*Editorial Book Review*
SINGING BONES
by S. G. Ullman
Publication Date: 25th March 2026
Publisher: Stuart Ullman
Page Length: 339
Genre: Historical Fiction
Nearly 8,300 years ago, a sudden climate collapse reshaped the earth. Winters grew longer and colder, harvests failed, coastlines flooded, and the ground itself became unstable. For the Téuta, a settled Neolithic village that had endured for generations, survival became uncertain.
Eini is born with troubling visions of disaster—warnings her people dismiss as superstition. As the climate worsens and violence spreads among desperate neighbors, Eini spends her lifetime trying to protect her family and preserve the fragile traditions that hold her community together. When catastrophe finally strikes, the Téuta must face the unthinkable: abandoning their ancestral home and redefining who they are in a transformed world.
Told across generations, Singing Bones follows the lives of women whose strength, memory, and resilience shape the fate of their people—from prophecy, to survival, to leadership forged in loss. Song, story, and shared history become tools of endurance in a world where nothing can be taken for granted.
Grounded in real archaeological and climate research, Singing Bones is ancient historical fiction set during the Neolithic era. Its spiritual elements arise from a prehistoric worldview in which nature, belief, and survival are inseparable. Sweeping yet intimate, it explores how early civilizations responded to climate catastrophe, displacement, and change.
Perfect for readers of immersive historical fiction, ancient civilizations, prehistoric survival stories, and epic sagas rooted in humanity’s deep past.
The world is cooling rapidly. Life in Téuta, as it has been for generations, is about to change, and survival depends on many different factors—belief, determination, and maintaining a firm grasp on humanity while moving through disaster and loss as a collective. Telling an intricate yet epic story spanning multiple generations, Singing Bones is not only a novel of human survival, but also one of vitality, determination, and love.
What I found in this novel was not what I expected going into it. I anticipated a story of an ancient civilisation struggling to survive in an increasingly hostile environment. However, what I discovered within these pages was human resilience: a poetic and deeply touching story of community, hope, and belief. The world created within this novel does not simply depict early humans in the Neolithic era fighting for everyday survival, but rather complex communities of intelligent people caring for their homes and legacies with a deep commitment to family and friends. Following different characters across generations, I found myself utterly enthralled by the survival of this early civilisation. The immense importance of Téuta—as such a large village for its time—bleeds through the pages until I, too, felt committed to the survival of its people and their legacy.
The connection the characters have to Téuta is more than a simple attachment to a hometown—it is an intense desire to protect a place that is sacred to them. Their ancestors settled there, and they have grown up surrounded by legends passed down through generations. Their devotion to their home is both a blessing and a curse. The legend of Téuta binds the community together, giving its inhabitants something in common and a reason to care for one another. Yet, because Téuta has provided safety and stability for so long, the desire—or even the ability—to leave seems impossible. There is too much history embedded in the land to abandon. When faced with life and death, how could they leave the place where their ancestors are buried, where they themselves expect to rest one day? The bond the people of Téuta feel with their homeland is written with a profound understanding of the sacredness of ancestral ground. This unwavering commitment, even in the face of danger, is portrayed with a realism that allows the reader to deeply sympathise with the community and feel a similar connection to this legendary place.
A deep spirituality runs through the novel, seeping into every aspect of the characters’ lives. Their unwavering belief in a deity beyond their everyday existence gives them hope that they are not alone. While beliefs differ between villages and tribes, the presence of faith remains constant, lending purpose to both joy and suffering. Loss is ever-present—lives are lost, but so too is the sense of security for those who remain. As winters grow harsher and summers drier, once-abundant food becomes scarce. Desperation rises, and with it, violence. Hunger drives people to extremes in their fight to survive. Entire communities are wiped out, leaving only a few survivors to navigate a world without the protection of a collective. This growing desperation intensifies as the novel progresses. The cooling world not only brings longer, harsher winters but also pushes communities to their limits. How long can people endure without food before taking rather than asking? The destabilisation of communities, as survival begins to outweigh cooperation, introduces a sense of mistrust and uncertainty. How long before another village falls—or before they do?
We meet many characters throughout the novel, but the most prominent are those followed across generations, as the narrative passes from one to the next. Many of them possess an additional, almost mystical sense that sets them apart. The story begins with Eini, who has dreamt of the future since childhood. Lacking proof, her visions are often dismissed by adults as the imaginings of a child. Yet she cannot ignore what she sees. As she grows and builds a family, her faith in her abilities never wavers, and her unease deepens as she senses an approaching threat she cannot fully understand. Eini is instantly likeable—someone who continues to speak her truth even when unheard. In the next generation, we encounter Welo, whose abilities are less dismissed but equally mysterious. He can sense what lies beyond sight, locate game in the forest, and detect danger. As Eini and Welo begin to use their gifts together, the need to protect Téuta from the looming, unknown threat becomes urgent. Welo’s journeys beyond Téuta expand the story, introducing new people who prove vital to the community’s survival.
Spanning generations, Singing Bones by S. G. Ullman is written in lyrical prose that transports the reader into the distant past, among early civilisations entirely dependent on the natural world. Spirituality intertwines with a deep respect for nature and community, and a sense of gratitude for life itself. A profound loyalty emerges in the characters, and as the narrative expands beyond Téuta to include those not born into its legend, an important question arises: is Téuta’s power rooted in the land, or in the hearts of those who believe in it? This novel is captivating in a quiet, almost magical way. Its exploration of spirituality, nature, and human connection draws the reader in until stepping away feels impossible. For those interested in early human communities and survival during ecological catastrophe, this is a novel that goes beyond storytelling—it brings the Neolithic era vividly to life.
Review by Ellie Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club
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S. G. Ullman
Stuart Ullman retired from working after 38 years as an economist and engineering project manager at a US Navy lab. He has been an avid recreational sailor for decades, and was, for a time, the Commodore of the Sailing Club of Washington; he once sailed to Bermuda on one of the U.S. Naval Academy’s 44-foot sailboats. Since his retirement he has pursued a life-long interest in writing. He has been active in the Maryland Writers Association and for several years was president of the Montgomery County chapter. He and his wife raised two children, have a grandson, and are currently living in Kensington, Maryland.
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