Prehistoric fiction



Prehistoric fiction is a literary genre in which the story is set in the period of time prior to the existence of written record, known as prehistory. As a fictional genre, the realistic description of the subject varies, without necessarily a commitment to develop an objective anthropological account. Because of this, it is possible that the author of prehistoric fiction deals with their subject with much more freedom than the author of a historical fiction, and the genre also has connections with speculative fiction. In many narratives, humans and dinosaurs live together, despite the extinction of the dinosaurs and the evolution of humans being separated by millions of years. The paleontologist Björn Kurtén coined the term "paleofiction" to define his works.

One of the derivatives of cyberpunk is stonepunk, a subgenre of science fiction. Stonepunk is a neologism born from the contraction between a stone and cyberpunk. This is an uchronia that refers to the massive use of technology in prehistoric times.

Novels and series

 * Dreamer Books: An Ice Age Saga (2016 - 2023) by E. A. Meigs


 * Shaman (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
 * The Clan of the Cave Bear (1980) 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 aîné
 * 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

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

Comics

 * Prehistoric Peeps (1893) by Edward Tennyson
 * Alley Oop series (1932–present) by V. T. Hamlin, Dave Graue, Jack Bender, Carole Bender, Joey Alison Sayers, and Jonathan Lemon
 * Anthro by Howard Post
 * Devil Dinosaur 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.

Film, television, and video

 * 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)
 * 10,000 BC (2008)
 * Ao: The Last Hunter (2010)
 * Alpha (2018)
 * Iceman (2017)
 * Primal (2019)

Tabletop games

 * GURPS Ice Age (1989) by Kirk Wilson Tate
 * Stone Age (2008)
 * Cavemaster (2012) by Jeff Dee and Talzhemir Mrr
 * Wolf-Packs and Winter Snow (2016)
 * Würm (2017) by Emmanuel Roudier, Olivier Castan, and Éric Gilleron
 * Planegea (2023) by David Somerville

Video games

 * NetHack (1987)
 * UnReal World (1992)
 * Far Cry Primal (2016)
 * Roots of Pacha (2023)