What do you think?
Rate this book
North America's Forgotten Past #14
People of the Nightland
It has been a thousand years since Wolf Dreamer lead his people up through the dark hole in the ice to a rich, untouched continent bursting with game. But the world has changed. Most of the magnificent animals are gone, and the last of the great glaciers is melting, forming a huge freshwater lake in the middle of the world. Over the centuries the People of the Wolf have split into two clans. The People of the Nightland live in the honeycomb of ice caves that skirt the glacier. The People of the Sunpath live in hide lodges to the south, hunting the few remaining mammoths, bison, giant sloths, and short-faced bear.
When a young orphaned boy named Silvertip receives a vision from Wolf Dreamer that their world is about to end, no one believes him--no one except a jaded war chief and a little girl. Led by Silvertip's dream, the three of them must convince both people to leave the land of their ancestors and flee eastward as fast as they can before the Ice Giants destroy the world.
This is the sweeping saga of a visionary boy who led his people out of the path of one of the worst catastrophes in the history of the world, and the brave little girl who loved him enough to believe in his dream.
When a young orphaned boy named Silvertip receives a vision from Wolf Dreamer that their world is about to end, no one believes him--no one except a jaded war chief and a little girl. Led by Silvertip's dream, the three of them must convince both people to leave the land of their ancestors and flee eastward as fast as they can before the Ice Giants destroy the world.
This is the sweeping saga of a visionary boy who led his people out of the path of one of the worst catastrophes in the history of the world, and the brave little girl who loved him enough to believe in his dream.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
114 people are currently reading
1251 people want to read
About the author
W. Michael Gear
181 books730 followersW. Michael Gear was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on the twentieth of May, 1955. A fourth generation Colorado native, his family had been involved in hard-rock mining, cattle ranching, and journalism. After his father's death in 1959, Michael's mother received her Master's degree in journalism and began teaching. In 1962 she married Joseph J. Cook, who taught tool and die making, and the family lived in Lakewood, Colorado, until 1968. At that time they moved to Fort Collins so that Joe could pursue his Ph.D.. During those years the family lived in the foothills above Horsetooth Reservoir.
It was there that Mike developed a love of history, anthropology, and motorcycles. They would color his future and fill his imagination for the rest of his life. During summers he volunteered labor on local ranches or at the farm east of Greeley and landed his first real job: picking up trash at the lake and cleaning outhouses. It has been said that his exposure to trash led him into archaeology. We will not speculate about what cleaning the outhouses might have led him to. On his first dig as a professional archaeologist in 1976 he discovered that two thousand year old human trash isn't nearly as obnoxious as the new stuff.
Michael graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1972 and pursued both his Bachelor's (1976) and Master's (1979) degrees at Colorado State University. Upon completion of his Master's - his specialty was in physical anthropology - he went to work for Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs as a field archaeologist.
It was in the winter of 1978 that he wrote his first novel. Irritated by historical inaccuracies in Western fiction, he swore he could do better. He was "taking retirement in installments," archaeology being a seasonal career, in the cabin his great uncle Aubrey had built. One cold January night he read a Western novel about a trail drive in which steers (castrated males) had calves. The historical inaccuracies of the story bothered him all night. The next morning, still incensed, he chunked wood into the stove and hunkered over the typewriter. There, on the mining claim, at nine thousand feet outside of Empire, Colorado he hammered out his first five hundred and fifty page novel. Yes, that first manuscript still exists, but if there is justice in the universe, no one will ever see it. It reads wretchedly - but the historical facts are correct!
Beginning in 1981, Michael, along with two partners, put together his own archaeological consulting company. Pronghorn Anthropological Associates began doing cultural resource management studies in 1982, and, although Michael sold his interest in 1984, to this day the company remains in business in Casper, Wyoming. During the years, Michael has worked throughout the western United States doing archaeological surveys, testing, and mitigation for pipelines, oil wells, power lines, timber sales, and highway construction. He learned the value of strong black coffee, developed a palate for chocolate donuts, and ferreted out every quality Mexican restaurant in eight states. He spent nine months of the year traveling from project to project with his trowel and dig kit, a clapped-out '72 Wonder Blazer, and his boon companion, Tedi, a noble tri-color Sheltie.
