The Eyes of the Leopard

The Eyes of the Leopard

Brian D. Hayden

As Sev slid his feet sideways to obliterate his own tracks, the light from his pitch sticks sputtered. He rubbed their tops against the wall to knock off the accumulated charcoal, and the flames sprang back to life. They illuminated a stark black handprint on the stone, inches from his face. His heart jumped.Higher up, the flame revealed the red painted head of an aurochs, a wild bull. Before Sev could examine the drawing, a high-pitched shriek sounded from somewhere deep in the cave ahead of him. Another shriek came, and another, the echoes creating a clamour unlike anything he had ever heard. His knees turned to limp snakes, his mouth suddenly dry as dust. Is it the spirits? Are they coming for me? Out of the darkness, a muffled whoosh descended toward him. The space lit by his pitch sticks filled with movement, hundreds of fluttering objects rushing through the air. They threatened to envelop him like a thick, black cloak. Nearly deafened by the ear-piercing din, Sev crouched down against the wall and tried to disappear into the stone.

Flying moles—hundreds of them!

 

Editions:

ISBN: 9781989467428 (paperback). $19.95 CAD, $17.95 USD
Size: 5.5 x 8 inches
Pages: 192

Available via your local bookstore, Chapters-Indigo or Amazon
Distribution in the UK via Gazelle Book Services

ISBN: 9781989467435 (eBook). $9.99 CDN, $7.99 USD. Available via Amazon Kindle

Reviews:

“The Eyes of the Leopard by novelist and anthropologist Brian Hayden is a deftly crafted work of historical fiction that takes place in the paleolithic era of virgin forests and rolling plains in what is now known as France, and in a time of stone age cave art and tribal rituals. An original and richly illustrated story that will have special appeal for young readers with an interest in Paleolithic/Neolithic cultures and adventures, “The Eyes of the Leopard” is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to middle school, highschool, and community library YA Fiction collections.”
— Midwest Book Review

“This is a book aimed at younger readers, but it will be read with delight by many adults as well.”
— Tom Sandborn, Vancouver Sun

“A YA novel filled with adventure and realism. Written and inspired by the author’s life experience as an archaeologist and anthropologist, he provides us a peek into the lives of an early society of hunters and gatherers of the ice age. This exciting coming-of-age story provides a bridge between times with such relatability. Every reader will identify with Sev, a 13-year-old boy who is learning to navigate the ageless battles of life. Curiosity, social pressure, and survival force him to challenge and survive his environment, and emerge a man. ”
— Darleen Wohlfeil, Story Monsters Ink

“Through the eyes of a young hero, Brian Hayden shows us the life of the great hunters of the Paleolithic that he knows so well. The style and the words exchanged have the vivacity of a graphic novel. . . . We travel to the heart of an imaginary country, but . . . they are places of adventure which are the most exceptional habitats and decorated caves that archaeological science has revealed to the world in the last century and a half. . . . This saga is therefore also a breathtakingly realistic story that compels admiration. This story goes far beyond Brian Hayden’s scientific writings; it anchors them in the passion that our society has for the sciences of ancient times.”
— Jean-Michel, Geneste Former Chief of Scientific Studies for Chauvet Cave. Former Chief Curator of Lascaux Cave for over twenty years. Former Director of the National Centre of Prehistory. Honorary General Curator of French heritage.

“Other novelists have tried to capture this time and place, often almost as sci-fi thrillers, but Hayden’s story is different. It rings true in details of everyday life and of extraordinary moments of the boy’s first communal hunt, his exploration of a forbidden cave and his initiation into the group’s secret society. Hayden demonstrates a novelist’s ability to capture human experiences of friendship, rivalry, love and survival in this vivid coming of age story. . . . Hayden also provides a comprehensive scientific knowledge of their lives and achievements . . . to combine them all so successfully is remarkable. I highly recommend this novel to the young reader certainly, but really to anyone interested in historical fiction.”
— Timothy Earle, Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University. Author of The Evolution of Human Societies and numerous works on inequality and social complexity.

“I couldn’t put it down and neither could my daughter. The Eyes of the Leopard is a triumph of historical fiction, bringing to life a time rarely written about, with the detail and nuance only an archaeologist of Brian Hayden’s calibre could provide. Don’t miss this read. Share it with every schoolteacher, child and amateur archaeologist in your life. They will thank you for it.”
— Manda Aufochs Gillespie, author of the Green Mama series. Founder of Folk University and passionate YA book club leader.

“I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I can’t wait until my grandson reaches the age where he can read it. I know he will love it too. It’s a beautiful coming of age story that every young person would benefit from reading.”
— Janine Harrison

Media related:

Vancouver Sun article. Book review
Radio Canada ohDio interview with Brian about his new novel.

Book Trailer: YouTube and Literary Titan

Sample view:

ISBN: 9781989467428
192 Pages
CDN/USD

Dr. Brian Hayden is an author and archaeologist who has conducted research on four continents, with a passion for understanding past cultures—especially hunting and gathering societies—and the reasons for their changes. Born in New York, he obtained a Certificate of Prehistory at the University of Bordeaux, studied stone-tool making with Australian Aborigines, and earned a doctoral degree in Archaeology from the University of Toronto. For 30 years, he worked with native groups in the interior of British Columbia, recording their traditional uses of food resources and excavating the prehistoric winter village at Keatley Creek; he has also worked extensively with complex hunting and gathering societies in the region, including short fictional reconstructions of life in the prehistoric Lillooet area.

Now a Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University and Honorary Research Associate of the Anthropology Department at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Hayden lives on Cortes Island in coastal British Columbia. He has published numerous professional journal articles and books, including works on the Old Stone Age in France and a landmark synthesis of prehistoric religion (Shamans, Sorcerers, and Saints: The Prehistory of Religion, Smithsonian Publications, 2003). His later books include The Power of Feasts (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and The Power of Ritual in Prehistory: Secret Societies and the Origins of Social Complexity (Cambridge University Press, 2018). His research has been recognized by induction into the Royal Society of Canada.

You can find further information about Brian on his website.

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by by Jeff Blackmore

Dr. Brian Hayden is an author and archaeologist who has conducted research on four continents, with a passion for understanding past cultures—especially hunting and gathering societies—and the reasons for their changes. Born in New York, he obtained a Certificate of Prehistory at the University of Bordeaux, studied stone-tool making with Australian Aborigines, and earned a doctoral degree in Archaeology from the University of Toronto. For 30 years, he worked with native groups in the interior of British Columbia, recording their traditional uses of food resources and excavating the prehistoric winter village at Keatley Creek; he has also worked extensively with complex hunting and gathering societies in the region, including short fictional reconstructions of life in the prehistoric Lillooet area.

Now a Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University and Honorary Research Associate of the Anthropology Department at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Hayden lives on Cortes Island in coastal British Columbia. He has published numerous professional journal articles and books, including works on the Old Stone Age in France and a landmark synthesis of prehistoric religion (Shamans, Sorcerers, and Saints: The Prehistory of Religion, Smithsonian Publications, 2003). His later books include The Power of Feasts (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and The Power of Ritual in Prehistory: Secret Societies and the Origins of Social Complexity (Cambridge University Press, 2018). His research has been recognized by induction into the Royal Society of Canada.

You can find further information about Brian on his website.