When the World Was Young: A Prehistoric Anthology

This was originally published as a "reaction thread" on Bluesky back in 2023. I read through each story and posted a reaction to each one in the form of a series of short posts. Now, I'm putting it in blog form, with a neat new expandable list. Reading this back, it's interesting how the reactions got longer and longer as the anthology went on. I believe the other anthologies I did this for are a lot more consistent! I'll have to post those sometime as well. Print: https://www.tfpublishing.com.au/store/when-the-world-was-young

eBook: https://www.tfpublishing.com.au/store/when-the-world-was-young-ebook

The Dance of Peruvaan by SakaraFox

I feel like I need to read more of SakaraFox's work, because something about this writing style is really flowing for me. A fox named Kuveli is upset about being "cowardly". Let's go. A strong start. I do like stories with themes, and this one has several. Brotherhood, bravery, and perhaps acceptance of your gifts rather than following the path you see as the neatest or most respectable. The story escalates in a pretty neat way too. It is kind of funny just how much the threat of harm to a loved one brings out his bravery. Kid goes from being afraid of storms to cursing a literal god to his face and all it took was impending brotherly death.

That's about as spoilery as I'll get in this thread. Actually, I'll mark future posts with *spoilery* if they're spoilery. If I get spoilery, it's mostly going to be to make people go "woah, what? I gotta read that."

Lids by Utunu

Aw man, Lids by Utunu was amazing. The raw feelings of frustration and grief were so palpable, and the story went to places I simply didn't expect. That one's a thinker.

I'm a bit stunned by that one, honestly. It starts as another "guy frustrated he isn't a hunter" story but evolves into something utterly surreal and shocking. Loved it.

*Spoilery* Great work on that one, Utunu. it was very shocking to see such mystical violent magics included in this anthology. Really opens up the possibilities of what lies ahead.

Worn-Out Tools by Huskyteer

And following the cataclysmic we have something a bit more slice of life. Worn-Out Tools by Huskyteer. This story concerns a rhino trader visiting a village of hyenas. It's one of those stories with remarkable elements sitting like gems within the everyday.

*spoilery* for example, there's a part where the rhino essentially sees the future, and what happens in the coming centuries, and it's treated as a passing thought. Something to be brushed aside in favor of solving a more immediate, smaller crisis. I thought that was super interesting.

Anyway, the overall lesson of the story is surely that drugs solve everything. Probably not wise to share that one with the hyena pups, or they'll try to imitate that too.

Onward!

Howling to the Moon by JFR Coates

Omg the next one is about a wolf raised by rabbits. I'm so excited.

I'm a sucker for an interspecies adoption story. This one was cute! Straightforward, with some good action scenes. Weirdly, I liked the beginning of the story the most, with Found Wolf just kinda hanging out in Sanctuary. Their day to day was charming.

I really would have liked to see more of that, but that's a personal preference. *Spoilery* The scene where Found Moon tries a hazelnut and Wandering Star tries fish? Delightful. :-)

*spoilery* And I love the added meaning behind the type of weapon used in the story, and why it was so effective in solving the particular conflict that arose. Intentional or not, it really helped add to the mystique of the wolf pack's culture.

The Eyeshine of the Soothsayer by NightEyes DaySpring

Oh hey, NightEyes DaySpring is next. Neat!

Well dang, I did not expect that concept. When I realized what was actually going on halfway through I couldn't help but say, "oh shit".

It has also sent me on a mental tangent imagining how such a story could be expanded upon.

A shorter story, but super interesting.

Side thought: it's interesting to me how seeing the future is a theme in more than one of these prehistoric stories. I feel like there's something about how writers and readers engage with the historical fiction genre to analyze there.

Daughter of Thunder or The Land of Many Deer by Rose LaCroix

The authors note before "Daughter of Thunder" or "The Land of Many Deer" by Rose LaCroix says it's about Doggerland, and oh man do I love me Some Doggerland. First off, it has "dog" in the name, which is fun despite the linguistic difference, but also because the sinking of Doggerland fascinating.

