Book Review of #1 People of the Wolf By W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear
Author: W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear
ISBN: 0-812-50737-1
Publisher: Tor Historical
Part of a Series: The First Native Americans
Type of book: prehistorical, shamanic, Dream, savior complex, -13,000 years ago, adult
Year it was published: 1990
Summary:
In the dawn of history, a valiant people forged a pathway from an old world into a new one. Led by a dreamer who followed the spirit of the wolf, a handful of courageous men and women dared to cross the frozen wastes to find an untouched, unspoiled continent. This is the magnificent saga of the vision-filled man who led his people to an awesome destiny, and the courageous woman whose love and bravery drove them on in pursuit of that dream.
A sweeping epic of prehistory, People of the Wolf brings the true story of the ancestors of today's Native American peoples to life in an unforgettable saga of hardship and determination, conflict and passion.
Characters:
One of my pet peeves when reading books are the evil characters who are evil just because. That is, characters who are flat and are not multifaceted. Unfortunately this is what we get with this book and Crow Caller and Raven Hunter. For me personally, the protagonists aren't likable and the story was way too simple and predictable. Also, Dancing Fox and her mate should have met much more sooner than the last few chapters of the book. (good brother vs evil brother, who wins I wonder?) I think I desired to know more about the lives of the people back then instead of the whole mystical stuff the authors focused on. Also this book is something akin to savior literature, or should I say it kept reminding me of christianity. I think this book is more styled to be a movie than something to read.
Theme:
Everything is a spiral.
Plot:
This books is written in third person narrative from omniscient point of view; that is from every single character you'll see what they think and feel throughout the book. I think the transition is smooth though, the problem might be remembering the names and whatnot though.
Author Information:
(from Wiki)
W. Michael Gear:
W. Michael Gear is an American writer, and archaeologist [1] born in Colorado Springs, Colorado on May 20, 1955. He is perhaps best known for his First North Americans series, co-authored with wife Kathleen O'Neal Gear.
Kathleen O'Neal Gear:
Kathleen O'Neal Gear (born 1954) is an American writer. 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 Advancement Award for "outstanding management" of our nation's cultural heritage. She is perhaps best known for her First North Americans series, co-authored with husband W. Michael Gear.[1]
Opinion:
There are a number of things I wasn't happy with when it came to the book; one was the map wasn't understandable because I wanted to see where they came from to where they came to. I was not happy with the whole messiah storyline, with the characters themselves because as I mentioned before, to me they were flat and strangely unlikable. I couldn't care enough whether or not they lived or died. It is interesting that during the time though there was creation of detachable darts, and that the people haven't discovered agriculture. Also what bothered me the most was the monkish lifestyle that Heron thrust upon Wolf Dreamer. I also wanted to know exactly how many people crossed to the other side; hundreds? thousands? Because I kept thinking that it must be somewhere underneath a hundred.
2 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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