In this book, the dinosaurs never became extinct. The reptiles are the dominant species on the planet. The humans, or Tanu as they are called, live as hunter-gatherers.
The winters become longer and longer and the Tanu go further south than usual to hunt for food. This is how they discover the existance of reptiles that walk like humans and the find them disgusting.
The reptiles, the Yilané, are also fleeing from the longer and colder winters. They in their turn are disgusted by the idea of mammals with a culture and language.
They kill a village and take a young boy, Kerrick, prisoner. Kerrick learns their language and finds out about their culture. they grow cities and adapt the genes of animals to use them as tools. Their society is female dominated and very complex.
Years later Kerrick escapes and meets other Tanu whose villages have also been killed by the Yilané, and together they set out to fight against them.
The review of this Book prepared by Esther Punselie