I will say this story has perhaps a bigger scope than the short story could hold. It seems a bit too quickly paced, with a lot cut out. I really wish a lot of the concepts in it could have been expanded upon, because they were really interesting.

The story has all the aspects of a myth, but is told in prose, which is interesting to see. I could imagine this story being rewritten in a more mythological style. I appreciate that grasp of what elements make for a good myth.

Also want to mention that there's a reference to seahenge at the end. Seahenge is neat. Go look it up. :-)

Unseeing by Madison Scott-Clary

Ah, Madison Scott-Clary. A modern legend, honesty. "Unseeing", about a blind holy man being watched by a god as he goes about his rituals is one of those fascinating slow-burn stories. A lot of philosophizing about what is and is not worship, and how that plays into a divine hierarchy, of sorts.

And it's got a unique narration style, which I always appreciate. There's a loving softness to how the religion in it is depicted, too. I love it when writers show how religion could be very wholesome if everybody just chilled tf out for two seconds.

There's also this fascinating dynamic between the two gods of the story. The dynamic is described and revealed as the story goes on and you get a better grasp of how it works over time, which I thought was neat.

Priest of Lillies by Kayodé Lycaon

Priest of Lilies by Kayodé Lycaon starts out a bit brutal, eh? Gonna be hard to get the reader to root for a character who straight up murders someone in the first few pages. xP

But I'm gonna assume I don't know the full story behind what's going on here. It's left a big vague.

I mean, kind of. Getting enslaved by said lions appears to be what the main character is afraid of, but it's a bit unclear as to whether everyone agrees? Not sure. But I guess most of the town does agree to the plan that'll keep the lions away, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Lol.

So to raise mists that will keep their settlement safe from the tyranny of the lions, they're going to challenge a god. Solid plan. I love this sort of thing.

Also there is gayness. Huzzah!

Altogether a pretty good story with a captivating beginning and an...interesting courtship process. I actually kind of loved how unique that was. The ritual of making demands of an angry god and then consummating a marriage to sort of seal the deal was kind of wild.

And also there was transformation, which I'm always down for.

Clearly I had a lot to say about this one. Okay, I'm moving on!

Let Him That Speaketh Fate to Men Have No Fate Of His Own by Rob MacWolf

So I've only read a few stories by Rob MacWolf, but they've all been extremely relatable to me. This one's no different. What an incredibly heart-aching story about the fear and morality of holding someone back from their destiny. Ugh, I'm crushed.

On top of that, it's a gay story, which makes it all the more relatable to me, personally. The fear that you're holding someone back from what they could be is also a rather common sentiment some people feel in relationships, so I'm sure that cuts right to the heart of some readers.

But it's made all the more interesting when you KNOW you're holding someone back, because you can literally see the future of the paths they could take. But then there's the question of whether one path is actually better than the other or if it's just so due to expectation, and...aw jeez.

The ending hit me the hardest, because some things are left up in the air, and you're given two possibilities that could be equally likely, but just the possibility one one of them coming true is enough to cause me anxiety.

I mean, but this is fiction, so neither will come true, I know.

Idk, man. This one did emotional damage, clearly. Incredible read. Probably one of my favorite short stories now. Very taken with it.

And I didn't even mention the narration style, or the way time is handled. Jeez.

Oh, one more thing! The quote about how one day strange and foolish people would find them embracing each other in their grave only to claim that they must have been brothers? Legendary.

The Shrine of T-am-adad by Thomas "Faux" Steele

A good, quick, and straightforward story about a Fennec fox named Amalu and his Caracal friend (possibly boyfriend) named Naoum going to investigate the disappearance of a...hunter? Monk? I can't honestly tell. I don't think it's explained. xP

There are a lot of little archeological factoids in here. How a certain pigment is made with fat and burnt charcoal, for one example. These little added details can be a bit distracting sometimes, but they earn it history points, for sure.

And I love a good khopesh. :-)

So a man named Bachar has gone missing on a journey to the shrine and the two are sent off to the mountain shrine to see what happened to him. Spoiler alert: he's dead. Bandits killed him. Cue epic combat scene.

