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North America's Forgotten Past #2
People of the Fire
It is a time of fire. A small band of pioneers struggle valiantly to keep their ancestors' dreams alive in an unforgiving, drought-stricken land. Driven by the promise of an awesome vision, a heroic young dreamer and a fearless woman warrior unite to lead their people to a magnificent destiny.
A towering epic filled with tragedy and triumph, courage and conflict, People of the Fire is the second compelling novel in a majestic saga of America's first peoples.
A towering epic filled with tragedy and triumph, courage and conflict, People of the Fire is the second compelling novel in a majestic saga of America's first peoples.
467 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 15, 1991
268 people are currently reading
3107 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...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
August 26, 2013
Where's the fire?
Seriously, where is the fire?
Oh wait, there it is. 20 pages from the end.
The first 300 pages of this book do nothing. It's only in the last 150 pages that the story gets remotely interesting and begins to come together. Once I figured out where the writers were going, I enjoyed it, but were I not such a stickler for finishing books I would have abandoned it long ago.
It starts off as a ripoff of the first book in the series - a boy with a special destiny and a complicated parentage (Little Dancer/Wolf Dreamer), a wise woman (White Calf/Broken Branch), and some antagonists intent on destroying him (Blood Bear/Heavy Beaver/whoever the other twin was in the first book). However, there is no clear female protagonist like Dancing Fox.
Anyway, it's been thousands of years since Wolf Dreamer led the People through the ice tunnel. The People have hunted most of the wildlife to extinction and are getting hungry, and hungry people get cranky and raid each other's camps. Climate change isn't helping either as droughts set in. All that's left of Wolf Dreamer is a sort of magic purse called Wolf Bundle.
No really, I'm serious.
The book has some bloody stupid passages where the magic purse appears to be talking to Wolf Dreamer, who still seems to watch over his people and argue with the magic purse about the best way to lead the People to a more fertile land. And they hope the People will be better stewards of wildlife.
Given that the writers are archaeologists, I expected this series to have more information about how these mesmerizing ancient peoples lived. Instead, we get a bunch of speculative garbage and mumbo-jumbo that makes these books more paranormal than historical. If there were less magic purse and more character development, we'd have a pretty good book.
In fairness to the characters, they were at least a little more carefully constructed than in the previous book. It was easier to tell them apart and figure out who was who. The book does a decent job of showing Little Dancer's struggle to accept his role as Dreamer against his desire to stay with his family, something that "People of the Wolf" did not do very well.
Speaking of characters, Two Smokes was awesome. My favorite moment in the book is when he figures out what to do with the tasty grass samples he carries around, and we see how Little Dancer will help lead the People in a more sustainable lifestyle.
Seriously, where is the fire?
Oh wait, there it is. 20 pages from the end.
The first 300 pages of this book do nothing. It's only in the last 150 pages that the story gets remotely interesting and begins to come together. Once I figured out where the writers were going, I enjoyed it, but were I not such a stickler for finishing books I would have abandoned it long ago.
It starts off as a ripoff of the first book in the series - a boy with a special destiny and a complicated parentage (Little Dancer/Wolf Dreamer), a wise woman (White Calf/Broken Branch), and some antagonists intent on destroying him (Blood Bear/Heavy Beaver/whoever the other twin was in the first book). However, there is no clear female protagonist like Dancing Fox.
Anyway, it's been thousands of years since Wolf Dreamer led the People through the ice tunnel. The People have hunted most of the wildlife to extinction and are getting hungry, and hungry people get cranky and raid each other's camps. Climate change isn't helping either as droughts set in. All that's left of Wolf Dreamer is a sort of magic purse called Wolf Bundle.
No really, I'm serious.
The book has some bloody stupid passages where the magic purse appears to be talking to Wolf Dreamer, who still seems to watch over his people and argue with the magic purse about the best way to lead the People to a more fertile land. And they hope the People will be better stewards of wildlife.
Given that the writers are archaeologists, I expected this series to have more information about how these mesmerizing ancient peoples lived. Instead, we get a bunch of speculative garbage and mumbo-jumbo that makes these books more paranormal than historical. If there were less magic purse and more character development, we'd have a pretty good book.
In fairness to the characters, they were at least a little more carefully constructed than in the previous book. It was easier to tell them apart and figure out who was who. The book does a decent job of showing Little Dancer's struggle to accept his role as Dreamer against his desire to stay with his family, something that "People of the Wolf" did not do very well.
