# Prehistoric fiction

Prehistoric Fiction is a science fiction subgenre in which the story is set in the ages prior to the existence of written records, generally known as prehistory. A span of time that may include as its fictional setting the three periods of Stone Age; the Paleolithic, Mesolithic or Neolithic as well as the Metal Ages. Even earlier periods of the Cenozoic and Mesozoic have been the subject of fiction including extinct mammals and dinosaurs. As a literary genre the description of the subjects can vary widely, from the realistic to the fantastic, without necessarily having any commitment to developing an objective anthropological, archaeological or paleontological account. Because of this, a given author of prehistoric fiction will often deal with their subjects with more creative license than the author of serious historical fiction. The genre also has connections with speculative fiction. In many such narratives for instance, humans and dinosaurs live together, despite the extinction of the dinosaurs and the evolution of humans being separated by tens of millions of years. The paleontologist, academic and author Björn Kurtén coined the term "paleofiction" to define his works. One of the newer derivatives and subgenres of Cyberpunk is Stonepunk. Stonepunk is a neologism born from the contraction between a stone and cyberpunk. This is an uchronia that refers to the incongruous use of high technology in prehistoric times.

## List of prehistoric fiction
### Print

* 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 Rosmary Sutcliff
* The Pagans Trilogy (1978-1984) by Richard Herley

#### 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
* 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, by Shiko and Piteco – Fogo, 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

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

### 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)
* Roots of Pacha (2023)