Customer Reviews

Let the Drum Speak: A Novel of Ancient America

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having just finnished this book when i really should have been writing my thesis all i can say is that heck i'm glad i did!! After tentative beginnings i began to wonder weather the novel would hold up without Kwani the previous main character, but it developed into truly one of the best books i have ever read. I laughed and cried but above all i was swept back to that ancient and sometimes savage world with such ease. i could not put this book down and when i finnished it i did so with a great sadness that no further novel awaits me to carry on the saga. Escapist maybe, but truly a magnificent sweeping saga of immense magnitude...Read it!!

I really enjoyed your book and bought one for my 14 year old niece for her birthday - she is an avid reader and completed the book from start to finish without putting it down. She wanted to know when the next book would be out, I re-assured her that when it does I will be the first in line to buy two. I am a Navajo woman with two models, should you ever need models for your book, give us a call. I will get your address and mail you some photos. Thanks for writing about Native people. Call me at 702-870-1471 or email me. I look forward to our contact. May the Great Spirits bless you in a very good way.

i read this book about two years ago as soon as it came out. I loved shular's two previous books and although this one wasn't quite as fantastic as they were, this one is still a must read. As with shuler's other books you'll feel connected to Antelope and the other characters and when reading feel like your back in pre-columbian america living right beside them. Linda Lay Shuler is an exceptional author and I sincerely hope she continues to write on this subject! I start college in the fall majoring in archaeology. With due credit given to author Sue Harrison whose books introduced me to the field of native american archaeolgy, Shular's books have steered me to a hopeful career in southwest archaeology.

Out of the three books, I have to admit I enjoyed Voice of the Eagle, the 2nd one, the best. I found that Antelope's character was softened quite a bit and she turned into Kwani. Perhaps this was done purposely to show an evolution of the character. I also found that Ms. Shuler tends to repeat her phrasing for her imagery over and over throughout the trilogy. Much of it becomes predictable and tired. The final ending seemed to be rushed and it becomes quite clear that the author was not going to continue the story line. Nonetheless, I think I would have preferred a little less "tragedy" in Antelope's life and perhaps a bit more focus on the outcome of her final goal - to return home.

All in all, I enjoyed the trilogy and recommend it to others. I found it rekindled some aspects of my spirituality that had been neglected. Perhaps better attention to some details in terms of characterization and editing would have improved the trilogy.

When I saw this book in my local bookstore, I was suprised. I had just finished Shuler's last book a few months ago and for the first timein my life was actually satisfied when I finished it. I didn't quite know how she would be able to continue on with her saga, with the main character from the last two books dead (she died from old age, just to let you know). The book itself was actually quite good, although it took a while for me to get into it. One does not have to read the first two books to understand whats going on; it is a completely different character with a completely different story. It has many twists in it when it gets going, something I always enjoyed about Shuler's writing. It is the story of Antelope and her blue eyed baby, Skyfeather. She, like the heroine in the book before her, has to choose between a charming trader who is her husband and the handsome to-be leader of the strange village she is staying in. She faces many problems, the village locals and women jealous of her strange powers and beauty. Although it has the basicly same story structure of the procceeding novels, it is a delightful read for anyone who is interested in cultures of the past.

well, where to start. i read this book for the first time about 4 years ago. it was the first book of linda's that i had read. it is really quite funny, i started with the last book in the series and i liked it so much i had to read more so i went to the local library and all they had was the second book so i actually read backwards through the series and now i am reading them forward. no matter how many times i read them i never get sick of them. they are the most interesting books i've ever read. i really got into these books, espeacially let the drum speak. it was the first one i read am i could not put it down, it completely captivated me. i actually felt like i was the main character. I cried when she cried and felt angy when she did. i really loved this book and i really suggest reading it for your self. It is truly moving.

~laura~

I found this book disturbing. There were a lot of errors in the storyline-confusions where it appeared the author mixed Antelope up with her mother, Kwani (A lot of the backstory given for Antelope was really Kwani's) Chomac is essentially Kokopelli, which doesn't jive with "Voice of The Eagle" where he essentially swears to follow Yatosha's footsteps and was disheartned by Kokopelli's lack of respect.

It really feels like instead of a continuation, this book is "What would happen if Kwani followed Kokopelli home instead of meeting Tolonqua". Not only that, but why is Antelope's child named Skyfeather? In Voice of the Eagle she says she names her daughter Kwani.

There were errors in "Voice of The Eagle" in story flow, for instance: Acoya talks about his love for Whitecloud before he even meets her, and Tolonqua and Yatosha's names are switched several times.. also one of the characters is named Lapu, which earlier in "voice of the eagle" Kwani used as an insult at Owa. Lapu was said to mean the shredded bark used for diapering and toiletry, and that it was an extreme insult and never used as a name.... yet a few chapters later a young boy named "Lapu" is introduced. Despite these errors, "Voice of the Eagle" was a much better read then "Let the Drums speak". "Let the Drum speak" was so riddled with holes and story line flaws, I was unable to take it seriously.

A good read, if you read it seperatly from the series and take it at face value. But if really enjoy the other two books in the series, or can't stand crooked story lines, stay away, you will find it tired and pedentric.

Tired and predictable; I was dissapointed. Antelope is faced with enemy after enemy, but prevails.

This book is an excellent way to learn about a time frame little known by archeaologists. Though fiction, it gives hint to some of the best theories running about today with the archaeologists. I highly recommend this book and all of Linda Lay Shuler's books to take a look into our prehistoric past.

It wasen't needed. This is a very good book in it's own right but it didn't add anything to the storyline that was set up in "Remembers" and "Eagle". This book seemed superfluous, it continued with the story when it had ended in the House of the Sun with Kwani's death. I didn't want to see more of the story past that. It is the same way in a western when the hero rides of into the sunset. You don't really want to see him come back because he forgot a few things. It was fitting ending.
Don't get me wrong, this is good book in and of itself, but it didn't do anything for the storyline.