Speaking of characters, Two Smokes was awesome. My favorite moment in the book is when he figures out what to do with the tasty grass samples he carries around, and we see how Little Dancer will help lead the People in a more sustainable lifestyle.
April 24, 2020
Ik vond dit weer een zeer goed boek. De hoofdpersoon is Kleine Danser. Het land wordt verteerd door droogte, de bizons blijven weg, en het volk lijdt honger. Witte Rook, een berdache (een man die zich vrouw voelt en zich dan ook in vrouwenkleren tooit), die altijd voor Kleine Danser gezorgd heeft, vanaf dat diens moeder, Helder Water, gedood is door een kudde bizons, stelt zich al lang de vraag waarom de bizons en herten zich met gras kunnen voeden en de mens niet.
Dan is er ook nog Logge Bever, de sjamaan van het Kleine Bizon Volk, die iedereen wijsmaakt dat hij Macht heeft, maar in feite gewoon zijn fantasieën als teken van Macht ziet. Kleine Danser en Witte Rook, die vroeger tot het volk van de Rode Hand behoorden, zijn na de dood van Helder Water door Wit Kalf, een Droomster, naar het Kleine Bizon Volk gebracht. Daar hebben Hongerige Stier en zijn vrouw Saliestruik Kleine Danser als hun zoon aangenomen, nadat hun eigen baby gestorven was. Maar als jaren later zijn pleegmoeder door Logge Bever vervloekt wordt en sterft, omdat ze op gaffelbokken gejaagd heeft (vrouwen werden niet verondersteld van te jagen), vluchten Kleine Danser en Witte Rook naar Wit Kalf. Daar blijven ze lange tijd. Stilaan sluiten zich anderen bij hen aan, waaronder het meisje Rode Oker. Zij en Kleine Danser worden verliefd en worden een koppel en krijgen twee dochtertjes. Maar ondertussen heeft Kleine Danser beseft dat hij een Dromer is en dat hij een taak te vervullen heeft: de Wolfsbuidel redden uit de handen van Bloedbeer, zijn biologische vader, en Dansen met Vuur, om zo Logge Bever te verslaan en vrede te brengen. En ondertussen heeft Witte Rook ook ontdekt dat het geheim van het gras in de zaden is, dat dit kunnen gepeld, geplet en gebakken worden. En dit moet hij het Volk ook leren, zodat ze een extra voedselbron hebben.
Ik had enkele reviews gelezen voor ik dit boek las, en velen vonden de 'tussendoortjes' van het spreken van de Wolfsbuidel met Wolfdromer storend en overbodig. Ik vond dit totaal niet en ik heb dit boek graag gelezen.
Dan is er ook nog Logge Bever, de sjamaan van het Kleine Bizon Volk, die iedereen wijsmaakt dat hij Macht heeft, maar in feite gewoon zijn fantasieën als teken van Macht ziet. Kleine Danser en Witte Rook, die vroeger tot het volk van de Rode Hand behoorden, zijn na de dood van Helder Water door Wit Kalf, een Droomster, naar het Kleine Bizon Volk gebracht. Daar hebben Hongerige Stier en zijn vrouw Saliestruik Kleine Danser als hun zoon aangenomen, nadat hun eigen baby gestorven was. Maar als jaren later zijn pleegmoeder door Logge Bever vervloekt wordt en sterft, omdat ze op gaffelbokken gejaagd heeft (vrouwen werden niet verondersteld van te jagen), vluchten Kleine Danser en Witte Rook naar Wit Kalf. Daar blijven ze lange tijd. Stilaan sluiten zich anderen bij hen aan, waaronder het meisje Rode Oker. Zij en Kleine Danser worden verliefd en worden een koppel en krijgen twee dochtertjes. Maar ondertussen heeft Kleine Danser beseft dat hij een Dromer is en dat hij een taak te vervullen heeft: de Wolfsbuidel redden uit de handen van Bloedbeer, zijn biologische vader, en Dansen met Vuur, om zo Logge Bever te verslaan en vrede te brengen. En ondertussen heeft Witte Rook ook ontdekt dat het geheim van het gras in de zaden is, dat dit kunnen gepeld, geplet en gebakken worden. En dit moet hij het Volk ook leren, zodat ze een extra voedselbron hebben.