That fateful day in November, 1981, was delightfully clear, cold, and still in Laramie, Wyoming. Archaeologists from all over the state had arrived at the University of Wyoming for the annual meetings of the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists. It was there, in the meeting room, way too early after a much too long night, that Mike first laid eyes on the most beautiful woman in the world: Kathleen O'Neal Gear. The BLM State Archaeologist, Ray Leicht, introduced him to the pretty anthropologist and historian, and best of all, Ray invited Mike to lunch with Kathleen. It was the perfect beginning for a long and wondrous relationship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/wmicha...
It was there that Mike developed a love of history, anthropology, and motorcycles. They would color his future and fill his imagination for the rest of his life. During summers he volunteered labor on local ranches or at the farm east of Greeley and landed his first real job: picking up trash at the lake and cleaning outhouses. It has been said that his exposure to trash led him into archaeology. We will not speculate about what cleaning the outhouses might have led him to. On his first dig as a professional archaeologist in 1976 he discovered that two thousand year old human trash isn't nearly as obnoxious as the new stuff.
Michael graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1972 and pursued both his Bachelor's (1976) and Master's (1979) degrees at Colorado State University. Upon completion of his Master's - his specialty was in physical anthropology - he went to work for Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs as a field archaeologist.
It was in the winter of 1978 that he wrote his first novel. Irritated by historical inaccuracies in Western fiction, he swore he could do better. He was "taking retirement in installments," archaeology being a seasonal career, in the cabin his great uncle Aubrey had built. One cold January night he read a Western novel about a trail drive in which steers (castrated males) had calves. The historical inaccuracies of the story bothered him all night. The next morning, still incensed, he chunked wood into the stove and hunkered over the typewriter. There, on the mining claim, at nine thousand feet outside of Empire, Colorado he hammered out his first five hundred and fifty page novel. Yes, that first manuscript still exists, but if there is justice in the universe, no one will ever see it. It reads wretchedly - but the historical facts are correct!
Beginning in 1981, Michael, along with two partners, put together his own archaeological consulting company. Pronghorn Anthropological Associates began doing cultural resource management studies in 1982, and, although Michael sold his interest in 1984, to this day the company remains in business in Casper, Wyoming. During the years, Michael has worked throughout the western United States doing archaeological surveys, testing, and mitigation for pipelines, oil wells, power lines, timber sales, and highway construction. He learned the value of strong black coffee, developed a palate for chocolate donuts, and ferreted out every quality Mexican restaurant in eight states. He spent nine months of the year traveling from project to project with his trowel and dig kit, a clapped-out '72 Wonder Blazer, and his boon companion, Tedi, a noble tri-color Sheltie.
That fateful day in November, 1981, was delightfully clear, cold, and still in Laramie, Wyoming. Archaeologists from all over the state had arrived at the University of Wyoming for the annual meetings of the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists. It was there, in the meeting room, way too early after a much too long night, that Mike first laid eyes on the most beautiful woman in the world: Kathleen O'Neal Gear. The BLM State Archaeologist, Ray Leicht, introduced him to the pretty anthropologist and historian, and best of all, Ray invited Mike to lunch with Kathleen. It was the perfect beginning for a long and wondrous relationship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/wmicha...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
September 29, 2015
I really enjoyed People of the Nightland. It was better than the first book People of the Wolf. This series is not great literature, but I think of it as informative-fiction. These authors are creating fictional stories out of real events. In the case of People of the Nightland, the actual event is one of the repeated catastrophic floods associated with the melting of the ice retaining wall that held Lake Agassiz in place, and they do a good job with it.
I'm planning to read this series in chronological--not publication--order, so for me this was book 2. I really liked the plot device of starting with modern day archaeologists who discover bones and then going back in time 13,000 years to see how the bones got there and the whole fictional story of the lives of those people. I also like that this book picks up 1,000 or so years after the first book and the characters are the descendants of the original characters so they're historical figures that are partly larger than life. While I enjoy that the first characters still play a part, this leads to my one standing criticism of the series.
These characters have too many "verified" supernatural experiences. Instead of having dreamers who were warned by the demi-gods from the first book about the impending flood, why not let the people use their natural senses to detect impending doom. There were plenty of physical signs that this flood was coming that play a part in the book. It would have been more than enough to have someone in one of the bands come to the natural conclusion, that all the melting, cracking, groaning and repeated earthquakes may mean we might want to get away from the edge of this glacier... Nah, instead we have to put up with the whole plot device of the Wolf dreamer and the Raven dreamer, which in my view is unnecessary to the plot.