I liked how the two worked together to fight off the khopesh-wielding ram.

There was some good synergy there between them. Distract and attack. And the way they kind of stumbled over each other in the process was endearing.

What exactly is going on in the story, who the factions are, etc, isn't really explained. Not sure how I felt about how that was done.

I really liked how the ending came on, too. It cuts to them having already found Bachar--who in epic fashion kneeling dead amongst the bodies of a bunch of bandits--already anointing his body and doing a ritual of burial while praising each other. It was just an endearing way of wrapping up.

"Endearing" is kind of the word I'd describe this story with. While there isn't much emotion here, and not much attention paid to the weight of what's happening, it's wholesome with some good action.

And again. Khopesh cameo. Love those things.

Oh, one last thing: Naoum is described as being a bit chubby with a belly that jiggles sometimes throughout the story. Idk, I just like seeing plus-sized characters like that represented in a positive way and I wanted to point that out. :-)

Unmourned by Haya Baru

Unmourned by Haya Baru is...a damn good story.

It's about a leopardess named Tehq who's going on a seven day pilgrimage to become a full priestess. She has a mysterious and traumatic past, and the pilgrimage promises trials that will be unique to her. Already a promising setup.

And it's a promising setup that's complimented by fantastic prose. Both description and dialogue are expertly done, and there are occasional italicized asides breaking up the story that foreshadow the pilgrimage's trials and Tehq's past. It's really interesting.

I was a bit confused about why the story started the way it did, with her talking to then sleeping with a courtesan tiger, but it became apparent pretty quickly that the scenes were used to deliver exposition and reveal Tehq's traumas. Top tier job delivering all of that in a subtle way.

Tehq's family was slaughtered by a certain faction, and she's haunted by visions of family telling her she has yet to mourn for something. What that something is, Tehq doesn't know. I was really intrigued by that question, and eager to find out.

I'm not sure what exactly the answer was, however. Perhaps it was her past self? The person she used to be? The story never really gave a direct explanation, but perhaps if I took some time to think on it I'd be able to answer that. It's certainly a thinker of a story.

Tahq meets up with a tiger warrior of the faction who killed her family, and the conversation they have is rather interesting. The tiger had to go to war to pay his debt for a caribou he killed, and Tahq basically tells him he went to war for a caribou, which was an interesting way to look at it.

There's this important paragraph that describes how Tahq rejects the idea that there is anything beyond the duality of victim and victimizer, because she's so terrified of a more complicated world. She can kill this guy here and now. She can't do anything about the greater issues.

I just love a story that makes you think about moral dilemmas by portraying them so effectively through events like this. The story certainly succeeds in that.

Although it did end at a weird place. I turned the page and honestly thought there had been a printing error for a sec. It was abrupt.

There's a lot to praise. I'll end it here. But it's certainly a standout story.

The Last Giant by J.S. Hawthorne

I do love a story that makes me go "dawww" at the end.

This story is about a prince named Ennachu following the prophecy of a druid, who claims that bringing back the tusk of a "giant" will bring peace to his people. So, he sets out with an army.

The giants in question turn out to be mammoths, and during a battle with one Ennachu becomes lost after falling off a cliff and losing consciousness. Whole wandering the forest, he stumbles upon a hare named Weithli, who will be our love interest this evening.

The prose is damn good, with some memorable lines and descriptions. I haven't seen someone's age described as "passed his majority" before, for example.

Also I will never get tired of the trope of someone getting knocked out repeatedly. Pretty sure Ennachu has a concussion by the end of this.

First the mammoth knocks him out, then Weithli, and he narrowly avoids getting knocked out a third time. It was just the right level of comedic.

Anyway, finding out this is "the last mammoth" was interesting. Because the characters are anthro, extinction happens for different reasons that irl.

In irl it likely happened because they were hunted to extinction for food. In anthro world, it happens because of straight up genocide. A bit more complex.

Weithli reveals this fact, and is extremely sorrowful about it. Ennachu sympathizes and agrees not to kill the mammoth.

