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Summary: Don't recamend alot of books to friends, this one I have
Review: "The People Of" books are NOT continuing stories that you have to wait for the next book. Some referances to other people in other books, but you didn't have to read the other books to know who those people were. Well written and enjoyable
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Summary: a passionate story of pre-historic times
Review: a great book couldn't put it down. Can not wait to read the others
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Summary: Interesting read which captures the imagination
Review: An interesting look at how the First Americans crossed the land bridge from Siberia to Alaska and on into North and SOuth America. Historically plausible and apparently based on many native American legends and stories. Significant addition to our limited knowledge of our country's history.
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Summary: Engaging and entertaining
Review: At the time of writing this review, I've now read the first three books in this series and intend to keep reading. Fortunately, my library has them all. At first I was a little irritated by the modern sounding speech the characters use. I read reviews here before checking out the book so perhaps I was more inclined to notice than I may have been had I not read criticisms to that effect. However, you soon get past that and become involved with the conflicts and struggles the People face in their extraordinary drive to survive. The story really makes you think about those first North Americans that braved the ice to find a new way of life. How resourceful they must have been! Some may be put off by the mysticism in this series. Each book so far has centered on a Dreamer who must Dream a new way for the people. As someone who believes in God, I found this an interesting notion to mull over. Obviously, the Dreams come from somewhere. Who's to say this isn't how ancient man made some of the bigger leaps in civilization?
The authors make sure to include characters that are inquisitive and experimental. In this first book, for instance, there is a man, an expert flint knapper (sp?) who successfully attempts to improve the dart points. In the second book, there is a man who collects plants and seeds and mulls over how they can be used as food for the People. So far, all the books pretty much follow a formula plot line; i.e., the People are on the cusp of disaster due to starvation, overcrowding, etc., a young Dreamer must learn to find the One before he/she can teach the People a new way but he/she will have to face another Dreamer who may or may not have genuine Power and who is only concerned with Power for the prestige and personal power it will bring him. Don't let this formula keep you from reading this highly engaging series. Although the plots are similar, the characters and their personal struggles are not cookie cutter replicas accept in the sense that each Dreamer resists the call to lead for the usual reasons offered in this kind of novel. In each of the first three books I've read, the main characters and the supporting characters have have been fleshed out as complex individuals with their own drives and ambitions. Of the three I've read so far, People of the Wolf was not my favorite but it does establish a lot of what happens in the next books so I urge you to read it and keep reading. I've just finished People of the Earth and so far it is my favorite largely due to the unique character of Still Water (a.k.a. Bad Belly). My biggest complaint is that some of the characters have insights about human nature that would have been too modern a few hundred years ago, let alone several thousand. Yes, we have discovered that the ancient civilizations of North America had complex languages and laws but it does not automatically follow that they would talk about rape, incest, love, etc. as if they were panelists on Oprah. All that aside, I would recommend this series as engaging, entertaining, and somewhat thought-provoking, if not particularly deep.
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Summary: Awful
Review: Everything about this book annoyed me. The shallow characters, amature writing style, cliched dialogue, and most of all, the plot that dragged on and on and on and finally anticlimaxed. The female characters were all stereotyped (ie, a beautiful but abused ong woman with no brain, a couple of old hags who know supposedly know everything but actually don't, and the usualy smattering of 'gentle and caring' wives who are so supportive of their annoying husbands that the reader may be moved to the point of nausea) and the male characters spent the whole book engaging in seemingly endless displays of testosterone driven male dominance rituals. I don't know about you, but I think if an author is going to write about Native Americans, they should make their characters human first, and Native Americans second, rather than the characters being so 'authentically Native' that the reader begins to forget that we even belong to the same species. Somehow, I just don't believe that the American Indians behaved in the idiotic and cliched manner in which they are portrayed in this book. Bottom line: This novel was poorly written and contained sexual and racial stereotyping. Don't read it.
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Summary: I found this book to be creative and informative!
Review: I actually picked this book up off my father's shelf of cheap paperbacks because I was bored. I was certain it would be a bad Jean Auel copy, but to my surprise, I actually enjoyed it immensely! I loved the mixture of historical fact with some creative fictional characterizations. Jean Auel's first book 'Clan of the Cave Bear' was wonderful, but I was very disappointed in all the books that followed. I hope this one is different, because Im definately going to read the rest of the series!
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Summary: Don't give up!
Review: I admit that this book is the weakest one in the series, and if I had read it first I might not have read the others. Although the characters have depth, the story is disjointed and vague. However, if you take the time to read the other books on the series, you will not be disappointed. They are EXCELLENT!
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Summary: An excellent beginning!
Review: I had a hard time getting into the style of writing and understanding the story line at first, having just finished the Jean Auel series, but in short time I was so enveloped in the book that I could not tear myself away. I have seldom read a book so quickly and with such intent. It was a fabulous story of mystical power, dreams, war, abuse and the power of one dreamer to lead his people to their new beginning. The strength of the charachters boggled me and intrigued me. Must read!
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Summary: The first in a series I will re-read the rest of my life.
Review: I have never in my life read more interesting books than the ones the Gears write. I fall in love with the characters every time. This story makes me wonder what happened to the human race over the last several thousand years to make us so self-centered and un-imaginative. I have read and re-read the first eight stories in this series, and I don't feel that I will ever tire of them. Anyone who is interested in the lifestyles and beliefs of ancient Native Americans should find this an enjoyable read. If you are as big a fan of the Gears as I am, please email me.
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Summary: Read the whole series!
Review: I read this book in 1997 and immediately read the remainder of the series. I became enthralled with Raven Hunter and Runs in Light, this book, the first among the series, is referred to in nearly every book as the battle between dark and light, between the First brothers. The myth of these brothers is also talked about by other authors, like William Sarabande. The writing in these books is excellent, as in ALL the Gear's novels. I recommend reading them in succession, as they all tie in to one another. I haven't read any of their science-fiction novels on genetics but I recently read Bone Walker (after I read the preceeding novels), and enjoyed it immensely. You have to love the beginning of these books where some dusty construction worker "happens" to find some Indian bones, then you're hooked on how they got there and you have to know!
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