People of the Thunder by Kathleen O'Neal Gear & W. Michael Gear

So, this is the one book in the series that I can't say can be read as a stand-alone.  Although, only The People of the Weeping Eye needs to be read before it.  So as the sixteenth book in a series, that's not too bad if you want to pick and choose what you read.  And while I don't think this one had quite the shine to it that The People of the Weeping Eye did, it was still pretty good.

We are midway through the story of Trader, Seeker and the Contrary (and a whole slew of other characters).  Having learned that Power wants them to return home, they embark on a perilous journey that will lead them through war, angry factions, and to a city where there are evil people in positions of power.  Home is also where Trader's long lost love is and more complications will arise because of that as well.

Trader is a great character.  He's humble, kind, and still enough of a bad boy to make him interesting.  Not to mention he seems to have everyone's best interests at heart.  Seeker is a little more boring to me.  At least we learned his story finally, but it was drawn out long enough that I lost interest in it.  And Two Petal, the Contrary, was also not as interesting in this second half of the book.  She didn't provide comic relief and I thought her part of the story a bit strange and disjointed.  I could see where the authors were trying to go with her character, but it just didn't work for me.

Since this wraps up the story from the first book I was pleased with it.  I really wanted to know what would happen and even though it was a bit rushed and anti-climactic, it was still a decent story.  There was more rape, and violence, and terrible things, but the description wasn't nearly what it was in previous books.  So while it's still not for the timid or easily grossed out, it's not going to make you stare in shock at what's on the page either.  I was glad that the mystical was toned down in this book again too.  It's not nearly as blatant or weird as it was in the first few books and it actually seemed to fit with everything else that was going on.  So while this is sort of the last book (they have a few more that loosely tie in I guess) I'm glad to see that the authors improved as time went on.

An interesting series.  I'd definitely recommend this book and its first part, the rest I could probably take or leave.

People of the Thunder
Copyright 2008
496 pages

People of the Weeping Eye by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear

So, despite this being the fifteenth book in the series, it is also part one of a two book saga.  So while you can read it as a stand alone, you'll have to read the book after it to know how it ends.  Which, considering this is probably the best book out of all of them I've read, isn't really a bad thing.  It gives me hope that the next book will be just as good.

Seeker has always been looking for something.  From a mysterious past, he has never stayed anywhere long, and now, having picked up a girl known as a mystical Contrary, he finds himself drawn home.  Along the way they'll meet up with a man known as Trader, who is from the same city as Seeker and also left without ever going back.  But he too has a fate in store for him that he must return for, and as the three journey back, they have little idea of what awaits them.  For a man bent on his own needs is stirring up trouble and a war is brewing.

So the evil people are always just too evil for words.  It's how it is in this book.  There aren't really shades of grey, just the good and the bad.  I didn't really care for Seeker too much.  If there's too much mystery and not enough explanation, I just lose interest.  Trader on the other hand I found interesting.  He had a mystery about him too, but more was told about him and it made you drawn to his story.  Two Petal, the contrary, I found amusing and she almost provided comedic relief.  Everyone else I could take or leave.  Sure their stories were somewhat important, but they weren't the main draw to the book for me.

There is a lot of violence and description of sex and rape in this book.  Granted, all of the books were like that, but for some reason it was just more noticeable in this one.  But it was realistic.  There is still a spiritual element to this book but I almost feel like it's been toned down a bit, that it's more understandable than it used to be.  Either everything is finally sinking in for me after reading all these books, or the authors are writing it a little better.  I also was amazed at how fast pace this book was despite it being rather long.  I was disappointed when I got to the end and discovered it wasn't "the end" and I would have to read the next book to find out what happened.  Of course that just means I'll be starting the next book right away.

One of the better ones of the series.  I would have to say that if you read any of these, it should be this one.  It's a lot more enjoyable than most of the others.

People of the Weeping Eye
Copyright 2008
419 pages

People of the Nightland by W. Michael Gear & Kathleen O'Neal Gear

This book took me forever to get through.  It was just so hard to get into.  And although by the end I found it easier to read, the initial struggle was a bit much to get over.  Seeing as how this is the fourteenth book in the series, I've already done my share of trudging through books this year (although this can be read as a stand-alone). 

Where before Ti-Bish was an outcast, now he is a Guide.  Raven Hunter, the Nightland people's God has given him a vision.  He is to lead the people back through the ice to a place of paradise.  But that will come at a price.  Mainly the destruction of the Sunpath people to the South who worship Wolfdreamer, the other brother who came through the ice originally.  Stuck between these warring factions are many innocents.  And unless a small boy can Dream the way, it may be that all the peoples are destroyed.