I'm planning to read this series in chronological--not publication--order, so for me this was book 2. I really liked the plot device of starting with modern day archaeologists who discover bones and then going back in time 13,000 years to see how the bones got there and the whole fictional story of the lives of those people. I also like that this book picks up 1,000 or so years after the first book and the characters are the descendants of the original characters so they're historical figures that are partly larger than life. While I enjoy that the first characters still play a part, this leads to my one standing criticism of the series.
These characters have too many "verified" supernatural experiences. Instead of having dreamers who were warned by the demi-gods from the first book about the impending flood, why not let the people use their natural senses to detect impending doom. There were plenty of physical signs that this flood was coming that play a part in the book. It would have been more than enough to have someone in one of the bands come to the natural conclusion, that all the melting, cracking, groaning and repeated earthquakes may mean we might want to get away from the edge of this glacier... Nah, instead we have to put up with the whole plot device of the Wolf dreamer and the Raven dreamer, which in my view is unnecessary to the plot.
August 22, 2012
Initially this book was difficult to get into because I had trouble keeping track of all the characters (three of their names started w/ a K and were all three syllables). I also couldn't remember who belonged to which clan. After about the 100th page everything started to sink in and it became a more enjoyable read. Nightland is a perfect example of why I never give up on a book after the first few chapters.
February 9, 2014
People of the Nightland tells the story of what happened to Wolf Dreamer and hose he led through the hole in the ice. Their descendents’ story is told here. The Gears once again have Raven Hunter and his twin, Wolf Dreamer at odds with one another. They vie for the souls and beliefs of those people. Split into 2 different groups known as the Sunpath peoples and the Nightland peoples, each group follows one of the brothers. Those who read this story get a glimpse of how Paleolithic North America lived and adapted to a changing world. The Nightland peoples live in the caves formed by the retreating glaciers with their prophet who has been visited in his dreams by Raven Hunter. He promises to lead them back through the ice to a world that hasn’t changed, full of mammoth and mastodon, and is familiar to their way of life. Meanwhile the Sunpath peoples live farther south in lodges hidden in the rocks of the hills, hunting the few remaining big game animals, and believing in Wolf Dreamer.
Among the Nightland is Kakala, head war chief and his deputy Keresa. They follow the orders of the clan elders, fighting a war with the Sunpath for land resources. Aided by a traitor to the Sunpath, Kakala and Keresa fight on, seeking to capture a woman the prophet requires and the head of the Sunpath war chief Wolfwind.
In the midst of an attack on the few refugees who have sought shelter with Wolfwind, a young boy is granted a visit from Wolf Dreamer himself. He tells the newly fledged dreamer that their way of life is on the verge of ending and a great flood is coming. He must convince the war chiefs and clan leaders to move west to avoid the flood waters.
Back at the glaciers, the prophet Ti-Bish believes he has found the long awaited entrance to the other side, after searching the inner recesses of the glaciers. The dark of the glaciers is something almost unimaginable for us today, as well as the shifting and groaning of the ice over head. As terrifying as it sounds to the reader as the story goes, its has to pale compared to what the Nightland peoples lived with on a daily basis, with no scientific reasons behind what they heard and saw, as they faced the unknown of the Ice Giants.
As the Ice Giants move their ancient bones and scream in agony, and the certainty of the flood becomes clear, power struggles to reset the balance between good and evil, light and dark. Will chaos and order be balanced out as the flood waters rush towards Wolfwind, Keresa and the rest or will power continue to be unhinged as before? Find the answer in People of the Nightland and feel the glacier ice under rock under your feet and the struggle of chaos and order in a foreign but changing world.
Among the Nightland is Kakala, head war chief and his deputy Keresa. They follow the orders of the clan elders, fighting a war with the Sunpath for land resources. Aided by a traitor to the Sunpath, Kakala and Keresa fight on, seeking to capture a woman the prophet requires and the head of the Sunpath war chief Wolfwind.