Both because it's wrong to do so, but also because he is basically in love with the hare after 2 hours. That fact is actually pointed out, but is also accompanied by a very slight supernatural suggestion to the attraction that makes it more believable, and I thought that was well done.

The ending is bittersweet, as they do manage to save the mammoth, but said mammoth is still going to die eventually and the species will end. That was sad.

But also the wolf and the rabbit get to go home and be gay together, and that made my gay self go "daww".

Clearly I'm conflicted.

Anyway, good story! Onward to the next.

Requiem by Pascal Farful

A badger named Bodarn feels bad about not having loved his father, who has recently died. He vents about this to Zohan, a fox religious leader who talks him through it as they bury the father and say goodbye.

Honestly, I was almost ready to write this one off at the beginning. The pacing was very fast. Possibly too fast, and dialogue heavy. It was jarring compared to the slower and more descriptive pacing of the anthology's other stories.

But it became somewhat apparent that the fast pace was part of an interesting style. Occasionally the story breaks into snappy one-sentance lines to show conflicted emotions and anxious thought, for example. That uniqueness was refreshing to see.

I did have to go back and reread my much of the story to understand exactly why Bodarn's love for his father had faded, but perhaps that was an attention problem on my part.

Anyway, the conflict in the story is rather relatable for our time. The scrutinization of parents is topical.

And I think Bodarn's conflict is one a lot of people have felt--the guilt you feel when you realize your parents suck. Bodarn isn't mourning his father. He's mourning his love for him, which died long ago. What a fascinating angle.

It's a quick story, so there isn't too much to say unless we want to go into a wider analysis of family life and dissappointing parenthood. But needless to say I think this one will be very relatable to a lot of people.

Mark of the Stranger by Casimir Laski

...god damn, what a finale.

So what strikes me most about this story is that it's by Casimir Laski. I've read Winter Without End and admittedly had a few issues with it. But this story feels like it's by an entirely different author. It's absolutely phenomenal and ends the anthology on a deeply affecting note.

The story follows Sikarios, a marten who is running from something. We find out pretty early on that he has killed his younger brother for reasons unknown, and that his elder brother is coming after him. Sikarios finds himself in a small village after helping to save a family of farmers.

He lingers in this town for awhile, existing amongst wholesome families and villages while haunted by memories that slowly reveal what truly happened to cause his exile. Those flashbacks are masterfully done in the form of his remembrances, rather than in story-form.

That's partly thanks to Laski's prose, which is imaginative, descriptive, and sometimes downright poetic. What amazes me about it is how much information the story presents about the world in such a short time, while still remaining comprehensible. That's no easy task.

But the main thing that gets me about the story is how Sikarios sees the world around him as a result of what's happened. There's a constant feeling of loss, guilt, and sorrow throughout the entire story, and everything he sees and experiences is colored by those feelings.

After what has happened, the world has revealed itself to be a darker place--deeply unjust, condemning, and actively hunting him. Yet there's also this wholesome village in that world, the tragedy being that he can no longer hope to be a part of such a community.

It just hit me right in the gut.

I don't want to say much more than that. I'm a sucker for underlying themes and narrative devices that portray them in captivating ways. The story really sucked me in because of that. I'll stop gushing now, but seriously, it's a story to be experienced for prose nerds like me.

Final thoughts

I can see why this anthology has been hyped up. It's damn good, with nary a dud in sight. The only criticism I have is that one or two of the stories didn't take advantage of the eras they were written in, and could actually have been told in the modern day with nothing lost.

I'm surprised the theme of historical fiction (specifically prehistoric) hasn't been explored in a furry anthology before now. At least to my knowledge. It was a great opportunity to fill a much-needed hollow in the anthology space.

And what strikes me about prehistoric stories like these is that people in prehistory did, in fact, have stories. Remarkable things happened before there were words to write of them, and which are lost to time forever.

We don't think of the unique lives and troubles of prehistoric people that often. They're sort of a monolith to us a lot of the time. So highlighting the fact that these were indeed people with lives and stories, is important

And most importantly, being able to apply furry to them, just as we do to more modern stories, helps to prove it.