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Frozen in Time by Zanne Raby
Tradition and change collide in Zanne Raby’s latest riveting page-turner. Frozen in Time: Shelter of Stones marks the beginning of a two-part speculative historical saga that follows fearless Mesolithic heroine Te’a of the Izokina as she fights to protect her home and clan from increasing threats.
With an earnest and passionate narrative voice, Raby reaches deep into the past to imagine civilization as it may have been thousands of years ago, weaving a suspenseful tale of survival and spirituality that reverberates in our present day. Raby’s vivid, immersive vision of rural Europe circa 5200 BC brings sprawling landscapes to life with remarkable clarity, grounding the novel in a world as atmospheric as it is transportive, and providing the backdrop for Te’a and her family’s tests of endurance.
Readers are quickly immersed into the rich language and culture of the Alterra Clan—traditions that are abruptly threatened by the arrival of a group of Strangers in their lands whose presence signals sweeping change. These men embody difference, danger, and the dawn of a whole new world order ushered in by the Neolithic era. Before long, Te’a and her band of hunter-gatherers are knocked off-kilter as the novel’s pace accelerates into a series of upheavals that test the very foundations of the clan’s way of life. From this point on, tension suffuses every page; Raby’s readers cling to a cliff-face and brace for the inevitable fall as Te’a rails against the rapid and successive changes that are put into motion by the Strangers’ arrival, even as younger members of the clan exhibit a bold curiosity and eagerness to learn.
Steadfast throughout is Te’a’s husband Eder, the calm eye of her storm. The bond between these two characters, as well as other engaging inter-clan dynamics, highlights one of the book’s central ideas: community becomes the greatest form of protection when the world shifts beneath your feet. Although these dynamics are occasionally lost in the fray of the more ambitious plot points, it is clear that the novel’s heart lies with its focus on primal human emotions—love, fear, resilience—and the ways they shape us.
In Frozen in Time (a title that reveals its poignancy toward the story’s gripping final pages), Raby weaves a tale of empowerment that echoes across the ages. A sweeping, thoughtful, and deeply human exploration of survival, tradition, and transformation, the novel draws us into the past to leave us with lessons for our present, reminding us that while ritual and community ground us, we must allow space for new traditions to take root, lest discord fracture us all.
SHEILA BALLS, author of ALL RIGHT SO FAR
Frozen in Time paints a picture of life 7000 years ago; daily occurrences mixed with the kind of occasional drama that touches all people. This book centres on how life might have been,how it might have changed. A list of the many characters and a setting map at the beginning of the book help to orient the reader. The writing style is clear and the voice well maintained. Notes at the end of the book indicate how the author researched language in order to portray the characters’ speech as meaningfully as possible.
D.M. BUEHLER, author of TIARIS: WHEN THE OCEANS KISSED
Te’a is smart, strong, skilled, and a brave leader alongside and equal to her man. I was hooked from the first few pages when Te’a and her Izokina tribe grapple with the arrival of newcomers who outnumber them and whose values, especially towards ownership and women, are at odds with their own. Raby takes us on an adventure through the towering mountains and shadowed valleys of the European Alps over 5000 years ago as we follow Te’a and her people through a cycle of the seasons. This is a gripping story of love and loyalty set amid an intellectual playground of politics, Mesolithic ecology, and (to this reader) fictionalized hints of our own human past. You won’t be able to put this book down.
G. MARTIN
Frozen in Time: Shelter of Stones is one of the most convincing prehistoric novels I’ve read in years. The world-building is extraordinary—every detail of landscape, clan life, and ritual feels grounded in careful research, yet the story never gets bogged down in it. Raby brings 5200 BCE vividly to life in a way that feels both alien and completely human, weaving a gripping tale of survival, change, and loyalty that stayed with me long after I turned the last page.
READS.NANCY
Review: In Frozen in Time, Zanne Raby delivers a masterfully told prehistoric epic driven by emotion, tension, and gripping character dynamics. Te’a stands out as a heroine who balances vulnerability with unwavering strength, a young leader forced to navigate the fragile line between tradition and survival. Her internal struggle—torn between duty and instinct—adds powerful emotional depth to the story.
The Izokina world feels authentically alive, richly detailed with rituals, landscapes, and the relentless challenges of an unforgiving environment. When enigmatic visitors arrive with promises of unity, Raby builds an atmosphere of dread that slowly tightens like a snare. Te’a’s foresight becomes both her burden and her weapon as she fights to uncover the truth behind their intentions.
The novel’s pacing is driven by escalating tension—fractured oaths, hidden rivalries, and the looming threat of destruction. Through it all, themes of loyalty, cultural identity, and ancestral resilience shine.
Fans of historical adventure, ancient civilizations, and strong female protagonists will be swept away by this enthralling tale. Frozen in Time is both haunting and inspiring—a story that lingers long after the last page.
DINESH KUMAR
Post Description: Zanne Raby’s Frozen in Time: Shelter of Stones is a beautifully crafted prehistoric drama that blends survival, courage, and cultural identity into an unforgettable reading experience. Set in 5200 BCE, the novel transports readers into a world carved by mountains, shadowed by uncertainty, and held together by tradition. At its heart is Te’a—daughter of a chieftain and a remarkable heroine whose strength feels both timeless and deeply human. As her people, the Izokina, navigate hunger, harsh terrain, and growing threats, Te’a becomes the quiet force holding their world together.🌄🔥
When mysterious outsiders arrive offering gifts and promises of alliance, Te’a senses the danger beneath their generosity. As betrayal and fractured loyalties begin to surface, the tension in the story intensifies, turning the narrative into a gripping struggle for survival—not just of land, but of culture, trust, and community. Raby’s poetic writing, rich world-building, and emotional depth immerse readers fully into the ancient past.
For lovers of historical fiction, strong female leads, and deeply atmospheric storytelling, Frozen in Time: Shelter of Stones is a captivating must-read. This powerful tale reminds us that even in the earliest eras of humanity, bravery and leadership shaped destinies.
MICHEL B.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Frozen in Time and found the story captivating from cover to cover. The author pays such attention to detail that one can almost experience what life must have been like all these thousands of years ago, from the daily struggles of the early hunter-gatherers to stay alive, to the social interactions within the tribe, and the challenges brought upon when encountering external threats.
The action is engaging, the plot well thought through, and the events unfolding in such a way that one is always eager to find out how they unfold and what new twist awaits the members of the Izokina clan. The interplay between the tribe members and their determination to overcome all that threatens their way of life is inspiring and testimony to their resilience and spirit.
I highly recommend this book to all that wish to travel to the past and learn of the struggles our distant ancestors had to overcome and how reliance on one another enabled them to survive in often unforgiving conditions.
ANNA D.
This book is very captivating and interesting. I'm certainly looking forward to more books from Zanne.
CATHERINE
The book Frozen in Time is a journey into a historical saga. The author weaves a vivid prehistoric landscape filled with danger and powerful emotional feelings. This is an amazingly interesting novel that blends adventure love and myths. Love this Author books.
