People of the River (The First North Americans series, Book 4)

Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Firstly a bit of history behind the story.....This narrative told of an ancient civilisation of Cahokia and the surrounding villages. Simply, they belonged to what was known as the "Mound Builder" settlements, so called because the people in the settlements built burial mounds to honour their dead. The Mound Builder culture, of which Cahokia was a part, had its beginnings 3,000 years ago, when groups of early Americans settled along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. These people were known as the Adena people. Cahokia was believed to be the capital city of that culture having up to 20 000 inhabitants in that area. It was also believed that Cahokia was led by a religious chieftainship, called the "Great Sun." He was thought to be the brother of the sun and his commands were unquestionably followed. His family and close relatives formed an elite ruling class. Warriors were present to guard the food crops (corn) and the villages. They had permanent positions as were depicted in the story.

For those who have read the story and who know some American history, one can see the attention to detail the authors have put into this. We have the mad omnipotent Sun Chief, Theron, and the Warrior leader Badgertail, who obeys his commands even though he disagrees with them. The descriptions of the land make the book a good read. The many different threads that make up the story; disgruntled villages rebelling against the Sun Chief over tributes that need to be paid (main plot), the love between Badgertail and Locust, the dilemma of Badgertail with obeying Theron and doing what he believes is right, the relationship between Lichen and Wanderer, the growth of Lichen spiritually to become a powerful dreamer (subplots) and the way each are connected to one another makes the book interesting.

However, it is disappointing in the lack of character detail. (The landscape detail is excellent and so are the plot and subplots). Of all the characters in the book, only Badgertail is described somewhat fully. The reader cannot predict how a character will behave because not enough character traits are given. Because of this lack of detail, the reader cannot fully engage in the story. Some examples of fantasy novels that will pull the reader into the story are Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, George RR Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series and Stephen Donaldson's "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant". True all these novels are much longer than "People of the River", but nevertherless are much better reads because of the added detail. An example of a great short novel is the war story " All Quiet on the Western Front" written by Erich Maria Remarque which is much shorter than this novel but is more descriptive of its characters. A similar kind of story (historical fiction) to "People of the River" is written by Jean Auel in the "Earth's Children" series but with the character analysis far surpassing this.

Nevertheless, if all you are after is a book to fill up time, this book is not a bad one to pick. However if you want a great book, go for one of the ones I have listed. They are much more enthralling novels.

Rating:
Summary: The History is wonderful.
Review: I read this book, People of the River, almost two years ago... but its still stuck in my memory. This book was so vivid and realistic that I felt like I was there with the characters. The little dreamer Lichen was so young and innocent, and I could feel how strong she wanted to help her people out of their troubles. I think one of the best scenes of the book was the opening scene, it was realistic and full of hard meaning. After reading this book, I let my sister read it, and she has never returned it to me. I still wonder what happened to it, it must have been really good, since I haven't got it back from her. I've read People of the Earth, People of the Fire, People of the Mist and People of the Lightning, and they were all excellently written. But, I feel that the only one that comes as close to People of the River in quality is People of the Mist. I have just placed my orders with Amazon.com for People of the Lakes, People of the Sea, and People of the Silence, and should be recieving them soon. I look forward to staying up till 2 in the morning, glued to the pages and characters in each book!!

Rating:
Summary: The people must now place their trust in a young girl...
Review: In the Forward and Introduction to this novel the Gears explain (partly through narration and partly through a modern day short story of the plight of an archaeologist to save historical sites) a bit more about the peoples in the novel. The People of the River used their waterways to trade. A society run much like the feudal states of Medieval Europe, the masses must pay tribute to the Sun Chief, their spiritual leader. When crops fail and the villages cannot afford their tributes, the Sun Chief greedily demands his tithe, and then takes it by force. Starving and disillusioned, the villages rebel in a bloody war. Their Sun Chief dethroned, the people must now place their trust in a young girl who is studying to be their Dreamer, and who must lead them into a new age.

Rating:
Summary: Prepare to swept away!
Review: Once again the Gears have successfully transported me to another time and place where man was one with nature.This novel has everything a novel should have: war, romance, mysticism and even a happy ending.I love the characters like Badgetail, the reluctant warrior who must follow orders of his sadistic and mad sun chief, Tharon.Locust-the fierce warrior woman badgetail loves but can never have.Nightshade-the powerful dreamer who must communicate with Mother Earth to save them from Tharon's folly.Unforgettable entertainment that also teaches us as well. Forget Auel because these authors are the masters of prehistoric fiction!

Rating:
Summary: To set you straight....
Review: The long review referring to the Mask of Many Colored Crow is not actually about People of the River. It's about People of the Lakes, my favorite book. However, People of the River is extremely excellent as well. This story especially touched me, a young reader, because of its heroine Lichen, who is only ten. I was twelve when I first read this book. It DOES contain mature subject matter probably unsuitable for kids, but if you appreciate excellent writing, you have to read this

Rating:
Summary: This book was the best
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read (along with all the other books of the people series). It was a tale of love, and dispute, and surprising turns. What can I say... it can capture any reader with it's plot. Everything in this book ties into the end. I would DEFINATELY recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: It was a powerful story... It totally stunned me
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read (along with all the other books of the people series). It was a tale of love, and dispute, and surprising turns. What can I say... it can capture any reader with it's plot. Everything in this book ties into the end. I would DEFINATELY recommend this book.