Ik had enkele reviews gelezen voor ik dit boek las, en velen vonden de 'tussendoortjes' van het spreken van de Wolfsbuidel met Wolfdromer storend en overbodig. Ik vond dit totaal niet en ik heb dit boek graag gelezen.
January 10, 2011
If you liked the series by Auel you will like this one by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear. People of the Fire is the second in the series, following People of the Wolf. Situated in a drought stricken land, a small group of people work hard to keep the dreams of their ancestors alive. It's a love story, an adventure story and a view of the people who lived in this era.
January 19, 2016
A respectful presentation of Native American Beliefs wrapped in an exciting tale!
When I read book 1 of this series, PEOPLE OF THE WOLF, I was hooked. Picking up PEOPLE OF THE FIRE just ensnared me more! I have never read a book series so deep and compelling; so rich and complete.
I am a huge fan of historical fiction and loving archaeology, I was initially drawn to this tale. The Native American culture, which is so respectfully presented in this book (and the entire series), fascinated me. I am amazed by the detail of the story and how beautifully it is linked to verifiable facts from history. I love how the Native American beliefs and lore are expanded in this book, building on book 1 (though each book can stand lone and can be read out of order). I was happier to have a better understand of The One and the Spiral. I found this story very educational in relationship to Spirit Bundles and it helped give me the foundation of the cultural believes of many Native American tribes.
This story is smart and the characters are complex and endearing. You can’t help but feel their struggles and achievements along with them. The writing is vibrant and masterful, touching your very soul while making you think deeper about everything you thought you knew!
When I read book 1 of this series, PEOPLE OF THE WOLF, I was hooked. Picking up PEOPLE OF THE FIRE just ensnared me more! I have never read a book series so deep and compelling; so rich and complete.
I am a huge fan of historical fiction and loving archaeology, I was initially drawn to this tale. The Native American culture, which is so respectfully presented in this book (and the entire series), fascinated me. I am amazed by the detail of the story and how beautifully it is linked to verifiable facts from history. I love how the Native American beliefs and lore are expanded in this book, building on book 1 (though each book can stand lone and can be read out of order). I was happier to have a better understand of The One and the Spiral. I found this story very educational in relationship to Spirit Bundles and it helped give me the foundation of the cultural believes of many Native American tribes.
This story is smart and the characters are complex and endearing. You can’t help but feel their struggles and achievements along with them. The writing is vibrant and masterful, touching your very soul while making you think deeper about everything you thought you knew!
started-and-not-finished
September 19, 2020As usual with books I didn't finish, this isn't a review, merely an explanation of why I didn't finish (and in this case, didn't get very far in). Here, it was really just a case of reader misunderstanding in selecting the book. Barb and I had enjoyed reading the first book in the Gear's series, People of the Wolf together, back in the early 90s. That book (which I'd gotten as a birthday gift from my oldest daughter) imaginatively recreates the arrival, in what is today Alaska, of the first American Indians to cross the land bridge that then spanned the Bering Strait. Having liked and been invested in the characters, when we discovered that the novel was a series opener, we started the next one to continue their adventures.
However, we quickly discovered that this is a "series" only in the sense that all the books are set in North America before the advent of the Europeans. This second book does not follow the characters from the first one, and is in fact set centuries, or millennia, later. If we'd come to it with different expectations, we might have persevered; but as it was, we weren't interested in continuing.
However, we quickly discovered that this is a "series" only in the sense that all the books are set in North America before the advent of the Europeans. This second book does not follow the characters from the first one, and is in fact set centuries, or millennia, later. If we'd come to it with different expectations, we might have persevered; but as it was, we weren't interested in continuing.
January 10, 2014
People of the Fire is the second book in the First North Americans series by the Gears. I don't really think you have to read the books in order. Honestly I read the first book first and was still a little confused at times.
Drought is upon the land and has brought strife between the different peoples who dwell in the mountains and the plains. The plains people have a dominating leader who is striving to make women inferior. Little Dancer, a boy who has been with them for awhile, is suddenly thrust out of the clan when his mother stands up to the leader. Meanwhile, in the mountains, the people mourn the loss of their spirit bundle and one man wants to get it back and also get even for his humiliation.