Keresa was about the only character I actually liked in this book.  She was strong, loyal, and had to make tough choices based on her own morals.  But she was willing to do all that and showed a lot of courage.  The rest, I found their personalities too strange.  They'd be one person on one page and a completely different person the next.  And there were a lot of characters to keep track of.  Also, just once, I'd like the antagonist to be a woman.  It seems like it is always an older man who is screwing things up for everyone.  Seems a bit unfair.

In every one of these books there is a struggle between tribes.  It seems that peace is just never something that will be achieved.  However, after this many books, it seems like they could branch out in the plots some.  The mystical was actually a little more interesting in this book though.  I liked that it was more philosophy than magic.  It actually made it easier to read than it normally is because you could follow it rather than wonder why so many spirits were doing random things to the people.  It should be warned that there is sex, violence, murder, rape, and so many other hard topics.  But again, that's all of these books, if you've read any of the others, you know this already.

I just can't really say I liked this book.  It was ok, but pretty average overall and repetitive after reading all of the other books.  Luckily, I've only got a few more books in the series to go.

People of the Nightland
Copyright 2007
477 pages

People of the Moon by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

This is the first book in the series that I would actually say you should read others before reading it.  It very closely ties in to the book People of the Silence so I would say you should read them in order.  That being said, if you skip this one in the series, I don't really feel like you would miss much.

The First People, under the new command of Webworm, still are not doing as well as they should.  They are oppressing the people and when drought and pests destroy the crops, a desperate act by farmers to steal food is brought low by retaliation and cannibalism.  A new Dreamer has arrived though and he has seen the end of the First People, but the question remains as to whether people will follow their heart or follow the dream.

I can't say I really liked any of the characters.  They weren't developed and there were so many bouncing around that it was hard to keep track of them all.  And you didn't get a conclusion on many of them that wraps their stories up, so even if you did care for them, you may not know what happened to them.  Nightshade was as spooky as she's been in previous books, but since she's older it's somehow not as menacing.  And again there is madness that plagues the antagonists in this book.  That seems to be one of the only ways people are truly bad in these books.

This book was long and drawn out.  It bounced around from place to place and I felt that some of the plot was just put in there at random without a lot of thought given to it.  I actually had a hard time reading this one, it took me about three times longer than normal to read a book of this size.  And it's because I had to keep stopping because I wasn't interested in what was going on.  A plus would be there was a lot of history and lore in this book.  Clothing, rituals, etc. was detailed and it helped explained what happened in that period of history.  But unfortunately the actual plot just didn't have enough going for it.

Probably one of my least favorites in the series.  I only have a few books left in the series though, so here's hoping they are better!

People of the Moon
Copyright 2005
603 pages

People of the Raven by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

I'm starting to feel like I'm reading the same book.  Young, seemingly incapable boy who must Dream a new spiritual path for his people.  Old (but not too old) powerful woman dreamer who dances on the sides of both good and evil.  Strong leaders who fall in love and help lead their clans away from the bad guys.  The good news is this means you don't have to read any of the other books, you'll be just fine reading this on your own.

The Raven People  and the North Wind People have always had an uneasy alliance.  With tempers like their fiery hair, the North Wind People are accustomed to being leaders.  And the Raven people are beginning to resent it.  When several events fall into place to cause a cataclysmic war, it seems that few people are willing to look past revenge and actually work towards a better future for their peoples.  Add in a witch that is stirring up trouble and there is no telling what side will win.

First off, the witch.  What the heck is with his storyline?  And maybe I just missed it but I never really figured out who he was, which bothers me.  He wasn't important enough to be such a mystery.  But anyways, on to the other characters.  As I mentioned before they were a rehash of other characters from other books.  It's formulaic actually.  Evening Star was the young female leader who must sacrifice her own happiness in order to achieve peace for the people.  Dzoo was the strong female Dreamer.  And then there were all the men who were either good, or they weren't.  None of them were standout characters.

The plot was perhaps a little different.  You had the story altered by a possible explanation of the Kennewick Man which explains all the red hair in this book.  But really, hair color didn't give anyone special powers, so it was just an explanation, not a plot driver.  There was plenty of violence, sex, rape, and all the other normal unsavory things that this series has as well.  It's definitely not a book for the squeamish.  They have a certain obsession with ripping guts out anyway.  I can't say that anything was overly exciting in this book.  It was mostly scheming and a few light battles, but the majority was dialogue. 

I could take or leave this book.  I don't really feel like it was an integral part to the series at all.

