The Sacred Stones

The First Americans #5

by William Sarabande

Courageous, passionate men and women battle for survival of their clans—in the shadow of the great mammoth who speaks with thunder . . . 

As the massive glaciers fade and the wide seas rise, the warm grasslands of the Americas bring prosperity to the gentle People of the Red World, followers of the Great Ghost Spirit, the White Mammoth.  But farther north, where the harsh dry winds howl, another nation, the People of the Watching Star, are enmeshed with legends of an evil shaman and the man-eating monster called the wanawut. Relentlessly they have hunted the mammoth to near extinction.  

Now, as raiders and ravagers they are coming south to invade the villages of the People of the Red World. The only ones who can prevent the murder of innocents and the final slaughter  of the mammoth are a young boy shaman to whom the animals speak, a man whose strength equals his conviction, and a woman who hopes that, beyond violence and cruelty, humankind will recognize a stronger power—the force of love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Prehistoric, Historical, Prehistory, Native American

596 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

William Sarabande is a pseudonym of Joan Lesley Hamilton Cline.

Reviews

[Sue]

It took some time to get into this book. I much preferred the first four books in the series. I will try another one in the series to see if it gets better as the small bank of first americans hits the road again.

[Beth]

Blech.

This book is rife with racism and sexism. The author also keeps the story classy with plenty of detailed animal/human torture and killing.

And, if I ever read the phrase "man bone" again it will be too soon...

[Anthony D]

Great story with a new cast of characters. Still very brutal with villains you really root against. A winning formula for Sarabande. I was originally disappointed in the time jump because I loved Torka and Lonit but the author did such a good job of weaving their story as the origin mythos of the new characters that it made me wonder if I would have enjoyed this series without having read the first 4. In fact, I would almost recommend a different reading order... maybe not? I'll let you know when I finish the next 6 books.

This book out of all of them so far felt the most like it could be adapted into a movie. The plot had a clear direction, while not feeling too predictable. Despite being disappointed in the People's choices in the epilogue, I can't wait to dive into #6 (Thunder in the Sky) to see what Mahri and Chakwena do next, following in the footsteps of First Man and Woman.

[Cassandra Kostuch]

This book was kind of jarring. Gone were all the characters I'd come to know and love, as was the environment. These new characters had names so unfamiliar, that I found myself glossing over chunks with lots of names, and having to go back for context later.

I was so disappointed that we didn't get a redemption arc from Masau (I mean, we kinda did, but it wasn't satisfying), and all in all, the book stopped just short of being GOOD like the last ones were.

[Level6]

I get it. It jumped. But, this guy writes so well and is so knowledgeable about the history that he STILL wove the old characters into this story's folklore, and not in too obvious of a way, really. It in no way insulted my intelligence to have to piece together where their lore came from. I think that was just plain brilliant! It also gives you a sense of the frustration any historian must feel when there are huge gaps like this.

[Andy2302]

The Story continues many generations later with a whole new cast of characters. An old Shaman, his unwilling grandson and a small tribe are at peace in a warmer, dryer landscape. Then come the Lions from the north. Mammoths are still their Life Giver but the herds are shrinking.
Obviously introducing so many new people leaves it open for a sequel. Not quite 4 stars.

[Michelle Hanson]

This author is great

[Del Sullivan]

A good story but an entirely new set of characters. I enjoyed taking this trip back through time.

[Sallee]

This book continues the saga of the First Americans and has moved up in time. Mamouths still roam but the herds ar getting smaller. Blood sacrifice, shamans, and the different cultures of the different tribes makes for an interesting story. While this was violent, it was not as violent as the preceding books. A good read for people who enjoy this genre.

[Debbie]

This was the 5th book in a series of 5. The first 4 in the series were very good! This last one was set many, many generations later, all different people; I didn't like the book. Didn't even finish it.

[Adam82]

The only reason I read this book was to fulfill my curiousity about the additional stories within the series. This book is one of the reasons why I do not recommend anymore of the William Sarabande.

[Wendy]

Took me a while to get into ... wasn't expecting such a big change in time frame from the first four books. Good story.

[Karinirmgard]

3 Bände 2. Teil Land des Donners, 3. Teil Land der vielen Wasser

[Karla]

Not as good as the previous in the series. Didnt have the same 'cant put down' effect.

[Kat]

LOVE this series

[66yoguy]

I liked it.

[Rick]

The whole series is a great read. Hard to put down. Want to read it again.

[Aimee]

Interesting story line, and characters, was a bit meh about the boom at first but actually really got into it.