There are a lot of dominating men in this series. It seems like the men are all either bad evil people, subservient, or young boys with Dreams. There's no average guy to be found. The women are always pretty wise and strong. It just doesn't seem like things are very even among the sexes. Probably the best character was Elk Charm because she was somewhat normal. She wasn't running after power or dreams or being a warrior. She just wanted to live a normal life.
So, is it just me, or did anyone else realize that there's a leather bag talking throughout this whole book? I know this is fiction, but considering the series is written by two archaeologists it surprises me that there is so much mysticism and magic in it. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just surprising. And well let's face it, I don't find a talking bundle too interesting. But there was a lot of conflict so those who like action books will probably be ok with this one. But it should be warned there is also violence and rape to go along with that conflict.
Once again, just an ok book. It was good enough to keep reading the series but nothing to rave about.
People of the Fire
Copyright 1991
467 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2014
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Drought is upon the land and has brought strife between the different peoples who dwell in the mountains and the plains. The plains people have a dominating leader who is striving to make women inferior. Little Dancer, a boy who has been with them for awhile, is suddenly thrust out of the clan when his mother stands up to the leader. Meanwhile, in the mountains, the people mourn the loss of their spirit bundle and one man wants to get it back and also get even for his humiliation.
There are a lot of dominating men in this series. It seems like the men are all either bad evil people, subservient, or young boys with Dreams. There's no average guy to be found. The women are always pretty wise and strong. It just doesn't seem like things are very even among the sexes. Probably the best character was Elk Charm because she was somewhat normal. She wasn't running after power or dreams or being a warrior. She just wanted to live a normal life.
So, is it just me, or did anyone else realize that there's a leather bag talking throughout this whole book? I know this is fiction, but considering the series is written by two archaeologists it surprises me that there is so much mysticism and magic in it. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just surprising. And well let's face it, I don't find a talking bundle too interesting. But there was a lot of conflict so those who like action books will probably be ok with this one. But it should be warned there is also violence and rape to go along with that conflict.
Once again, just an ok book. It was good enough to keep reading the series but nothing to rave about.
People of the Fire
Copyright 1991
467 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2014
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
September 13, 2019
I had just finished this book in my hard copy when it came available on audio, so the story was still fresh in my mind. Despite this, I found the audiobook to be a completely different experience. The intensity was so real, and the emotions of the story reeled me in much harder. I've been a long time fan of this series, but hearing it read was captivating. The reader did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. I found the spanish accent for Two Smokes to be a perfect interpretation, even though reading it on paper multiple times I never caught the part about him having any accent. That was another thing about hearing it in audio vs on paper - I caught things that I hadn't in all the times I've read it. Evidently my listening comprehension is next level above my reading. I never really grasped the part about Hungry Bull being blood related to Little Dancer, and that being why White Calf placed him there when Clear Water was killed. It's all right there in the text, but it wasn't until hearing it aloud that it all came together for me.
The intense emotions and scenes in this well written story brought me to tears in the listening. The final show down between Fire Dancer and Heavy Beaver swept me right up into the flames. I felt every bit of Two Smokes's exhilaration at feeling the One with the Bundle.
Another thing that struck me was my resentment toward Elk Charm in the early parts. I hadn't felt that negativity toward her until hearing it. In the end, all I felt was sympathy for her, and guilt over disliking her. All she did was love him, and advance his bloodline. The strength of my feelings toward her surprised me, because I didn't get that way when I read it myself. Audio of these stories is transformative.
The intense emotions and scenes in this well written story brought me to tears in the listening. The final show down between Fire Dancer and Heavy Beaver swept me right up into the flames. I felt every bit of Two Smokes's exhilaration at feeling the One with the Bundle.
Another thing that struck me was my resentment toward Elk Charm in the early parts. I hadn't felt that negativity toward her until hearing it. In the end, all I felt was sympathy for her, and guilt over disliking her. All she did was love him, and advance his bloodline. The strength of my feelings toward her surprised me, because I didn't get that way when I read it myself. Audio of these stories is transformative.
October 20, 2017
This is the second book in the series of the Prehistoric America.
The time has moved on from the People of the Wolf. First Man (the Wolf Man) has been watching. So has the wolf bundle, an important item in the spiritual world. One leader of the Red Hand doesn't believe in its power and the other leader of the People really doesn't either--he only believes in what his mother "dreamed." He too doesn't really believe in the power of the wolf bundle.
Little Dancer feels the power of the wolf bundle and with Two Smokes, a berdache who takes care of him, watches as Heavy Beaver throws the wolf bundle out of the village--that and women are polluting the tribe.
