It Sleeps in Me [Mass Market Paperback]

Kathleen O'Neal Gear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 27, 2006

Sora is the wise, young High Chieftess of the Black Falcon Nation. For many winters her heart belonged to her husband, Flint, a warrior from a neighboring clan. Flint truly loved Sora, but jealousy drove him to beat men to death for merely casting a longing glance at his wife. Unable to live with his murderous rage, Flint moved back to his mother's clan, divorcing Sora and leaving her forever.
Remarried and fully devoted to her duties as the High Chieftess, Sora tries to bury her memories of Flint. Then, on the eve of war with a neighboring nation, she is visited by Skinner, an old friend of Flint. Skinner tells her of Flint's death, but Sora feels that he carries part of Flint's soul inside him. When Skinner reveals secrets that only Flint would know, and rouses her passion in ways only Flint had, Sora must figure out if this is the clever witchcraft of enemies who want to seize her power and destroy her nation, or the spirit of her one and only true love.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Kathleen O'Neal Gear usually writes in tandem with W. Michael Gear, but in this tale of North America circa 1400 C.E. she goes solo, and portrays Sora, the leader of the Shadow Rock Clan of the Black Falcon Nation. The action begins with a game to decide whether or not the clan will go to war, and rapidly progresses into a tantalizing expose of Machiavellian intrigue, political alliances, and lust among the aboriginal peoples of what is now the Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological Site in Florida. The first in a trilogy, this is a riveting story of murder and madness, of clan loyalties and personal betrayals, of erotic adventures justified in the name of speeding a soul on its way to eternal peace. Gear's literary style frequently borders on the pedantic, as she crams a wealth of archaeological and anthropological detail into the tale of one woman's obsession with her former husband and her own power, and the ending is rather enigmatic, but fans of prehistoric epic adventures will be satisfied. Lynne Welch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"A tale of sinister passions . . . Suspenseful . . . Darkly erotic . . . Spicy."--Romantic Times BookClub Magazine on It Sleeps in Me

"Jean Auel meets Nora Roberts in this exciting new series."--Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling author of Tyrannosaur Canyon on It Sleeps in Me


"Readers will appreciate the strong female characters and the powerful role women play in the intriguing Black Falcon Nation."--Juliet Marillier, bestselling author of The Sevenwaters Trilogy on It Sleeps in Me

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (June 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765350254
• ISBN-13: 978-0765350251
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathleen O'Neal Gear is a former state historian and archaeologist for Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska for the U.S. Department of the Interior. She has twice received the federal government's Special Achievement Award for "outstanding management" of our nation's cultural heritage.W. Michael Gear, who holds a master's degree in archaeology, has worked as a professional archaeologist since 1978. He is currently principal investigator for Wind River Archaeological Consultants.The Gears, whose First North American Series and Anasazi Mystery Series, are both international as well as USA Today bestsellers live in Thermopolis, Wyoming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great debut from Kathleen O'Gear!, November 4, 2005

By 

Jenny J.J.I. "A New Yorker" (That Lives in Carolinas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: It Sleeps in Me (Paperback)

When Sora, chieftess of the Black Falcon Nation, is faced with warring clans, duplicitous friends, and baffling seizures, she feels that she is trapped in a labyrinth of deceit. Skinner, a friend of her ex-husband, Flint, comes to Sora with a shocking message: Flint is dead, but his shadow soul lives within Skinner, and he must tell Sora Flint's last words. When Chief Blue Bow of the enemy Loon Nation asks Sora for warriors to help his clan attacks another, Sora suspects treachery despite the promise of jade bounty. As she seeks counsel from her second husband, Rockfish, and best friend, Wink, Sora is shocked that they are eager to accept Blue Bow's proposal. Suspicious of their motives and tortured by the lure of Flint's shadow soul, Sora learns that she can trust no one and that her life is in danger.

Throughout out this book I was mesmerized with the culture and the beliefs of this tribe. I use to read-up a lot on Native Americans in my college years because the culture fascinated me so much.

While reading this I kept trying to predict part of the ending but came up short every time I turn to a new chapter, there were a couple of shocking twists that had me going.
Gear did a great job keeping up with the story line throughout the entire book. It did break my heart during the end of the story. With this debut in a new series, Gear, the beloved coauthor of many Native American prehistoric novels (e.g., People of the Owl), spins her magic again in a saga peppered with murder, intrigue, and erotic love scenes.

This book was intriguing and entertaining. I highly recommend this book. Great work Kathleen Gear.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Confused, July 18, 2009

By 

J. Steiner "Lina" (World Traveler) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Sleeps in Me (Mass Market Paperback)

I was so confused throughout this entire book. I never knew who was on who's side. The different internal monologues were rambled and I was unsure who was talking and who wasn't. The ending is unsatisfying. I am not even sure I want to read the following two books in this series. This book is in general aggravating. I give it three stars for the interesting factual chapter at the end of the novel. Otherwise this book would get a 2.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick to Finish, November 1, 2005

By 

Chenoa (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It Sleeps in Me (Paperback)

The style of writing was different than I was use to. Usually I like to read American Indian Novels that weren't as modern as this. Very different beliefs that I couldn't quite understand but it had a great twist. Can't wait to read the next two books so I know how it all ends.