People of the Raven
Copyright 2004
562 pages

People of the Owl by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

Maybe it's just because I like owls, but I actually really enjoyed this book in The First North American series.  While it did reference previous books, it gave enough background that it isn't necessary to read it in order, this book can be a stand alone.

Mud Puppy, later known as Salamander, has always been a strange child.  He prefers to be at one with nature rather than achieve any sort of prestige.  So when he is thrust into a leadership role after his brother and uncle die he knows he must tread carefully.  He has enemies on all sides, and even his wives don't want to see him succeed.  He is also caught between two power beings who want to use them for their own ends.  Salamander's life is no longer his own.

Salamander has the quickest growth of any character that I've seen.  He's smart, thoughtful, and tries to do what is best for the community rather than himself.  Which makes him special, as most people think of their own personal gain.  Unfortunately it also makes him a bit unbelievable.  People are naturally selfish and to be so pure in his intentions, while possible, just doesn't seem that likely.  His three wives are all a strange bunch too.  They don't particularly like him but then again they all have their own agendas.  I actually found them to be very believable as they all had something they wanted out of life and would do anything to achieve.  Then there are the "bad" guys, they too are just people who want a little bit of power and to be in a leadership position.

While this book covered over a year it didn't really seem like it had that big of a span.   It was telling the story of Salamander's life and it meandered through it.  But not at so slow of pace that it wasn't interesting.  You genuinely wanted to know what was going to happen and how he was going to get himself out of the fix he was in.  Although, truthfully, I was a bit disappointed by the ending.  There was a lot more about the people's actual culture in this book too, from how they wore their clothing to what they were eating.  There usually is a little detail in the other books, but not to the extent that this one had.  I appreciated learning a little more about how Salamander's people lived.

As I've said before, I think these books get better as they go along.  I'm almost disappointed that I'm nearing the end of the series.

People of the Owl
Copyright 2003
598 pages

People of the Masks by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

I feel that this tenth book of The First North Americans series is actually one of the better ones.   And, like most of the books in the series, you don't even have to read it in order, it can be a stand-alone.

Rumbler was born a power child. Which makes him very special. So special, in fact, that his entire village is slaughtered so he can be obtained. But when he arrives at his captors, they accuse him of terrible things and sentence him to death. Only two people want to see him live, one a young girl named Wren who has already seen too much death. She frees him, and together they escape, but they have numerous warriors after them, and no where safe to run.

Wren is the best character in this book. She is brave, knows the difference between right and wrong, and she is selfless. Pretty good for someone who hasn't even made it into her teens yet. Rumbler, despite being a main character, is not nearly as well developed. He serves more as a prop for people to fight over and Wren to take care of. However, his grandparents are interesting at least. I enjoyed their squabbles and the way they put aside their animosity to try to rescue him. And the there are the bad guys. I often wonder in these books why so many of them have to be absolutely psycho and erratic in their actions. Surely there are some smart, sane bad guys out there they could use. But it doesn't really appear that happens too much in this series. Jumping Badger is no different, he is completely out of his mind and it's a wonder he is able to lead at all.

There is a lot of death in this book. It seems to be a theme actually. But the main theme of this book is about the chase. You have Wren and Rumbler fleeing, and everyone pursuing them whether it's for good or bad intentions. But the chase never got boring. The pace moved quick enough that you were just anxiously waiting to see what would happen to them and where the final showdown would be. And let's face it, you wanted to know what the madman Jumping Badger would do. As a side story, there is a little bit of rekindling love between divorced people, but it was definitely a secondary plot to the book. Although I think I actually liked that part of the book more than the main, it's was refreshing to see people overcoming their problems.

This series is massive, and the writing styles definitely seem to differ between books. But I do think they are improving as the series goes on.

People of the Masks
Copyright 1998
548 pages

People of the Mist by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

This book definitely diverged from the usual format of the First North American series.  It was a murder mystery.  And I'm not quite sure that it worked with the rest of the series, although technically you could read it as a stand alone. 

Red Knot is set to marry Copper Thunder, the leader of another tribe, but she yearns for another.  So when she is found dead there are many suspects, among them her lover.  But a young girl, Sun Conch believes he is innocent and convinces the local "witch" to help her find out who the true murderer.  But he faces opposition around every corner and there are a few people who'd like to see him dead as well.

Sun Conch is very much an idealist.  She believes the best in people and Panther especially comments on this fact quite often.  But she's also strong and willing to do whatever it takes to have her wishes done.  She makes a good partner for Panther in that way as he isn't above using people for what he needs.  He seemed like an old man who wanted a puzzle, and despite his protests, one who didn't want to live the life of a hermit anymore.  All the other characters were kind of flighty and it was hard to tell their motivations well.  Sure, they were supposed to be mysterious as one of them was the murderer, but they had temperaments that changed with the wind. 