Time moves on and Little Dancer is now a young man. He has been told he is the next dreamer but he resists. On top of that Blood Bear has stolen the wolf bundle. He thinks that by having that, it will destroy the Red Hand people.
Things change and finally Little Dancer melds with Wolf Dreamer reluctantly, having to leave his wife and two daughters. He learns to dance with Fire and becomes Fire Dancer. Will he be able to save the wolf bundle and the people?
If you are interested in the prehistoric people that roamed North America, this is the series for you. Both the People of the Wolf and People of the Fire have roamed through the state of Wyoming (my home state. And the two authors have woven a wonderful tale, using their archeological findings. And you can learn about the history of our people.
The time has moved on from the People of the Wolf. First Man (the Wolf Man) has been watching. So has the wolf bundle, an important item in the spiritual world. One leader of the Red Hand doesn't believe in its power and the other leader of the People really doesn't either--he only believes in what his mother "dreamed." He too doesn't really believe in the power of the wolf bundle.
Little Dancer feels the power of the wolf bundle and with Two Smokes, a berdache who takes care of him, watches as Heavy Beaver throws the wolf bundle out of the village--that and women are polluting the tribe.
Time moves on and Little Dancer is now a young man. He has been told he is the next dreamer but he resists. On top of that Blood Bear has stolen the wolf bundle. He thinks that by having that, it will destroy the Red Hand people.
Things change and finally Little Dancer melds with Wolf Dreamer reluctantly, having to leave his wife and two daughters. He learns to dance with Fire and becomes Fire Dancer. Will he be able to save the wolf bundle and the people?
If you are interested in the prehistoric people that roamed North America, this is the series for you. Both the People of the Wolf and People of the Fire have roamed through the state of Wyoming (my home state. And the two authors have woven a wonderful tale, using their archeological findings. And you can learn about the history of our people.
March 21, 2011
Well....I LOVED his first book. Unique and interesting. But reading this one....the plot was EXACTLY the same as the first book. The characters had different names, but not different roles/personalities from the first book. The setting, farther to the south and a couple hundred years later, but again, basically the same...living with, understanding and surviving, mother nature. WTH? Really? And he wrote something like 16 more just like it.
June 30, 2022
4,25 stars - Dutch hardcover
Quote : A night of heat, a night of pain. Across the mound of Dancing Doe’s swollen belly, two women—one young, one old—looked at each other, worry etching their tension-worn faces. The old woman’s gray hair glinted in the light. Patterns of wrinkles were cast into a tracery of shadows across her withered face. The set of her mouth had gone grim as she continued her vigil over the struggling woman. Back curved from age, she hunched, upper body bared and sweaty in the heat. Long-dry breasts hung low and flat over the folds of her stomach. Lines of scars puckered the wrinkled skin of her shoulders, mute evidence of the number of times she’d offered bits of herself to the Spirit World. The people called her Choke-cherry, after the bittersweet plant that grew in the high lands.The boy watched as his mother, Sage Root, crouched to help, her anxious eyes on
Dancing Doe’s fevered body. -
It is a time of fire. A small band of pioneers struggle valiantly to keep their ancestors' dreams alive in an unforgiving, drought-stricken land. Driven by the promise of an awesome vision, a heroic young dreamer and a fearless woman warrior unite to lead their people to a magnificent destiny.
A towering epic filled with tragedy and triumph, courage and conflict, People of the Fire is the second compelling novel in a majestic saga of America's first peoples.
I had to read the follow up of the series and lent this book. While my mom read the last one.
Quote : A night of heat, a night of pain. Across the mound of Dancing Doe’s swollen belly, two women—one young, one old—looked at each other, worry etching their tension-worn faces. The old woman’s gray hair glinted in the light. Patterns of wrinkles were cast into a tracery of shadows across her withered face. The set of her mouth had gone grim as she continued her vigil over the struggling woman. Back curved from age, she hunched, upper body bared and sweaty in the heat. Long-dry breasts hung low and flat over the folds of her stomach. Lines of scars puckered the wrinkled skin of her shoulders, mute evidence of the number of times she’d offered bits of herself to the Spirit World. The people called her Choke-cherry, after the bittersweet plant that grew in the high lands.The boy watched as his mother, Sage Root, crouched to help, her anxious eyes on
Dancing Doe’s fevered body. -
It is a time of fire. A small band of pioneers struggle valiantly to keep their ancestors' dreams alive in an unforgiving, drought-stricken land. Driven by the promise of an awesome vision, a heroic young dreamer and a fearless woman warrior unite to lead their people to a magnificent destiny.