In the midst of an attack on the few refugees who have sought shelter with Wolfwind, a young boy is granted a visit from Wolf Dreamer himself. He tells the newly fledged dreamer that their way of life is on the verge of ending and a great flood is coming. He must convince the war chiefs and clan leaders to move west to avoid the flood waters.
Back at the glaciers, the prophet Ti-Bish believes he has found the long awaited entrance to the other side, after searching the inner recesses of the glaciers. The dark of the glaciers is something almost unimaginable for us today, as well as the shifting and groaning of the ice over head. As terrifying as it sounds to the reader as the story goes, its has to pale compared to what the Nightland peoples lived with on a daily basis, with no scientific reasons behind what they heard and saw, as they faced the unknown of the Ice Giants.
As the Ice Giants move their ancient bones and scream in agony, and the certainty of the flood becomes clear, power struggles to reset the balance between good and evil, light and dark. Will chaos and order be balanced out as the flood waters rush towards Wolfwind, Keresa and the rest or will power continue to be unhinged as before? Find the answer in People of the Nightland and feel the glacier ice under rock under your feet and the struggle of chaos and order in a foreign but changing world.
June 6, 2023
The Gears have created an intriguing concept with their North America's Forgotten Past series. I acknowledge that this collection is ambitious and brings attention to something that should not be forgotten, but in this edition, which falls fairly late in the sequence, I found the story to be lacking. The setting is 12,000 years ago in the Great Lakes region as the last glaciation period of the current ice age wanes and the frozen giant make their slow retreat northward. The authors pit different tribal groups against this natural phenomenon, as well as against each other in competition for a safe haven in their changing environment. This premise is interesting and reasonable, but one area where the story falters is in its incorporation of the supernatural. Yes, animism is an essential part of the spiritual beliefs of many Native Americans, but its role in this narrative feels heavy-handed at times, and smudges the line between historical fiction and fantasy.
It was still enjoyable to get lost in this “forgotten past” that the Gears deftly describe. At its best ‘People of the Nightland’ transports the reader to this consequential geologic period to imagine the impact it had on the humans of the changing continent. However, the story reads like a glacier that can’t be fathomed in its true glory.
It was still enjoyable to get lost in this “forgotten past” that the Gears deftly describe. At its best ‘People of the Nightland’ transports the reader to this consequential geologic period to imagine the impact it had on the humans of the changing continent. However, the story reads like a glacier that can’t be fathomed in its true glory.
November 11, 2011
The world is falling apart, all is out of balance.Men grasp for power using spiritual leaders as their unknowing puppets. Religious wars have broken out... there is genocide. "Lebensraum" is the excuse. It is a time of great change and nothing, after this , will ever be the same again.
Sound familiar?
One of the great disappointments in my life is that I will never know... the past is a closed country and the answers to all my questions have dissolved into the wind. Historical fiction at least gives me some semblance of what it might have been like, especially when it is written by people who know their facts. The Gears are such a couple. They know their ancient Native Americans and can provide us with that glimpse. What results in an imaginative and exciting, highly readable and gripping page-turner. I do have reservations about the spiritual aspects when the spirits are given a "reality" (I don't believe God plays games - he doesn't interfere) but I'm prepared to put up with that minor "flaw". The landscape and the characters are real enough for me.
This one comes highly recommended.
Sound familiar?
One of the great disappointments in my life is that I will never know... the past is a closed country and the answers to all my questions have dissolved into the wind. Historical fiction at least gives me some semblance of what it might have been like, especially when it is written by people who know their facts. The Gears are such a couple. They know their ancient Native Americans and can provide us with that glimpse. What results in an imaginative and exciting, highly readable and gripping page-turner. I do have reservations about the spiritual aspects when the spirits are given a "reality" (I don't believe God plays games - he doesn't interfere) but I'm prepared to put up with that minor "flaw". The landscape and the characters are real enough for me.
This one comes highly recommended.
August 13, 2012
Beautifully written. Engaging characters. I can't say anything bad about this page-turner. I simply love the metaphors and overall use of language in this series. I couldn't put the book down. I've read some of them in english. Others in spanish, and I cannot help falling in love with the characters and the storyline. Great tale of war, sorrow and love. I learned a lot about the paleoindians and the specific period of time during which the story takes place. Two thumbs up!
