detail of the landscape imprinted in one’s memory, you can even smell the earth and heat of the sun.
The story evolves (pun intended) with such vivid descriptions that you feel every part of the journey, the fight to find food and water, warding off illness and treacherous tribal members seeking to usurp Xhosa’s leadership. I love the names of the characters in the story: Nightshade, Xhosa’s lead warrior with some deeper secrets yet to be unveiled; Pan-do, leader of another tribe and his daughter Lyta; Seeker and Zvi, newcomers to the group; Hawk, leader of a new tribe. You will be introduced to a myriad of characters, each with their own story and purpose.
Survival of the fittest is a great story to lose yourself in a time where there is very little written in fiction. For readers who are interested in the pre-history of our world, you will enjoy this book, and for readers of adventure and action, there is plenty in the story to keep you turning the pages.
Xhosa is a female, a would-be budding leader of her people. Seeing her ambition, her father, the tribe’s leader, encouraged her to track and hunt the prey beasts, as well as to defend herself from the bands of other prehistoric humans and other predators. When her father is slain by a rival tribe, the elders of her own band are surprised when she declares her readiness to compete in the trials for leadership.
The contest is bittersweet to Xhosa, for the other challenger is Nightshade, a warrior she sees as a possible pairmate. It’s a brutal challenge, testing any human’s strength, cunning, and agility. In the end, she and Nightshade save each other, but Nightshade cedes the leadership to Xhosa.
However, she becomes leader at a troubled time. A different form of prehistoric man is moving in, one that vocalizes more than they should and seems to have no desire to share the land. They want nothing more than to drive Xhosa and her people away, or failing that, to kill them.
A book such as this stands or falls on its descriptive powers, and the descriptions in this book are sharp and vivid. For example: “Broad-winged white-bellied birds screeched as they swooped in search of food, and a cacophany of insects chirruped their displeasure at her intrusion. A stone’s throw away, a hippo played, heaving its great bulk out of the water, mouth gaping, snorting and grunting, before sinking beneath the surface.”
I thoroughly enjoyed this well-researched prehistory read. The storyline drew me in and the character development was spot on. The protagonist Xhosa is an amazing leader. No matter the hardships, of which there are many, she always takes care of her people. So grab your coffee or beverage of choice and settle in for an adventure of epic proportions.