People of the Thunder: Book Two of the Moundville Duology (North America's Forgotten Past)
Description
From Publishers Weekly Set in the 1300s largely in what is now Alabama and Mississippi, this complex novel tracks three wanderers quest to create peace in violent times. The Sky Hand people control their territory from Split Sky City (Moundville, Ala.), ruled by scheming chief Flying Hawk and his ruthless nephew, war chief Smoke Shield. While they plot to suppress the enslaved Albaamaha people and to conquer their neighbors, three people pursue a mission to restore peace. Old White is a prophet and the most dangerous man alive; Trader is a man with blood on his hands and a stunning secret; Two Petals is a shaman woman who says and does everything backwards. Together this curious trio must bring down Flying Hawk and Smoke Shield. The story is loaded with early Native American lore, spirituality, economics, government and daily life; however, it is not for the squeamish, as it also contains plenty of blood and gore, hideous torture, rape and chilling cruelty. Still, blended with the carefully drawn suspense of court intrigues, colorful characters and sharp plot twists, this is a terrific tale. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. “The Gears, husband-and-wife archaeologists turned best-selling authors, continue their superbly research and rendered North America’s Forgotten Past series. This novel is as good a place as any of its predecessors to jump in and begin enjoying the authors’ talents.” -- Booklist “Set in the 1300s largely in what is now Alabama and Mississippi, this complex novel tracks three wanderers’ quest to create peace in violent times. Blended with the carefully drawn suspense of court intrigues, colorful characters and sharp plot twists, this is a terrific tale.” -- Publishers Weekly Kathleen O'Neal Gear is a former state historian and archaeologist for Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska for the U.S. Department of the Interior. She has twice received the federal government's Special Achievement Award for ""outstanding management"" of our nation's cultural heritage. xa0W. Michael Gear holds a master's degree in archaeology and has worked as a professional archaeologist since 1978. He is principal investigator for Wind River Archaeological Consultants. xa0Together they have written the North America’s Forgotten Past series ( People of the Longhouse , The Dawn Country , People of the Mist , People of the Wolf , among others); and the Anasazi Mysteries series. The Gears live in Thermopolis, WY. Read more
Features & Highlights
- By 1300 AD, the Sky Hand people had crushed and enslaved the Albaamaha people and built their high-walled capital, Split Sky City, to dominate towns up and down the Black Warrior River. But a violent wind is brewing that may topple the city's mighty walls. Great armies are on the march, and a cunning new leader, Smoke Shield, has risen. He will lead the Sky Hand people either to stunning triumph or to bloody doom. Old White, Trader, and the mystical Two Petals are journeying across the Choctaw lands straight into the chaos. Old White, the Seeker, must play a delicate game of espionage. For Trader the slightest indiscretion--let alone the temptation of forbidden love--could lead to disaster. Two Petals, the Contrary, faces the toughest choice of all : She must betray herself and her friends to Smoke Shield or live forever in the backward grip of madness. And Spirit Power has laid a far deadlier trap for them in the rainbow colors just beneath the rolling surface of the Black Warrior River. A novel of desperate political intrigue and spiritual power,
- People of the Thunder
- once again demonstrates the Gears' mastery of American prehistory. Explore the ancestral heritage of the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Yuchi peoples as the majesty and genius of the vanished Mississippian mound builders' civilization comes to life.
