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

Edible by Daniella Martin

Entomophagy, have you heard of it?  It's eating bugs and as much as you can be grossed out by the subject, it's also something that warrants a closer look.  Because this is a protein source that makes much more sense than some of our current sources.

Martin studied anthropology and took a special interest in bugs; the eating of them that is.  In writing this book she explores how the eating of bugs evolved through time (our ancestors diets would probably have surprised us), how people around the world are still eating bugs, and the different cuisines that incorporate them.  She travels around the world, attending special restaurants or conventions that also specialize in eating bugs.  At the end, there are sections on how to raise bugs at home, a list of edible insects, and recipes.

I found the book fascinating.  The way Martin shows how bugs are used in cooking definitely makes it sound like a normal part of life and that we're the abnormal ones for not eating them.  She presents good arguments for why eating insects would help on a global scale for feeding the world.  And she makes everything sound appetizing.  I'm not joking when I say I'd gladly try eating some of the dishes she describes because they do sound quite good.  And her writing style in general is pretty funny.  She throws in plenty of jokes, writes in a conversational style, and you don't feel like you're reading a scientific type of book because it is so approachable.

Some people will be grossed out though.  We're raised not to think of bugs as food and the whole concept can make your skin crawl if you let it.  But if you loosen up and let go of your preconceived notions, it is quite interesting.  This book also has the potential to offend the vegetarians and vegans.  Martin doesn't think it's a bad diet, but she also does say was she thinks about it in terms of a diet that would suit the world and how it impacts people's activities. 

A very interesting book and one that made me think about eating bugs.  Not often that a piece of reading material can do that for you.  Very enjoyable!

Edible
Copyright 2014
252 pages

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine Program**