I wasn't into the murder mystery.  I don't go much for mysteries to begin with, so that might have been part of the problem.  But it just didn't follow the normal format of this series and honestly, aside from a few facts of how they lived, it probably could have been a plot set in modern time with everyone wondering who murdered the girl.  However, it was more clearly written and had better dialogue than some of the other books.  In fact, the style was so different I wondered if the Gears had written it at all.  Usually their books meander, but this one had a clear purpose.

I can only hope that this tone of writing is used going forward in the books, but maybe without the mystery element.  It's a decent enough series if one likes prehistoric fiction.

People of the Mist
Copyright 1997
553 pages

People of the Silence by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

I'd have to say that this is probably one of my least favorite books in the series so far.  Way too much going on and way too many jumbled storylines.  The eighth book in The First North Americans series, it's not important to read the books in order, you can read it as a stand alone.

There's a lot of intrigue afoot in Talon Town.  The Blessed Sun is dying, and his son, his successor, is just about as crazy as he is.  In the course of dying a few secrets are let out though, and the lives of some children in a different town are now at stake.  Add in a couple of odd spiritual men, a few warriors, and a witch and you've got the makings for a party.

There are a lot of characters in this book.  And it's hard to keep track of them all and how they are related.  And because the parentage is a mystery and speculated much on in this book it becomes even harder to figure out who's who.  Sure there are little clues here and there, but there are some clues not given out that would help with the characterization as well. Cornsilk is ok, she remained about as confused as I was through the entire book so I could relate to her.  Same thing with Poor Singer, he too was just struggling along.  All the adults however were a bit crazy and selfish in my opinion. 

As I said before there was too much going on.  Things jumped around, people were supposedly spawned by other people and then that changed and they were spawned by other people.  And there was a witch in there somewhere doing terrible things to yet other people.  It got a little wearisome and I felt like I was on a merry-go-round because these things kept reoccurring.  Nothing ever really felt like it was totally resolved.  I think the book could have been about half the size and told a more straight forward story. 

I'd give it two and a half stars.  If you're a big fan of the series you'll want to read it but just as a book on its own, I really don't think it's worth it.

People of the Silence
Copyright 1996
643 pages

People of the Lightning by Kathleen O'Neal Gear & W. Michael Gear

This is probably the oddest book of the series so far.  The 7th book, it isn't necessary to read any of the others before reading this one, it doesn't even really reference too much from any of the other books.  But it certainly has a weird plotline and characters.

Pondwader was born special.  He is a lightning boy, which is what his people call albinos.  To satisfy a debt, he is married to a warrior woman of a neighboring village.  But she has some problems of her own and doesn't really want to drag around a new husband, although she does care for him.  Her village has been attacked and her first husband taken, and she has to go save him.  Pondwader's destiny is tied up with hers and he needs to go with her, despite the consequences.

Pondwader has no filter.  He loves almost everyone he comes in contact with, and it would seem that he loves them almost instantly.  His mother is a strange character to and while she provides an antagonist at times, she's almost unbelievable in her actions.  His wife, Musselwhite, is cold most of the time but at least she seems to care about her family.  And his sister is probably the most well-rounded character of all.  At least she's the one that acts halfways normal and seems to really care for her brother but have other interests outside of him. 

I must admit, I didn't really care for the story in this book.  I thought it was rushed, somewhat contrived and a lot of things never explained.  You have what Pondwader's destiny is spelled out very early on, but then the ending branches off in a way you wouldn't expect and it's done a bit jumbled.  There's a spiritual element to this book, and more talk of not necessarily Dreamers, but spirit destiny, but for once that was the understandable part of the book.  It was the characters actions and delusions that were the inconceivable part this time.  There's the usual amount of violence and sex in this book, and it is described, not just eluded to.  Another flaw in the writing was the continual use of the phrase "yes, my wife" in response to his new wife.  I get that he was excited to be married but it was repetitive and I think he would have called her by name a few times at least.

It sounds like I'm complaining a lot about this book and maybe it's because the previous two I had actually enjoyed.  This one wasn't terrible but it did have enough flaws to sink it quite a bit lower than the previous ones.

People of the Lightning
Copyright 1995
584 pages

People of the Lakes by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

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

People of the Sea by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

These books keep going and going.  Part of a series, they don't really have to be read in order.  In fact, this one takes place in a period of history that was before when the fourth book took place.  You may miss a few details, but really, as obscure as some of this is, it isn't going to have an impact on your reading enjoyment.