March 4, 2009
This book was creepy. I did not like the darkness in it, literally it was one of the most disturbing books I have ever read. But overall it flowed well and had a good plot but the subject matter left a lot to be desired. Especially the main character the Prophet for the Nightland people, he was really creepy.
June 15, 2012
This was a super premise but the language wasn't so good so I didn't finish the book. I read about 1/3 into the book, the afterwards, and then skimmed the plot. Such a pity that they go into a bit too much make-believe and distort the super concept.
February 3, 2010
Plot was difficult to follow.
May 21, 2019
I've been reading (and enjoying) the Gears' People books for years. People of the Nightland was struggle. There was so much plotting and manipulating...so many physical and metaphysical clashes. It was exhausting to keep up with the various tribes and which spirit (wolf or raven) characters aligned with (and which ones shifted their beliefs). There was war, rape, torture and murder. And as usual, they killed the one character I found genuinely interesting. Fingers crossed the next book up, People of the Weeping Eye, will be more character-oriented and less war-infused.
January 21, 2025
I'm reading these books in historic order rather than published order. I had hoped that the "second" book would be closer after Raven Hunter and Wolf Dreamer, that we would get to see the children of the new land grow and learn about their new world, so it was slightly disappointing that this actually takes place generations later. Still, I loved the ties back to Wolf Dreamer, Raven Hunter and Dancing Fox, the legends they became. I loved Ashes and Silvertip's bond too, and seeing everyone, even the most broken hearted, find love again was an extra little touch I really appreciated.
January 12, 2019
Another clear winner for the Gears. Our Amerindian forebears are shown in a startling new light as communities of their own, often struggling with the same relations among nations and individuals that we face today. The divisions can sometimes be stark in every human community, no matter what ethnicity. A thought provoking read.
February 16, 2020
Love, love, love. One of my favorite authors. Great series, but I wouldn't start at #1, as imo the writing improved so much over the years. Any who, historical fiction, archeology, climate change, first nations, love, adventure, war, sex, family, culture, spiritual, encouraging, tragic, sad, gripping.
January 25, 2022
This book is very well written with great imagery and character development. It has great flow even though it is following multiple characters' stories. All in all, a good read. If you have an aversion to graphic depiction of rape and other foul treatment among tribes, you might want to avoid this one.
December 17, 2019
Great book
I enjoyed reading about prehistory. The authors made me feel as though I was right there alingside the sunpath people. I would recommended the series and I am looking forward to the next book in the series
I enjoyed reading about prehistory. The authors made me feel as though I was right there alingside the sunpath people. I would recommended the series and I am looking forward to the next book in the series
August 20, 2020
I enjoy all People of books.
It was interesting how the book talks about climate change, melting glaciers and flooding. It was timely that tribe elders were lying to their people and how no one was brave enough to stand against them.
It was interesting how the book talks about climate change, melting glaciers and flooding. It was timely that tribe elders were lying to their people and how no one was brave enough to stand against them.
May 21, 2018
I liked some of the other books from these authors better but it was still pretty good
April 13, 2014
This book took me forever to get through. It was just so hard to get into. And although by the end I found it easier to read, the initial struggle was a bit much to get over. Seeing as how this is the fourteenth book in the series, I've already done my share of trudging through books this year (although this can be read as a stand-alone).
Where before Ti-Bish was an outcast, now he is a Guide. Raven Hunter, the Nightland people's God has given him a vision. He is to lead the people back through the ice to a place of paradise. But that will come at a price. Mainly the destruction of the Sunpath people to the South who worship Wolfdreamer, the other brother who came through the ice originally. Stuck between these warring factions are many innocents. And unless a small boy can Dream the way, it may be that all the peoples are destroyed.
Keresa was about the only character I actually liked in this book. She was strong, loyal, and had to make tough choices based on her own morals. But she was willing to do all that and showed a lot of courage. The rest, I found their personalities too strange. They'd be one person on one page and a completely different person the next. And there were a lot of characters to keep track of. Also, just once, I'd like the antagonist to be a woman. It seems like it is always an older man who is screwing things up for everyone. Seems a bit unfair.
