THOUGHTFUL, ENJOYABLE EDUCATION

books:


	• People of the Raven (First North Americans) W. Michael Gear, Kathleen O'Neal Gear, 2004 - 496 pages average customer review:based on 22 reviews view larger image
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People of the Raven

Great books for suppence and intertainment, but at the same time gives you insite on how our ancesters lived. I have the whole series and enjoy reading them over again. Very well researched and written.

It Never Fails...

It never fails that the Gears will write a book and it becomes an instant captivating story. This is another one of their twisting plots that will not allow you to put the book down. At first glance, I wondered what a red head was doing on the cover of this book considering this took place long before white man appeared on the North American continent. Little did I know about the Caucasoid skeleton remains that were found dating to 9,000 years ago right here in North America. It was an interesting theory of how the "white man" of the time disappeared in North America and how the "Native Americans" took claim to the continent. The characters were well developed. My only concern is that the Gears have told the same tale, just different characters; so many times that it has become a bit predictive. All the same, I still find the book hard to put down and will continue to read the story because each has its own charisma that is captivating. I was also disappointed with the character Coyote. I was never able to determine who he really was and his background story. All in all, great book. I can't wait to read the next one, People of the Nightland.

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Historical fiction hits...

I love the People of North America series of books. Can't wait until another comes out. The formula for the books are all pretty similar, but the descriptions of different tribes, the historical evidence that is put in, and the anticipation of what is going to happen next is well worth the wait and the read.

Not one of their best

I agree with several earlier reviews. I actually enjoyed the prelude to the book more than I did the book itself. I felt that the plot and characters were redundant, too similar to previous books, but I did enjoy the setting, and, as always, I love the detail the Gears add to their books to make you feel that you are there, living in the envronment, and are experiencing the intimate connection with the earth that so many people have lost today.

I do wish the Gears would give up the heroines with the heart-shaped faces. That has become a personal joke for me, and an "ah, LOOK! She must be a heroine!" snicker. I have a private wager whenever I start one of their books that has to do with the page number where the first heart-shaped face bombshell will show up.

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THOUGHTFUL, ENJOYABLE EDUCATION

MY WIFE AND I BOTH READ AND LOVED THE PEOPLE OF THE RAVEN.

UPON READING THE WHOLE SERIES, ESPECIALLY RE. THE SOUTHWESTERN PEOPLES, ONE UNDERSTANDS THAT HOT DRY CLIMATES PRESERVE MORE "AMMUNITION" FOR THE INTREPID SCIENTISTS TO INCLUDE. THE MIXTURE OF FACT-BASED AND FICTION-BASED COMPONENTS IN EACH BOOK WILL NECESSARILY VARY GEOGRAPHICALLY.

IT IS A PLEASURE TO FIND A SCIENTIFIC BIBLIOGRAPHY AT THE END OF THE GEAR'S "PEOPLE OF" BOOKS. I AM REMINDED OF THE EXCELLENTLY-RESEARCHED HISTORICAL FICTION WORKS OF THE LATE DON BERRY, WHOSE TITLE "TRASK" WAS ACTUALLY USED AS A HISTORY TEXT FOR OREGON PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN PAST YEARS.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Award-winning archaeologists Michael and Kathleen Gear spin a vivid and captivating tale around one of the most controversial archaeological discoveries in the world, the Kennewick Man---a Caucasoid male mummy dating back more than 9,000 years---found in the Pacific Northwest on the banks of the Columbia River!

A white man in North America more than 9,000 years ago? What was he doing there?

With the terrifying grandeur of melting glaciers as a backdrop, People of the Raven shows animals and humans struggling for survival amidst massive environmental change. Mammoths, mastodons, and giant lions have become extinct, and Rain Bear, the chief of Sandy Point Village, knows his struggling Raven People may be next.

One day a strange and beautiful red-haired woman, Evening Star, stumbles into his council lodge and begs him for sanctuary. Rain Bear soon learns that she is an escaped slave from the North Wind People, the Raven People's mortal enemies. If he offers to protect her, the North Wind People will attack, but if he sends her back, Rain Bear knows Evening Star will be tortured and perhaps killed.

But when Evening Star warns Rain Bear that the North Wind warriors are already on their way to Sandy Point Village, Rain Bear must decide at once if he should take his people and run or gather them into a battle that could result in the Raven People's complete demise.
(20040622)

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