Coming of the Storm: Book One of Contact: The Battle for America [Hardcover]

W. Michael Gear (Author), Kathleen O'Neal Gear (Author)

Book Description

Series: Contact: the Battle for America | Publication Date: February 9, 2010

From New York Times bestselling novelists W. Michael and Kathleen O’Neal Gear comes the first book in a landmark new series that paints a vivid portrait of the devastating clash of cultures during the blood-drenched years that followed Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto’s landing in “La Florida” in 1539—as seen entirely through the eyes of two courageous Native Americans.

 

Black Shell, an exiled Chickasaw trader, is fascinated by the pale, bearded newcomers who call themselves “Kristianos,” and not even the counsel of Pearl Hand, the beautiful, extraordinary woman who has consented to be his mate, can dissuade him. Only after a firsthand lesson in Kristiano brutality does Black Shell fully comprehend the dangers these invaders pose to his people’s way of life. And while his first instinct is to run far from the Kristianos, Black Shell has been called to a greater destiny—by the Spirit Being known as Horned Serpent. With Pearl Hand by his side, Black Shell must find a way to unite the disparate tribes and settlements of his native land and overcome the merciless armies of de Soto. . . .

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In their first book of a planned epic series about the European explorers' conquest of the Native Americans, the archeologist husband-and-wife bestselling writing team (People of the Thunder) follow Black Shell, a wandering, mystical trader of the Chicaza clan who in 1539 first clashes with Hernando de Soto and his Conquistadors invading south Florida. Enslaved and cruelly mistreated by de Soto, Black Shell is soon freed by his extraordinary mate, Pearl Hand. Emboldened by his powerful Spirit dreams, Black Shell, aided by wily feminist Pearl Hand, swears revenge for the atrocities committed against the Native Americans and vows to defeat the brutal de Soto. De Soto obsesses over acquiring gold and spreading Catholicism in his armed scuffles with Black Shell and his intrepid band called the Orphans, a struggle cast as a traditional good versus evil showdown. The rich historical details and keen characterizations are offset by the graphic depictions of battlefield violence and social cruelty in this smooth, brisk-paced narrative that should generate wide appeal to American historical fiction fans. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The Gears, best-selling author-archaeologists, introduce the first installment of Contact: The Battle for America, their latest multivolume saga thoroughly steeped in the legend and lore of early Native American culture. Flush from the success of their previous blockbuster series, North America’s Forgotten Past, they march forward in time, fleshing out the clash between some of the first Europeans to arrive on the shores of the New Land and the indigenous population. Hernando de Soto’s exploration of the southeastern edge of the continent (present-day Florida) provides the dramatic context for the inevitable cultural collision. The Gears display their usual narrative finesse as they combine history, archaeology, and anthropology with an irresistibly intriguing story line that brings the past vividly to life. It’s not hard to imagine who the good guys and the bad guys are as de Soto and company are pitted against a Chickasaw trader named Black Shell and the disparate tribes he manages to unite in an ultimately doomed quest to preserve a threatened way of life. Nobody does Native Americana better than the Gears. --Margaret Flanagan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books (February 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439153884
• ISBN-13: 978-1439153888
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #381,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

W. Michael Gear has co-written 23 international bestsellers which have been translated into 21 languages. His novel People of the Raven won the Golden Spur Award in 2005. Michael's solo novel Morning River was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1998. In addition to writing both fiction and non-fiction, the Gear operates an anthropological research company called Wind River Archaeological Consultants, and raises buffalo on his ranch in northern Wyoming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth your money, February 21, 2010

By 

Cheryl Koch (CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coming of the Storm: Book One of Contact: The Battle for America (Hardcover)

Black Shell comes from the Chickasaw tribe. He is a trader. While out walking Black Shell comes upon a beautiful woman by the name of Pearl Hand. Pearl Hand is promised to another but Black Shell convinces Pearl Hand to leave him and become his mate.

Black Shell has never known anything but peace. When the white men or "Kristianos" arrive, Black Shell becomes intrigued by them. He figures that they can learn a lot from each other. Unfortunately, Black Shell quickly discovers that the Kristianos want nothing more than to rid the land of the Indians.

Coming of the Storm is the first book I have read in a long time by this husband and wife duo of W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear. After reading this book, I am now wondering why I took so long to read another book by either of these authors. Mr. and Mrs. Gear are some prolific writers. They really brought to life the story of Black Shell and Pearl Hand and the struggles they faced to bring the different tribes together. I used to have only one favorite author who I really enjoyed reading her books about Indians and that was Madeline Baker. I now have a few author favorite authors to add to the list. Thanks to Coming of the Storm. Clear some time out of your busy life and be prepared to get lost in a really good book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, with a caveat, February 22, 2010

By 

florida reader "wmp1233" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coming of the Storm: Book One of Contact: The Battle for America (Hardcover)

For anyone interested in the orginal people, their lives and and their conflicts with the Spanish---especially in Florida--this book is excellent. It gives you day-to-day details, and brings the characters alive.
The only thing I found jarring is the utterly contemporary dialogue. Of course the authors can't write as the Native Americans spoke, and trying to make it sound like the original speech would have probably been unreadable.
But surely there's a happy medium. Many times the conversations between the two lead male and female characters sounds sort of like modern-day slang, but more stilted. It's hard to picture these two exchanging comments about their "cute" dogs, and how they find each other so "fascinating." Without taking time to find more examples, it's hard to describe.
There's nothing really wrong with it; it's certainly easy to follow. It just jolts you out of the setting.
Still, the authors' bona fides and expertise on the subject are obvious, and they write a compelling story. Hopefully more people will read it.
I certainly plan to buy the next in the series.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once Again The Gears Rock, February 22, 2010

By 

W. Bentrim (Bucks County, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coming of the Storm: Book One of Contact: The Battle for America (Hardcover)

Coming of the Storm by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Black Shell and Pearl Hand, Native Americans, discover that the "Kristanos" are not quite what they seem. This story addresses the clash between the disparate cultures of Europe and America. The violence and storm is seen through the eyes of the Native Americans as opposed to the often typical portrayal seen thorough the eyes of the "heroic" invaders.

Black Shell isn't just a stereotyped noble savage but a living breathing, empathetic human being who has been raised in a culture that is certainly different that both my own and that of the now recognized barbaric invaders. The Gears are hard to categorize. I couldn't put down The Warriors of Spider series or The Forbidden Series. Both books were die in the wool, hard core, how much do I love it, SciFi. This book is good, it is a dramatically different genre but the essence of all their books is the distilled essence of humanity. The Gears depict humanity as well or better than anyone else regardless of the time or planet.

I highly recommend the book.