In every one of these books there is a struggle between tribes. It seems that peace is just never something that will be achieved. However, after this many books, it seems like they could branch out in the plots some. The mystical was actually a little more interesting in this book though. I liked that it was more philosophy than magic. It actually made it easier to read than it normally is because you could follow it rather than wonder why so many spirits were doing random things to the people. It should be warned that there is sex, violence, murder, rape, and so many other hard topics. But again, that's all of these books, if you've read any of the others, you know this already.
I just can't really say I liked this book. It was ok, but pretty average overall and repetitive after reading all of the other books. Luckily, I've only got a few more books in the series to go.
People of the Nightland
Copyright 2007
477 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2014
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Where before Ti-Bish was an outcast, now he is a Guide. Raven Hunter, the Nightland people's God has given him a vision. He is to lead the people back through the ice to a place of paradise. But that will come at a price. Mainly the destruction of the Sunpath people to the South who worship Wolfdreamer, the other brother who came through the ice originally. Stuck between these warring factions are many innocents. And unless a small boy can Dream the way, it may be that all the peoples are destroyed.
Keresa was about the only character I actually liked in this book. She was strong, loyal, and had to make tough choices based on her own morals. But she was willing to do all that and showed a lot of courage. The rest, I found their personalities too strange. They'd be one person on one page and a completely different person the next. And there were a lot of characters to keep track of. Also, just once, I'd like the antagonist to be a woman. It seems like it is always an older man who is screwing things up for everyone. Seems a bit unfair.
In every one of these books there is a struggle between tribes. It seems that peace is just never something that will be achieved. However, after this many books, it seems like they could branch out in the plots some. The mystical was actually a little more interesting in this book though. I liked that it was more philosophy than magic. It actually made it easier to read than it normally is because you could follow it rather than wonder why so many spirits were doing random things to the people. It should be warned that there is sex, violence, murder, rape, and so many other hard topics. But again, that's all of these books, if you've read any of the others, you know this already.
I just can't really say I liked this book. It was ok, but pretty average overall and repetitive after reading all of the other books. Luckily, I've only got a few more books in the series to go.
People of the Nightland
Copyright 2007
477 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2014
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
April 3, 2016
People of the Nightland
by W. Michael Gear & Kathleen O'neal Gear
The scab lands are a geological mystery, but the events that created this phenomenal area are not out of the scope of human history. This story confronts how prehistorically man dealt with and understood events of glacial melt, and how it affected the people that lived in the area.
The story of light and dark and opposites crossed makes a dynamic backdrop to the human conflict with in the book.
Two people have emerged from the ancient ways those who follow Wolf Dreamer, and those who follow his twin brother Raven Hunter. It has been a few generations since Wolf Dreamer brought them through the ice to the new world. Wold Dreamer's dream has been lost as he and his successful generations spent more time finding the One then learning to balance the world.
Raven Hunter comes forward and finds an outcast Ti-bish to bring his new dream to the people, that they would be better off going back to where they were. This book looks into the dynamics and conflicts of power, wither it is supernatural power or the power over others.
Nashat an elder of the Nightland clan has a plan, he would use the "guide's" (Ti-bish) dream to gain influence and destroy the other groups around them. The Lame Bull and the Sunpath people believe in Wolf Dreamer. Nashat believes if he destroys the other tribes he can claim their lands, and make slaves of their people. His machinations have created war and hardships for all the people.
WolfWind is the war leader of the SunPath clan, he began with protecting his people, but the brutal death of his wife has changed him. A skillful and brilliant leader who is admired by not only his people but his enemies as well. He struggles with finding peace in a world of war and chaos.
Silvertip a distant relative of Wolf Dreamer, has to pay the ultimate price to learn the ways of the One and balance the spiral. The world rests on his young inexperienced shoulders.
It is through the pain and darkness that Raven Hunter finds his true dreamer, someone who could see the world as it is and bring it back into balance.
by W. Michael Gear & Kathleen O'neal Gear
The scab lands are a geological mystery, but the events that created this phenomenal area are not out of the scope of human history. This story confronts how prehistorically man dealt with and understood events of glacial melt, and how it affected the people that lived in the area.
The story of light and dark and opposites crossed makes a dynamic backdrop to the human conflict with in the book.
Two people have emerged from the ancient ways those who follow Wolf Dreamer, and those who follow his twin brother Raven Hunter. It has been a few generations since Wolf Dreamer brought them through the ice to the new world. Wold Dreamer's dream has been lost as he and his successful generations spent more time finding the One then learning to balance the world.
