I was really excited to read this book, since the peopling of the Americas is one of my favorite subjects. Not only did I get a Master's degree in Archaeology, I live in the American Midwest, where much of the earliest remnants are found. But I was horribly disappointed. I could not even bring myself to finish the book. And I don't understand how so many people have given it 5 stars!First of all, just in the quarter of the book that I managed to get through, there are multiple rapes. It's not totally unreasonable for rape to have happened then, but if it was occurring on the scale that these authors have included, basically every woman would have been raped back then. Plus, it's pretty gross that something as horrific as rape is used as a plot point so often, and treated so casually by so many people in the book - including the victims! Second, the authors make only superficial efforts to assign motivation to any of the characters. The protagonist is a little too selfless and heroic, especially when compared to his (apparently sociopathic for no obvious reason) twin brother or to the medicine man who married the girl he is in love with. And the desire of the other tribe to wipe out the People seems completely arbitrary. Third, the authors have clearly thought about the tools of the People more than basic story requirements like plot and character-building. Even for a fellow archaeologist like me, their descriptions of tools are too technical and detailed. When I'm reading a story, I want to be able to get lost in the prose, not read a scientific explanation of how an object was made. Besides, the most interesting thing about archaeology is that we get to learn about people that we can never talk to; looking at the objects they left behind is just a means to do that. Which brings me to my last complaint: the People as they are written think and behave very anachronistically. The characters in the book are too individualistic. In that time period, people had to get along with each other for the most part in order to survive; if they didn't, they couldn't just move to another city or find another job like we can today. They had to work with their fellow tribe members and therefore often had to think in ways that would be very unfamiliar to us today. This is not to say that they were never selfish or always got along, but the survival of the individual depended a lot more on survival of the group, therefore sublimating the desires and impulses of the individual to secondary status. Also, I read a bunch of other reviews before I even started the book. Several readers who also didn't like it said that the supernatural elements were too confusing and treated as too realistic. I disagree. This was one of the few aspects of the book that I found believable. It's easy for modern people, who live in a post-Enlightenment world, to think that the confusion of the supernatural and reality is over the top, but for centuries, people understood the world partially through supernatural explanations. Finally, the basic storytelling and writing elements of this book are simply seriously lacking.
When I picked up this book at the library, my very first thought was, "Oh man, cheap dime store cover...this is going to be so cheesy." And then I thought, "Crap...if this is really cheesy, at this length, it'll take me a year to read it." Well, I'm here to tell you that I did judge this book by its cover, and I was very wrong. I loved this book. The idea in itself was fascinating, but at the same time, it sounded tremendously boring--a story about the first Native Americans who crossed the Bering Strait into North America. Honestly, it was the character drama that did it for me. Very rarely in books do i find myself so engrossed in characters that they become dear to me (even the "bad" ones). I got so attached to these characters. Every time I put the book down, I was left wondering what would happen to them next, and even now that I'm done with the book, I find that I really enjoy contemplating their futures (as I understand it, the books in this series are written as standalone books, but characters occasionally make reappearances). I mean, c'mon--Dancing Fox was one kickass female character! She was probably my favorite character. And Runs in Light/Wolf Dreamer? it was really refreshing to have a main character follow through with the plot ending that's right for him and not necessarily the happy-ever-after one. I always say good authors write good villains...you know--the ones you would strangle yourself if you could...so bravo to Raven Hunter! Even some of the lesser characters like One Who Cries, Singing Wolf, Broken Branch, Green Water and Laughing Sunshine--they were great. All in all, I was really pleased with this book. There were some minor things (some of the descriptions/descriptive passages were way too descriptive), but I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially someone interested in Native Americans. I really can't wait to start People of the Fire.
What do You think about People Of The Wolf (1992)?
The only thing I enjoyed more than reading this, was knowing I had 12 more in the series (by my count) to look forward to. It's not the easiest book to get into, and for a moment I disliked the sometimes modern style in which this prehistoric setting-novel was written, but ultimately I found it to be such an engaging read that I couldn't put it down until I finished it, and as authentic as can be for a 21st century writer to peer into the motivations and ambitions of very-long-ago. Time will tell whether the other books in the series are up to scratch, but this was a good start!
—Nadja
This book is the beginning of a series of truly awesome reading. When I checked it out in the library it was for a college assignment. However, when I saw how long it was I did not think I could finish it. But soon I became so engrossed with the characters I had a hard time putting it down. The author describes the people and surroundings so well it wisks you away to that time period. I could see the people in my mind and feel their feelings. I could see the landscape of the area, feel the cold, smell the fires and food these people were cooking. To be able to lose myself in words on paper was so unusual for me. I found myself going back to the library for more. When I found out it was a series I made sure I checked them out in order. Waiting weeks at times for some and that was very hard to do. If you enjoy reading about the Native American people these books are a must read. The author is an archeologist who does extensive research to make his book complete. Personnally, I think this book and all the ones that follow are super rereads.
—Deborah
I was aiming for a three and a half rating actually. Got this at the library book sale. It was first in the series (ha! Learned THAT lesson!) so I got it. I like the adventures and survival and hunting type of books. This had all of it along with shamanistic properties. I was hoping for more info on how to kill a mammoth because you really never know when you will need that. A pit trap, falling off a ledge or gut wounding it and then following it for days or weeks until it finally keeled over from infection were the methods mentioned in this book. This was also about a migration of people, of warring factions, of following visions. There are many more books in this series and I might look into them.
—Mark Smiley
