Tatham Mound [Paperback]

Piers Anthony (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1992

Sent by the spirits, Hotfoot, a native American prophet, travels among the various tribes of North America to deliver his people from the devastation that awaits them. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anthony, best known for his science fiction (the Xanth series), has based this overburdened saga on early 16th-century artifacts found in an actual North Florida Indian burial mound. Combining myth, fantasy and history, this wide-ranging, picaresque adventure follows the 15-year quest of a young 16th-century Florida Indian, Throat Shot. He has been instructed by spirits of a burial site to save his tribe from a terrible danger by finding the Ulunsuti, a great transparent crystal on the forehead of a snake. The spirits vow to guide him. Throat Shot gamely sets out, encountering a series of colorful traveling companions who either regale him with their own unique stories or pull him into one risky escapade after another. He meets, for example, descendants of Mayan royalty; he escapes Aztecs bent on extracting his heart. The numerous extraneous narratives slow an already leisurely pace, but the book is yet more seriously marred by the ubiquitous bland tone blanketing every description from that of a smallpox epidemic to that of the encounter with the ultimate enemy, the greedy and arrogant Spanish invaders.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A young Indian warrior receives a mission from the spirits of the dead to search for an item of magical power that can save his people from destruction. Drawing heavily on recent archaeological finds in his home state of Florida, fantasy/sf author Anthony creates an imaginative reconstruction of the final days of the Amerindians of Safety Harbor (near Tampa Bay). Real events (such as de Soto's march across the state) are interspersed with tales from many tribes in this heartfelt tribute to a lost culture. A labor of both love and talent, this historical quasi-fantasy belongs in most libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/91
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Avon Books (October 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380713098
• ISBN-13: 978-0380713097
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,649,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Piers Anthony is one of the world's most popular fantasy authors, and a New York Times bestseller twenty-one times over. His Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and he daily receives hundreds of letters from his devoted fans.In addition to the Xanth series, Anthony is the author of many other best-selling works. Piers Anthony lives in Inverness, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite the native Tale Teller, December 30, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (College Park, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tatham Mound (Paperback)

Anthony, a consummate fantasy bard, steps out into the real world and develops a compelling story from a collection of bones excavated, in part, by his daughter. This story of native Americans meeting the Spanish Conquistadors gives an easy read introduction to this time of dramatic change. With relevant and appropriate detail, Anthony lets the average reader experience the onslaught of the white man from an Indian perspective. At the same time, the reader comes to know a little more about the native American tribes in the South Florida region and learns some of the narratives that must have enriched thier lives. This book is not a research piece, but a fun, lively story which grips the reader with heartwrenching strength through to the foreshadowed cataclismic ending. Both my thumbs were up so high, I had trouble turning pages!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites from Piers, July 17, 2006

By 

A. Vasicek (Lakeland, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tatham Mound (Paperback)

When I first read this book, I was only familiar with Anthony's science fiction and fantasy works, such as the Xanth series and the Incarnations of Immortality, so when I read the blurb and saw the subject matter, I was a bit skeptical. I've read and re-read this book countless times now, and it's become my favorite from Piers.

His usual wit and gift of knowing how to make you care about the characters is there, and I still have to swallow a lump in my throat at times. Even if you've never heard of any of the pre-Seminole Florida tribes, even if you're not a history buff, this is an amazing read. I can't recommend it strongly enough.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My personal favorite!, September 2, 2005

By 

D. Peckinpaugh (Galloway, Oh USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tatham Mound (Paperback)

Despite my youth, I have done my share of reading over the past several years. In all the novels and stories I have read nothing has come close to beating this one as my number one. I absolutely love this book. It's a creative story and inventive view about life back before technology. With myths and other smaller stories entwined, this book is a hard to put done read. I recommend this book to everyone who asks me, "Know any good books." And all who have read it have told me the same thing. "Thanks for recommending that book. I couldn't put it down. It was a great read." So...if you are looking for a good book...this should be on your list of must reads.