science

Prehistoric fiction

Prehistoric fiction is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Prehistoric fiction rather than just read about it. In short: Prehistoric fiction is both a historical fiction and a science fiction subgenre in which the story is set during the long timespan of human, and even animal, prehistory; the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic up to the Copper Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age for Western Eurasia and North Africa, and further afield the Lithic Stage and Archaic Stage of North America. The genre has connections with speculative fiction.

Key takeaways

Prehistoric fiction belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Prehistoric fiction to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Prehistoric fiction from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Prehistoric fiction is both a historical fiction and a science fiction subgenre in which the story is set during the long timespan of human, and even animal, prehistory; the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic up to the Copper Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age for Western Eurasia and North Africa, and further afield the Lithic Stage and Archaic Stage of North America. The genre has connections with speculative fiction. In narratives such as this, for instance, humans and dinosaurs are shown living together. The paleontologist and author Björn Kurtén coined the term "paleofiction" to define his works. The contemporary genre dubbed "stonepunk" features the anachronistic use of high technology in prehistoric times. Yet prehistoric fiction can be accurate and based on hard paleontological, archeological and anthropological evidence.

List of prehistoric fiction

The Eyes of the Leopard (2022) by Brian D. Hayden The Last Men in the North (2014) by Edward Ashton Siver Skin (2015) by Joan Lennon Circle of Days (2025) by Ken Follett Sun Horse, Moon Horse (1977) by Rosemary Sutcliff Warrior Scarlet (1958) by Rosemary Sutcliff The Boy with the Bronze Axe (1968) by Kathleen Fidler Shadow Valley: A Novel (2009) by Steven Barnes Great Sky Woman: A Novel (2006) by Steven Barnes The First Americans (1987–2000) by William Sarabande North America's Forgotten Past (1990–2022) by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear Wolves of the Dawn (1987) by William Sarabande Warrior Daughter (2009) by Janet Paisley The Gift of Stones (1988) by Jim Crace Stonehenge (1999) by Bernard Cornwell Pillar of the Sky: A Novel of Stonehenge (1985) by Cecelia Holland Singletusk (1984) by Björn Kurtén The Animal Wife (1990) by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas Reindeer Moon (1987) by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas The Last Neanderthal (2017) by Claire Cameron The Dog Master (2015) by W. Bruce Cameron The Gathering Night (2009) by Margaret Elphinstone Shaman: A Novel of the Ice Age (2013) by Kim Stanley Robinson Evolution (2003) by Stephen Baxter The Books of the Named (1983–2008) by Clare Bell Chronicles of Ancient Darkness (2004–2009) by Michelle Paver Ivory Carver Trilogy (1990-1994) by Sue Harrison Earth's Children (1980-2011) by Jean M. Auel The Cave Boy of the Age of Stone (1907) by Margaret A. McIntyre Dance of the Tiger (1978) by Björn Kurtén Darkwing (2007) by Kenneth Oppel The Eternal Lover (1913) by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Inheritors (1955) by William Golding The Mammoth Trilogy (1999–2001) by Stephen Baxter Mists of Dawn (1952) by Chad Oliver The Land That Time Forgot (1918) by Edgar Rice Burroughs The People That Time Forgot (1918) by Edgar Rice Burroughs Out of Time's Abyss (1918) by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Quest for Fire (1911) by J.-H. Rosny, Joseph Henri Honoré Boex Raptor Red (1995) by Robert T. Bakker Sambaqui: A Novel of Pre-History (1975) by Stella Carr Ribeiro Saga of Pliocene Exile (1981–1984) by Julian May The Story of Ab (1897) by Stanley Waterloo Paris Before Man (1861) by Pierre Boitard Ivory and Bone (2016) by Julie Eshbaugh Shifting Sands (1977) by Rosemary Sutcliff The Pagans Trilogy (1978–1984) by Richard Herley Solutré ou les chasseurs de rennes de la France centrale (1872) by Adrien Arcelin Stone Arrows: A Stone Age Adventure Book 1 (2023) by Elizabeth Barber Stone Warriors: A Stone Age Adventure Book 2 (2026) by Elizabeth Barber Song Hunter (2013) by Sally Prue

Short stories and collections

The Scorpion God (1971) (two of its three short stories are set in prehistory) by William Golding A Story of the Stone Age (1897) by H. G. Wells The Grisly Folk (1921) by H. G. Wells Spear and Fang (1925) by Robert E. Howard With Weapons of Stone (1924) by C. M. Eddy Jr. Arhl-a of the Caves (1925) by C. M. Eddy Jr.

Graphic novels and comics Sláine series (1983 onwards) by Pat Mills and Angela Kincaid Prehistoric Peeps (1893) by Edward Tennyson Anthro (1968) by Howard Post Devil Dinosaur (1978) by Jack Kirby Rahan series (1969–2010) by Roger Lécureux, André Chéret, and Jean-François Lécureux Tor series (1953–1993) by Joe Kubert The Cavern Clan series, Mauricio de Sousa and others (1961–present), graphic novels include Piteco – Ingá (2013), by Shiko and Piteco – Fogo (2019), Piteco – Presas (2021) and Piteco – Conquista (2026) by Eduardo Ferigato. Mezolith: Stone Age Dreams and Nightmares #1 (2010) by Ben Haggarty and Adam Brockbank Mezolith: Stone Age Dreams and Nightmares #2 (2014) by Ben Haggarty and Adam Brockbank

Film and television series In chronological order:

One Million B.C. (1940) The Flintstones (1960–1966) One Million Years B.C. (1966) Mighty Mightor (1967–1968) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Korg: 70,000 B.C. (1974–1975) Caveman (1981) Quest for Fire (1981) The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986) Pathfinder (1987) Missing Link (1988) Rapa-Nui (1994) The 13th Warrior (1999) Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001) RRRrrrr!!! (2004) Ten Canoes (2006) 10,000 BC (2008) Year One (2009) Ao: The Last Hunter (2010) The Dead Lands (2014) Iceman (2017) Alpha (2018) Primal (2019) Out of Darkness (2022) 65 (2023)

Games

Tabletop games GURPS Ice Age (1989) by Kirk Wilson Tate Stone Age (2008) Michael Tummelhofer Cavemaster (2012) by Jeff Dee and Talzhemir Mrr Würm (2017) by Emmanuel Roudier, Olivier Castan, and Éric Gilleron

Video games NetHack (1987) UnReal World (1992) Far Cry Primal (2016) Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey (2019) Roots of Pacha (2023)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Prehistoric fiction

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Prehistoric fiction claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Prehistoric fiction before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Prehistoric fiction ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Prehistoric fiction

In research: Prehistoric fiction appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Prehistoric fiction in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Prehistoric fiction is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fiction set in prehistory, Literary genres, Prehistoric people in popular culture, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Prehistoric fiction outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Prehistoric fiction in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Prehistoric fiction means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Prehistoric fiction out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prehistoric fiction in simple terms?

Why does Prehistoric fiction matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Prehistoric fiction?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Prehistoric fiction.