People of the Sea is about racing for your life.  Kestrel, having been accused by her husband of incest, is heavily pregnant and seeking to escape his wrath.  He's always beat her and left her alone, but now he wants to kill her, and possibly the child contained within her.  So she sets off to find a tribe by the sea where she can hopefully be taken in and accepted.  Meanwhile Sunchaser is having trouble dreaming and the mammoths are dying out.  He wants to save them, but can't seem to make his way clearly in the world of dreams.

Once again you have some very crazy characters in this book.  I'm beginning to think that madness is a trend.  Certainly Kestrel's husband has a deep emotion problem since he is abusive, thinks he can talk to the dead, and has a one track mind on venting his anger.  Kestrel is brave but too modest.  Part of that is probably a result of abuse but it seems that if she had all those skills she would have been valued highly by the rest of her people and perhaps not treated the way she was by them.  Sunchaser, well I didn't really understand his part in anything.  He wasn't like the Dreamers in other books and I couldn't really understand what the spirits were trying to accomplish with him.

Actually the spirits were a little bit weird this round (weirder than normal).  The whole side plotline with the character Boy didn't make sense to me.  Maybe I just wasn't thinking that deep while reading it, but I didn't understand the underlying message that they were trying to get across with that character.  Or at least it didn't hold the same type of meaning to me.  Maybe for someone else it would be a little better.  I did enjoy Kestrel's journey as it meant most of the landscape was described and different peoples were encountered.  Too often these books focus on individuals rather than culture and environment.

Not a bad book but I don't think it's one of their best ones.  Since there's still at least ten more books in the series I'm sure that I'll encounter another great one at some point though.

People of the Sea
Copyright 1993
557 pages

People of the River by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

The Gear's are a husband-wife team who write books about the prehistoric first peoples of North America.  There are several books in the series, but it isn't mandatory that you read them in order.  Sure, there are a few details that may leave you confused if you haven't read the others, but the majority of the story is original and separate from the rest.  People of the River is considered the fourth book in this series.

Nightshade is considered a powerful Dreamer.  She has been ever since she was stolen from her peoples and made a part of the River People's community.  But she and the main leader have never gotten along; there's something not quite right about him and he seeks to harness her power and dominate her.  Add in a drought that is killing off the people, and someone has angered the spirits, and only Nightshade, and unknown woman are going to be able to put it right again.

The theme of this book was crazy.  There were quite a few people who just weren't right in this book and while some of them were good and harmless, there was a bad kind of crazy in this book, and it was sinister.  I was eagerly waiting to see what would happen when the Leader would have one of his childish fits and demand everything go his way because you knew it would never mean anything good.  And then there was Wanderer, who was crazy too but in such an endearing way that he was charming.

I'd never really realized how complex the River people were.  They almost seemed Aztec in traditions and living style.  I was pleased to see that a bit of their culture was mentioned in this book and that it wasn't all mysticism, although there was a lot of that as well. It seems that Dreamers and special spiritual quests are always going to be a part of these books.

This was an interesting book, although a little fast paced.  I do think the bad guy is what made this one engaging.

People of the River
Copyright 1992
400 pages

People of the Earth by Katleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

The First North Americans series is a prehistoric fiction series written by the husband/wife team of Michael & Kathleen Gear.  People of the Earth is the third book in that series, and actually the best one I've read out of the first three.

White Ash was kidnapped as a child from the Earth people by a man of the Sun people.  Which was actually ok with her.  Her adoptive parents were much nicer than her original family.  But hostile tribes are attacking the Sun people now and they are being forced to fight or move South.  White Ash also has to deal with the strange dreams she's been having and the unwanted attentions of a man who claims he's been to the camp of the dead.  And her only help is in an unlikely, mild mannered man with only one good arm.

Both White Ash and Bad Belly are great characters.  They aren't perfect, or even overly strong.  They are regular people who have been called out to do something special.  Bad Belly especially is inspiring.  I like how humble he is and that he has tranquility despite being made fun of.  White Ash isn't quite as humble, in fact she's a little neurotic, but she still is much more human than some of the other "almost perfect" characters in the previous books have been.

This whole book is about struggle.  Whether it's with inner demons, other tribes, disabilities, and everything else, someone is having a struggle.  And the goal is to overcome that.  There was a lot of mystical lore and activity going on in this book as well.  And I'm still not sure how I feel about that.  I know I'd probably prefer a book that's just about the lives of these people during the time period without the magic, but at least it is used to tell a good story.  Like the other books, this one does have violence, rape, and other harsh topics. 

Definitely the better book out of the first three.  They still aren't edge of your seat fantastic, but they're interesting reading.  On to book four!

People of the Earth
Copyright 1992
587 page