People of the Lakes (The First North Americans series, Book 6)

I would have loved this novel no matter what since it is so well-written, brilliantly-conceived and the stone age characters--including a shamanistic dwarf, a fearless warrior, a river trader, a runaway princess and a half-crazed contrary--are all persons of depth, but what made it one of my all-time favorites was the fact it was set in my own state, in my own region, practically in my own hometown! It probably helped that I read this at a time when I was far from home and ready to grasp any reminder of my old surroundings, even if it was as part of a tale of those places long, long ago.

For those of you who don't happen to live among southern Ohio's verdant river valleys, regions dotted with a multitude of pre-Columbian settlements, there is still a lot to recommend this long, intricate novel about the Adena peoples in decline and the Hopewell culture in its ascendancy. Many educational details of both societies are included here. (Including such tidbits as the "high-headed" Adena's regarding dwarves as semi-divine individuals of such gloriously surpassing beautiful that women paid richly for the honor of sleeping with them in hopes of birthing a dwarfen child.)

This is the story of a group of Adena, Hopewell and a few outside individuals from other prehistoric North American nations, who join together on a daring quest to destroy a cursed object--a ceremonial mask--by pitching it into the roaring natural landmark we 2000 years later call Niagara Falls. There is a legend about this evil mask, you see, created as it was long ago by an evil shaman whose powers he transferred within it, that strikes terror in those who discover it back among them after an absence of so long the item had come to be regarded as a myth. (Lest this sounds too much like a fantasy rather than anthropological novel, know that whether the mask is truly so afflicted is never completely explored, the important fact is the people in this book believe it is.)

In Peoples of the Lakes, the quest at the story's soul takes the reader through much of the Hopewell and Adena homelands, enriching that setting with several chapters on the everyday lives of those civilizations. The plot then sweeps into the Mississippian cultures and introduces a brutal tribe called the Khota, who worship (were)wolves, shed blood to please their savage gods, and guard the convergence of what we now call the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The Khota raid river traffic and war on anyone within their reach, much like Vikings did in Europe later in the first millennium. Because our questing party trespasses on their territory, the Khota swear to end their lives at any cost. Next the party, with Khota warriors behind them, cross Lake Michigan at the height of a severe thunderstorm, and survive to pass thru the lands of a peaceful nation of lake people whose moral values are both laudable and definitely--in a sexual sense--"different" from our own today. All the while the group of main characters makes its way north, they face pursuit by violent enemies and must overcome natural and human obstacles along the way. When after a thousand pages this story reaches its climax, we finally learn a dark truth that has been kept secret from us: in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled, one of the people we've come to know so well all through the journey must not only destroy the malevolent spirits who dwell within the mask, but make the ultimate sacrifice as well...

This massive novel about the values and beliefs of ancient Americans in the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mississippi Valley presents a multi-faceted story that will offer something to catch the interest of almost anyone.

Kudos to the gears for writing such magical novel! We are know from history classes what happened in ancient greece and Rome and medieval europe BUT we don't know what happened in our country a thousand years ago but thanks to the Gears and their considerable storytelling abilities we can imagined what happened in this country.This novel has scenes of eerie mysticism, romance suspenseful adventure and witty dialogue to create a novel with memorable characters like black skull, deadly warrior with a painful past, feisty Pearl and mysterious sorcerer midget named the Tall Man and the hunt for the sinister mask was gripping! Two thumbs up for this novel!

As a fellow writer of historical Native American fiction, I found this book to be the best of the series. Growing up on the Great Lakes and being of a Native culture, I could not wait to see what happened next. As long as the book was I found I came to the conclusion too fast. I wanted this story to go on. Its detail of the native peoples of the time showed an exceptional understanding of the cultures and tools of the time. Well done.

The longest novel of the series so far, this one is undoubtedly my favorite. Set in the pre-historic Great Lakes region, the story follows the Trader, Otter, and his strange crew of a woman fleeing her past, a warrior with a secret, and a holy man known as a Contrary. A spiritual leader like a Dreamer, the Contrary sees the world with such clarity that he does everything backwards. Often frustrating to the people around him, the Contrary makes for some raucous humor as the quartet make their way through the Great Lakes. Traveling through strange lands, they encounter peoples and places that they had only heard about in legends and myths. At the end of their often dangerous and ever entertaining journey they must all confront their destinies.

I've read all of the Gear's books in "The First North Americans" series, and this is my favorite! I can't remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book. Not only was the story dramatic and intriguing, it actually had me laughing out loud in some places. This is a "must" for Gear fans and anyone interested in native American culture.

The First North Americans is a series that is written by the husband and wife team of the Gears. I have to say that this sixth book is probably my favorite out of all the books that I've read so far. You don't really have to read them in order though, they take place in various places of history and bounce all around.

There are two different parties off on an adventure in this book. The first is a Trader, Otter, who is heartbroken and ready to be away from home, Black Skull, a great warrior who thinks of not much other than killing, Green Spider, a man who has been possessed by spirits, and Pearl, a woman who has been sold into slavery by her tribe. Next is the party of Tall Man, a dwarf who is also a magician and Star Shell and her daughter, who are on the run because of her husband's antics. The one focus of both these groups is a special mask that causes people to do either very bad things or very good. And everyone who is pursuing them wants it.

To be honest, I didn't really care about Star Shell and her group. I just couldn't connect with any of them. Tall Man, well his motivations were convoluted and not entirely genuine. And it seems the authors changed what they wanted to do with him midway through the book. Otter's party is much more interesting. Black Skull grows through the book. Pearl is a strong courageous woman who balances the men out. And Otter, well he's a good guy and adventurous. But he wants the best for everyone around him.

Like I said, I didn't really care for Star Shell's part of the story. Their adventure wasn't as engaging and I found myself wishing they'd get back to the other half of the story when it was going on. By contrast I greatly enjoyed the other half of the story and looked forward to finding out what was going to happen to Otter and the crew next. They had more vicious enemies too. This book was massively detailed. It's the biggest in the series thus far. Despite that though, it read at a good pace. There's a lot of violence, rape, and other hard topics though.

I'm eager to see what the next book brings. Maybe from here on out they're going to keep getting better and better.

People of the Lakes
Copyright 1994
798 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2014

I cant describe with words where this book takes me every time Ive read it, and that has been at least seven times. Ive read other First North American Series books but have never been as involved or enamored as I have been with People of the Lakes. The story flows beautifully, bringing you on an adventure with a dwarf, warriors, traders and mystical peoples. Also, being from North Eastern Ohio and visiting Niagara falls many of times, it brings into perspective and gives a story to the feet that have walked that land many, many years ago.

I am in awe of the talent of this husband-wife writing team. The characters are such individuals and the way they wove the stories together--well, this is an incredible book.

A must read for the Native American history readers. The Gears have teamed up once again for the thrill of a lifetime. This novel has all of the fulfillments: adventure, romance, suspense, laughter and tears. I truly enjoyed the characters and their plights, you get the sense that you are traveling with them and becoming one with them... It's awesome to think that this could've actually happened... i enjoyed thinking about the region and how it has changed in the span of time. This story kept my interest from the first page to the last...

This series, written by a husband/wife team of experts on North American pre-history, cover different groups of the peoples as they migrated into the continent. While there is some chronology that connects the stories, they are not strictly a continuation of the story of the same group of people. Set over different parts of the North American continent, the writers construct many different and plausible societal groups that are very well developed and interesting. I got the first five for my birthday, and ordered all the rest together!