Raven Hunter comes forward and finds an outcast Ti-bish to bring his new dream to the people, that they would be better off going back to where they were. This book looks into the dynamics and conflicts of power, wither it is supernatural power or the power over others.
Nashat an elder of the Nightland clan has a plan, he would use the "guide's" (Ti-bish) dream to gain influence and destroy the other groups around them. The Lame Bull and the Sunpath people believe in Wolf Dreamer. Nashat believes if he destroys the other tribes he can claim their lands, and make slaves of their people. His machinations have created war and hardships for all the people.
WolfWind is the war leader of the SunPath clan, he began with protecting his people, but the brutal death of his wife has changed him. A skillful and brilliant leader who is admired by not only his people but his enemies as well. He struggles with finding peace in a world of war and chaos.
Silvertip a distant relative of Wolf Dreamer, has to pay the ultimate price to learn the ways of the One and balance the spiral. The world rests on his young inexperienced shoulders.
It is through the pain and darkness that Raven Hunter finds his true dreamer, someone who could see the world as it is and bring it back into balance.
February 19, 2017
I love all of W. Michael and Kathleen's books!
June 3, 2025
People of the Nightland: A Historical Fantasy Series (The Earliest Americans Book 8)
by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'neal Gear
This reprint of the original People of the Nightlands leaves the reader on the cliff hanger of an ending. The reprint divides the original book into two editions.
The world is divided by the hero twin brothers. One fighting for peace, one fighting for conflict. It is their descendants and heritage that gain repeats the prior conflict of the twins. As the book progresses the reader is caught in the powerful conflict of one tribe of people offensively aggressive assaults because of a power struggle with in their world. The leader Nashat has manipulated the young dreamer Ti-Bish. Using his dream of returning to a better time, Nashat instigates a manipulative all out war on neighboring tribes. This bid for power and control uses manipulation and isolation of the dreamer to further his diabolical plans.
Set in the backdrop of Ice cave cliff dwellings and the coming cataclysmic end to the Younger Dryas, which shaped the Channeled Scablands in norther Washington, Oregon coast. The book shows the reality of conflict and how aggression can be presented as propaganda. Nashat controls his war chiefs, his warriors, his people with miss information and fear tactics. Both sides are fighting with their whole hearts for survival. This gives the reader an overview of the current archeological sites of the younger Dryas, and how the artifacts and remains ended up scattered throughout the Scablands.
by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'neal Gear
This reprint of the original People of the Nightlands leaves the reader on the cliff hanger of an ending. The reprint divides the original book into two editions.
The world is divided by the hero twin brothers. One fighting for peace, one fighting for conflict. It is their descendants and heritage that gain repeats the prior conflict of the twins. As the book progresses the reader is caught in the powerful conflict of one tribe of people offensively aggressive assaults because of a power struggle with in their world. The leader Nashat has manipulated the young dreamer Ti-Bish. Using his dream of returning to a better time, Nashat instigates a manipulative all out war on neighboring tribes. This bid for power and control uses manipulation and isolation of the dreamer to further his diabolical plans.
Set in the backdrop of Ice cave cliff dwellings and the coming cataclysmic end to the Younger Dryas, which shaped the Channeled Scablands in norther Washington, Oregon coast. The book shows the reality of conflict and how aggression can be presented as propaganda. Nashat controls his war chiefs, his warriors, his people with miss information and fear tactics. Both sides are fighting with their whole hearts for survival. This gives the reader an overview of the current archeological sites of the younger Dryas, and how the artifacts and remains ended up scattered throughout the Scablands.
June 3, 2025
As the Ice Age fades, the Nightland & Sunpath clans see the end approaching & brace for survival.
Thirteen thousand years ago, as glaciers retreat and the Ice Age wanes, prophecy and war collide in People of the Nightland. Divided by faith, the Nightland and Sunpath clans wage a brutal battle for survival. Ti-Bish, the Nightland’s prophet, claims Raven Hunter’s spirit will lead them to salvation—if they first destroy the Sunpath people. As war chief Windwolf fights to unite his fractured people, survivor Skimmer escapes slavery with vengeance in her heart, uncovering an ancient power that could change everything. In this gripping historical fantasy, W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear weave archaeology and epic storytelling into a tale of prophecy, survival, and the fight for a future at the edge of an ancient apocalypse. Grab your copy today!