A towering epic filled with tragedy and triumph, courage and conflict, People of the Fire is the second compelling novel in a majestic saga of America's first peoples.
I had to read the follow up of the series and lent this book. While my mom read the last one.
July 24, 2025
3.5. Would have been better if the audio wasn't dramatized and didn't skip over chunks of the book. I finally had to give up trying to follow along and just listen. But over all the story was enjoyable.
November 1, 2020
Eh it's readable but not enjoyable. For my own info. It's a repeat basically of the first and not different from later books in the series. I will not read further.
March 24, 2022
Takes place in the ancient west during a time when man, animal, spirit, and destiny collided. Fantastic female characters emerge as our hero struggles to accept his fate as the spiritual leader of his new people. Can he save them and muster up the courage to become the dreamer for the people? Enjoyed this prehistoric tale.
September 2, 2019
It was a good read..
March 9, 2019
Second in the “North America’s Forgotten Past” series, this book was rich with historical details and interesting people. I enjoyed how the spiritual aspect became a character unto itself.
September 11, 2019
This book has much the same story line as People of the Wolf, but taking place in Montana or close enough. Reading about the plants that were eaten and used was very cool and good info to have.
June 23, 2014
To say that I enjoyed this book is an understatement. It flows as it grips you, it's that entertaining. The themes are familiar to regular readers of the First Americans series; climate change, young men coming to grips with their abilities, strong women leading the way. Put that to one side and you really do have a superbly written tale that takes us through the life of young Little Dancer as he is exposed to the evil actions of men who seek power, sees those he loves suffer and becomes aware of the possibility that he may be destined for greater things and, ultimately, albeit unwillingly, fulfilling his destiny. We are witnesses to the unfolding story, from before his birth to long after he has passed on. We become familiar with the leading players in this story as they become old friends, often playing their part unknowingly. We are there at the dramatic outcome, witnessing the power of forces that are greater than ourselves. The land dries up, tribes compete for scarce resources, charismatic leaders arise and leave chaos in their wake. This is the stuff of all our lives.
January 4, 2014
This book was was a strange one for me. It was the fourth book of this series I have read (no I dont read them in order, but they aren't all tied together) and it was weak overall especially in comparison to People of the Silence and People of the Lakes. The first 100 pages are great and then the book just gets so boring in the next 200 pages, so boring and luck-luster I was about to put it down but then the last 100 pages picked back up to a great ending so for that... 2 stars. The book is primarily about a group of people from 2 different tribes that are enemies to each other, the 2 tribes finally make a climaxed ending with each other. Same formula as the others in the series which is beginning to become too repetitive: beautiful heroic women, handsome men, warriors, sacred spiritual object, dreamers, and villains.
June 26, 2012
Well, I couldn't do it.. I tried, but I got 100 pages from the end and just didn't care :( It has all of the makings for a wonderful book, love and adventure, but for some reason, it just doesn't read comfortably. I've read the first one as well. A friend raved about this series, maybe I will come back to it after a long break.
June 19, 2012
This is the second of a seemingly endless series. I enjoyed #1, #2 was less appealing, by the time I finished the third, I felt I'd read #1 and #2 all over again, very repetitive recycling of the same basic story. Didn't finish the series, which is very rare for me.
November 11, 2015
It was good. Written by some people who did a pretty good work at this...
September 15, 2020
An epic tale. Can lose oneself in these
March 25, 2021
Years ago I acquired the first two books in this series, thinking they might be as wonderful as Jean Auel’s The Clan of the Cave Bear series. That’s setting a tough bar. I read the first one, People of the Wolf and enjoyed it well enough, though nowhere near as much as Ms Auel’s books. People of the Fire has been waiting many years to be read, mostly because of the length, but also because it’s the sort of book I might once have read on a beach holiday, but now our children out older, we spend little time sitting around reading.
