''The Mammoth Trilogy'' is a series of books by hard science fiction author Stephen Baxter. The books in it were published between 1999 and 2001. It contains the novels ''Silverhair'', ''Longtusk'' and ''Icebones''. An omnibus volume containing all three novels was released in 2004, with the title ''Behemoth''.

''Silverhair''

''Silverhair'', the first book, was published in 1999. This story is about Silverhair, a female

mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks an ...

. On an isolated

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n island near the Arctic Circle, a clan of intelligent mammoths have survived the

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

and into the modern day, though their numbers are dwindling as the climate warms. A group of humans come ashore and start hunting the mammoths. The herd tries to escape and then it fights back. The mammoths are depicted as having near-human intelligence and an oral culture that goes back millions of years.

''Longtusk''

''Longtusk'' is the second book, published in 1999. Set in the far past, when the glaciers are retreating, ''Longtusk'' tells the story of the mammoths' early encounters with humanity.

''Icebones''

''Icebones'' is the third book, published in 2001. The novel is set in 3000 AD. After colonizing

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

some time ago and planning to populate the terraformed planet with ancient animals from Earth, humans had disappeared. One of the animals now left to fend for themselves is Icebones, daughter of Silverhair, who as the only adult mammoth taken to Mars also has responsibility for the herd.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews said in their review that it is "impossible not to cheer for Baxter's plucky pachyderms: a saga that, even at its most improbable, engages the reader's heart and mind." Jackie Cassada, in her review for '' Library Journal'', wrote, "Baxter brings the great creatures of Earth's prehistory to life."

References

External links

Stephen Baxter official website
Stephen Baxter series Novels by Stephen Baxter Novels about elephants Novels set in the Arctic Novels set on islands Novels set in prehistory 1999 British novels 2001 British novels Novels set on Mars Victor Gollancz Ltd books Terraforming in fiction Science fiction novel trilogies {{2000s-sf-novel-stub