• ASIN: B0F6PKSMCN
• Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
• Publication Date: 6/3/2025
• File Size: 5.5 MB
• Print Length:270 pages
• Genre: Ancient History Fiction - Indigenous Literature & Fiction eBooks - Native American Literature
Thirteen thousand years ago, as glaciers retreat and the Ice Age wanes, prophecy and war collide in People of the Nightland. Divided by faith, the Nightland and Sunpath clans wage a brutal battle for survival. Ti-Bish, the Nightland’s prophet, claims Raven Hunter’s spirit will lead them to salvation—if they first destroy the Sunpath people. As war chief Windwolf fights to unite his fractured people, survivor Skimmer escapes slavery with vengeance in her heart, uncovering an ancient power that could change everything. In this gripping historical fantasy, W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear weave archaeology and epic storytelling into a tale of prophecy, survival, and the fight for a future at the edge of an ancient apocalypse. Grab your copy today!
• ASIN: B0F6PKSMCN
• Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
• Publication Date: 6/3/2025
• File Size: 5.5 MB
• Print Length:270 pages
• Genre: Ancient History Fiction - Indigenous Literature & Fiction eBooks - Native American Literature
Want to read
February 11, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14245963
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14245963
January 19, 2016
Engaging, vivid, and intelligent story!
I loved this book! The amazing detail of the story and the environment were mesmerizing! I could understand how the people came about living in the ice caves, but the whole idea freaked me out. I was fascinated by the comparison of those who chose to live in the ice, finding safety there, and those of the Sun Path, who were probably more in line with my thinking - that there was nothing soothing or safe about the ice honeycombs! The whole story is so believable and compelling that it's easy to forget it is historical FICTION! Well done!!
I loved this book! The amazing detail of the story and the environment were mesmerizing! I could understand how the people came about living in the ice caves, but the whole idea freaked me out. I was fascinated by the comparison of those who chose to live in the ice, finding safety there, and those of the Sun Path, who were probably more in line with my thinking - that there was nothing soothing or safe about the ice honeycombs! The whole story is so believable and compelling that it's easy to forget it is historical FICTION! Well done!!
Read
June 30, 2016This was a reread, but just as suspenseful as the first time. 20,000 years ago glaciers covered most of Canada and parts of the United States including Vermont. The story takes place 13,000 years ago when the global warming began. A great melt water lake had developed in Canada & the states near Minnesota. In this adventure of the PaleoIndians they are trying to understand what is going on. Some believe they need to go back under the ice that their ancestors in People of the Wolf had crossed and others believed they needed to go south. No spoillers.
January 31, 2009
Possibly because my father was a cultural anthropologist and archaeologist and I have early memories of accompanying him on digs, this book was fascinating to me. Focusing on early North Americans inhabiting the Michigan area their struggles for survival are woven with the mystical lore that guided them. I want to read the sequel, People of the Weeping Eye but it is always checked out at the library!!
January 4, 2017
I keep coming back to the Gear Gear stories because they're well told, share some pre-history, and do a really good job of giving the reader insight into what life might have been like for a different group of people at a different time. This one didn't disappoint in that respect, and I enjoyed it. The one knock I have on this series is that they don't make it easy to follow the chronological order of history, which is how I prefer to read them.
August 20, 2007
Paleo-Indian historical fiction. This is a continuation of the Wolf People series. This book followed tribes around Lake Erie at the end of the ice age. It depicts how many of the people were lost as the glaciers broke up and created a huge flood that covered much of Ohio and more. It had a good mystery, lots of magic and likable characters.
March 7, 2008
This is the latest in the North American People series. I have all the books in the series so far. The series is about the Prehistoric Peoples that inhabit different regions of North America. The authors use archeological information and Native American beliefs and history to create fascinating stories.
June 4, 2009
Took a while to get going. With this series, you get a few different types of stories. Romance, war, mystery, some are a combo but this was mostly war. the first 2 thirds of the book were battles and strategy and whatnot. finally some of the spiritual magick started to show up as well as starting to feel connected to the characters. It was worth the read just had to stick with it at first.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews