People of the River (First North Americans) [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

Series: First North Americans | Publication Date: June 1992

Disgusted by their ruler's lust for Tribute, Badgertail, the war leader, and Locust, the elusive warrior woman he loves, are certain that the young girl, Lichen, holds the key to their people's salvation. 150,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following their three bestselling paperbacks ( People of the Earth , etc.), the Gears cross over to hardcover with this absorbing addition to their First North Americans series. Here they cover the culture of the so-called Mississippians, who, between 700 A.D. and 1500 A.D., lived in the area surrounding Cahokia in what is now Illinois. The authors, who are also professional archeologists, depict a hierarchical society that depends on corn for sustenance, worships various gods, builds mounds of earth (some as high as 100 feet) and develops a precise knowledge of astronomy. As the novel opens, a severe drought has hit the region. The villagers near Cahokia cannot feed themselves, much less pay the required tribute of corn to Tharon, their chief, but he sends his soldiers to prey on them anyway. The religious ceremonies, ethics and taboos as well as the passions and longings of these ancients are made urgent and vivid in dramas centering on Tharon's conflicted chief warrior; the woman who fights at his side; a priestess whose dreams predict the future; and a young Dreamer who will be a priestess someday. Fast-paced and engrossing, the novel has the ring of authenticity as well. Major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- This is the fourth novel in a series that presents prehistoric life in North America through the description of different cultures. The Mound Builders, a trading society in Illinois, face drought and food shortages in A.D. 1200. The authors are archaeologists whose knowledge and prodigious research of prehistoric life are evidenced in the narration of everyday activities. While maintaining strong, parallel plot lines of a search for the Underworld and the escalation to war, they emphasize the interrelationship of the climate and the society's major problems. Not as sensational as Jean Auel's recent works, this book conveys its history lessons through strong characterization, vivid dialogue, and descriptions that YAs can readily visualize.
- Arlene Bathgate, Lee High School, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312852355
• ISBN-13: 978-0312852351
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,182,586 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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The people must now place their trust in a young girl..., October 9, 2000

By 

A. Tresca - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: People of the River (The First North Americans series, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Weak, August 18, 2005

By 

Notnadia (Currently upstairs.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: People of the River (The First North Americans series, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm a fan of some of the Gear's books in this series, and think the concept of novelizing the lives and stories of people who lived in ancient America is fascinating, but this book is a little weak. First off, this novel comes across as more "New Agey" than any of the other 3-4 in the series I've read. It comes close to being about magic and psychic visions rather than about history and anthropology. I didn't like that. Its cardinal sin, in my eyes, was the underuse of the presence of Cahokia, the greatest city in pre-eighteenth-century America. Barely a description is given of this metropolis beyond brief mentions of its walls and "the great mound". Had a chapter or two been put in detailing the might and glory of Cahokia, or had this become a novel about Cahokian culture itself, then this book might truly have earned five-stars.

Would I have read it if I knew then that it would be a story about a little girl's vision quests as a weapon against (apparently god-created) drought in the mid-Mississippi basin? Probably....but it does let me down that what could have been a tale of Cahokia the Great, was misused as a tree-hugging fable about the management of the earth, and the inner strength of the apparent weakest members of society.

Maybe someday the Gears or another author will do justice to Cahokia and write a good novel about it at its height. I hope so.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prepare to swept away!, July 24, 2000

By 

Rodney Powell "fairmont66" (Macon,Georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: People of the River (The First North Americans series, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

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!