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Summary: People of the Wolf
Review: This is a poorly written book. The scenes are boring, and the writing, amateurish. The dialogue drove me crazy with the author's constant use of dashes to signify incomplete/interrupted thoughts. The 'beliefs' and superstitions, which are a big part of the genre, were not believable and poorly presented as were the dream sequences. The plot is good enough, but the author wasn't able to capitalize on it because of his/her limitations on writing. This book is a waste of time and money. If you want to read good prehistoric novels, try Sue Harrison's Chagak-Kiin trilogy and the first three books of William Sarabande (Beyond the Sea of Ice, Corridor of Storms, and Forbidden Land). They are fast paced, contain exciting plots, and have good believable characters.
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Summary: A wonderful hero story that sneaks in some history to boot!
Review: This is not my usual fare, but was loaned to me by a friend. I found the book so interesting that I immediately purchased a copy for myself along with the rest of the series! I am not a history buff and usually do not spend much time reading history. Yet this historical fiction of the people of the North American continent caught my imagination and provided grist for the mill in a recent presentation I made on the origins of consciousness. A very well written story with detail of the lives of our ancient ancestors and how we might have lived, evolved, and dreamed. It is refreshing to have a shared hero and heroine, with the story of how our patriarchal society might have also evolved from the life of hunter-gatherers. The Gears bring their considerable knowledge to bare in the weaving of this intriguing story of our heritage. It is obvious that they have paid attention to the details and are trying to put together the most plausible explanation of how life might have been in the transition from the last ice age. The people live in clans and are dependent upon each other for survival. They struggled for leadership just as any other group of humans and fought over the viability for the best ideas of survival. They fought change, they tried hard to maintain their contact with the spiritual side of existence and they were deeply respectful of life. We follow the mammoth hunters as they struggle for survival during the stress of "others" forcing them from their normal hunting grounds and camps. They struggle with the balance of peaceful coexistence and warring to protect the life they know. And then they face the incredible challenge of going against all their accumulated knowledge to follow Wolf Dreamer under the ice to a new land. In many ways, this is a perfect "Campbell hero story" and as such, is inspiring, interesting, and has lessons for us even in this far removed time. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
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Summary: In simple terms: do not read this book
Review: This is simply a bad and boring book. The characters are one dimensional, the plot is strained, the storyline incoherent and much too bloody. I can`t beleive anyone who has read Auel can like this.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: This series of books is wonderful. They don't coincide on a specific timeline but after one you have to read the next. After reading Jean Auel's series I was afraid nothing would compare but this series is close. At little less descriptive than Jean but much more drama! From People of the Wolf to People of the Earth, Fire, River, Lakes, Lightning, and Masks, they all keep you waiting for more. Write on Katherine and Michael!
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Summary: Slow as a moving glacier!
Review: Were the authors told they would be paid by the number of words they could write for this book? The story could have been more effectively told in less than 2/3 of its actual length. Although the many, many main characters were all colorfully drawn, they read more like 20th century homo sapiens pretending to be prehistoric homo sapiens. Read this book only if you have nothing better on your bookshelf.
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Summary: The Gears brought history to life for me
Review: When I began reading the Gears,I started out of order,with People Of The Sea. Since then I have read the entire series. People Of The Wolf was the most captivateing.The caracters are brought to life.This book gives one an amazeing slant on Native American belief and religion.
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Summary: Good, but not without it's weak points
Review: While I did enjoy People of the Wolf, I didn't think it was really that wonderful, and I had to seriously consider whether or not I wanted to bother with the rest of the books that the husband/wife team have written about Prehistoric America. People of the Wolf features characters that are sometimes engaging, sometimes annoying, and very realistic, yet often out of place for the time and culture they are portraying. The sex seems to be thrown in gratuitiously, rather than to really advance the plot, and many of the attitudes and dialogue seem to spring from much more modern sources, e.g. today's neo-hippy population. Another weak point was the magic. Was this supposed to be historical fiction, or fantasy? I couldn't tell, at times, as the magic went beyond the characters beliefs and into the actual supernatural. Maybe that's just me, but I think historical fiction should at least be realistic! In all, I wasn't too disappointed that I took the time to read it, and I finally (after nearly a year) have made the effort to look for the next book in the series.
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Summary: This book kicks off a great series
Review: Yes, there are many characters to get to know and the plot at first appears to be a little too confusing but then it quickly comes together. Heron's Song- First Woman's Dream gives us a glimpse of where the authors are going to take us>
I love this book and the rest!
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