October 2022: Svante Pääbo wins the Nobel Prize. The Neanderthal genome is sequenced, and we begin to understand: Our human cousins weren't grunting brutes, but rather skilful, resourceful, and empathetic. What if they didn't go extinct? Could they have survived to this day?

“INTO THE SHADOWLAND masterfully blends anthropological science with vivid storytelling, offering a gripping exploration of human resilience, culture, and belief in a forgotten world. With an archaeologist’s precision and a novelist’s imagination, J.M.G. SCHMIDT reconstructs an ancient way of life that feels startlingly real.Think Neanderthals were just grunting brutes? Think again. This fascinating journey into our deep past will challenge everything you thought you knew about our long-lost cousins.” Patrick Keeney, Canadian author and journalist