This is an old-fashioned sort of book, like one of James Michener’s epics, covering generations, with a large cast of characters. The main ones are listed in the front of this edition, though I didn’t consult the list because - most of the time - I could remember who was who. It was confusing at times, however, because the action kept changing from one clan to another. What’s more, some information about who was related to whom was deliberately obscured because the characters didn’t know the family relationships and this was an integral part of the storyline. There were also a few interesting twists such as the cultural misunderstandings between the tribes, the mountain-dwelling Red Hand hunter-gatherers and the plains-dwelling Short Buffalo people. All are faced by long term drying of the climate pushing the buffalo off the plains. There are men misusing power, using mental manipulation to appear to have spiritual Power that grants them authority. One leader uses trickery and an ability to manipulate his followers to convince them that women have polluted their tribe, causing all their problems. This allows a switch from a society where women are allowed equality in decision making and influence to one where they must become submissive. Another interesting aspect is how someone who was born as a man but is attracted to men and dresses as a woman is given an honorary position as a berdache in one tribe but is ridiculed and verbally and physically abused in the other. And all holds are barred in raids, so expect rape, murder and pillage.
If you like this sort of thing, it could score higher, but my rating is probably a little low because I found it overlong. I was also not drawn in by the pseudo spiritual Wolf Spirit and Wolf Bundle conversations. And the least said about the picture on the front cover, the better! Not a terrible book, but definitely not a great one either. How they could write - and sell - two dozen of these shelf-guzzlers I do not know!
This is an old-fashioned sort of book, like one of James Michener’s epics, covering generations, with a large cast of characters. The main ones are listed in the front of this edition, though I didn’t consult the list because - most of the time - I could remember who was who. It was confusing at times, however, because the action kept changing from one clan to another. What’s more, some information about who was related to whom was deliberately obscured because the characters didn’t know the family relationships and this was an integral part of the storyline. There were also a few interesting twists such as the cultural misunderstandings between the tribes, the mountain-dwelling Red Hand hunter-gatherers and the plains-dwelling Short Buffalo people. All are faced by long term drying of the climate pushing the buffalo off the plains. There are men misusing power, using mental manipulation to appear to have spiritual Power that grants them authority. One leader uses trickery and an ability to manipulate his followers to convince them that women have polluted their tribe, causing all their problems. This allows a switch from a society where women are allowed equality in decision making and influence to one where they must become submissive. Another interesting aspect is how someone who was born as a man but is attracted to men and dresses as a woman is given an honorary position as a berdache in one tribe but is ridiculed and verbally and physically abused in the other. And all holds are barred in raids, so expect rape, murder and pillage.
If you like this sort of thing, it could score higher, but my rating is probably a little low because I found it overlong. I was also not drawn in by the pseudo spiritual Wolf Spirit and Wolf Bundle conversations. And the least said about the picture on the front cover, the better! Not a terrible book, but definitely not a great one either. How they could write - and sell - two dozen of these shelf-guzzlers I do not know!
August 31, 2019
Mark Boyett's voice is great. His soothing tones, as he describes the elements of the world within the People of the fire. His variation of character voice shows the images of the story making the characters come alive, Little Dancer is innocent, Heavy Beaver, is angry and regretful. Blood bear, evil and twisted with desire. The voice of Two smokes is lonely and despoiled, allowing the the longing of the characters in his voice you are able to see the problems of the world at the end of the archaic winters.
People of the Fire (North America's Forgotten Past, #2)
Gear, W. Michael
Gear, Kathleen O'neal
The world is dying. In drought and over hunting the animals are disappearing. The people are starving. The wolf bundle the legacy of first Man has weakened, all it power and prestige has been drawn out. In a gamble First Man and the wolf bundle being a quest to renew the wolf bundle and find a path to save the world. Clear water is a dreamer, who is given a vision she does not like. But she follows the path that power asked her. Unfortunately life was not easy for her. She left her people only to die tragically leaving her young infant son, and her old friend. The Berdache, Two Smokes finds a place with the Short Buffalo People. He lives through torture and pain, as they do not revere his place of power. Hungry Beaver is rising in power with his imagined dream, and his corrupted vision of the people. Blood bear, husband of Clear Water and father of her child, has promised power to get the Wolf Bundle back, but he does not believe in power. And he continues his miss use of power, and continues to weaken the Wolf Bundle. The drought continues and war is on the land. Will the gamble of power work out. Will a new Dreamer emerge in this land of fire, and dance a new way to the spiral of the world.
People of the Fire (North America's Forgotten Past, #2)
Gear, W. Michael
Gear, Kathleen O'neal
The world is dying. In drought and over hunting the animals are disappearing. The people are starving. The wolf bundle the legacy of first Man has weakened, all it power and prestige has been drawn out. In a gamble First Man and the wolf bundle being a quest to renew the wolf bundle and find a path to save the world. Clear water is a dreamer, who is given a vision she does not like. But she follows the path that power asked her. Unfortunately life was not easy for her. She left her people only to die tragically leaving her young infant son, and her old friend. The Berdache, Two Smokes finds a place with the Short Buffalo People. He lives through torture and pain, as they do not revere his place of power. Hungry Beaver is rising in power with his imagined dream, and his corrupted vision of the people. Blood bear, husband of Clear Water and father of her child, has promised power to get the Wolf Bundle back, but he does not believe in power. And he continues his miss use of power, and continues to weaken the Wolf Bundle. The drought continues and war is on the land. Will the gamble of power work out. Will a new Dreamer emerge in this land of fire, and dance a new way to the spiral of the world.
August 3, 2019
The time is in an altithermal (warming with droughts) period in N. America and the people's adaptation and internal conflicts.
Starts, as with the first book, with a present day digging and uncovering the Spiral and then it goes back to the time it was significant.
More dreams as guidance and more domestic abuse with a woman who leaves her abuser. More patriarchy and sexism and rape. Girl babies are ordered killed because of lack of food. More accusations of false dreams and egotistical power plays by the men. Repetitive arguing.
It does have some interesting hunting tips, but the focus on male power seemed more like putting 20th century values onto this ancient time when there were probably many groups who were matriarchal. Anyway the domestic abuse and petty male power plays got very tedious for me. That is two books where domestic abuse seems to be a dominant characteristic, so I will not be reading any more books in the series. I would rather read ancient historical fiction which shows people working together to solve problems instead of fighting and abusing each other.
Several subplots but the focus was on Little Dancer who has the dreams, but he does not want to be a dreamer. There were strong women characters although they are abused, raped, poisoned, etc.
Starts, as with the first book, with a present day digging and uncovering the Spiral and then it goes back to the time it was significant.
More dreams as guidance and more domestic abuse with a woman who leaves her abuser. More patriarchy and sexism and rape. Girl babies are ordered killed because of lack of food. More accusations of false dreams and egotistical power plays by the men. Repetitive arguing.
It does have some interesting hunting tips, but the focus on male power seemed more like putting 20th century values onto this ancient time when there were probably many groups who were matriarchal. Anyway the domestic abuse and petty male power plays got very tedious for me. That is two books where domestic abuse seems to be a dominant characteristic, so I will not be reading any more books in the series. I would rather read ancient historical fiction which shows people working together to solve problems instead of fighting and abusing each other.
Several subplots but the focus was on Little Dancer who has the dreams, but he does not want to be a dreamer. There were strong women characters although they are abused, raped, poisoned, etc.
June 14, 2020
Interesting follow-up to People Of the Wolf
I read this right off the heels of People Of the Wolf and for the most part I enjoyed it. My favorite part is how two of the characters from Wolf had become "deified" in a sense. Wolf Dreamer was obvious, now also referred to as First Man, but I'm pretty sure his brother became the voice of the Wolf Bundle. Nice bit of world building there.
Overall, the plot is quite similar to Wolf, but I did find interesting in the middle a bit. Many of my complaints with Wolf are still here, but the authors did improve on their action scenes. While not the best descriptions of battle I've ever read, they are serviceable and dramatic.
The characters themselves all for archetypes that will be familiar from the 1st book, with minor twists on their formula. Sure me of the violence perpetrated against children and women is tough to read. I don't particularly like sexual assault as a plot point in a lot of books or movies, but here it didn't seem to be used just for shock value. It should be noted that all of the characters are new, this taking place 2,000 or so years after the first book. It seems the majority of these books can be read stand-alone, and I appreciate that.
I read this right off the heels of People Of the Wolf and for the most part I enjoyed it. My favorite part is how two of the characters from Wolf had become "deified" in a sense. Wolf Dreamer was obvious, now also referred to as First Man, but I'm pretty sure his brother became the voice of the Wolf Bundle. Nice bit of world building there.
Overall, the plot is quite similar to Wolf, but I did find interesting in the middle a bit. Many of my complaints with Wolf are still here, but the authors did improve on their action scenes. While not the best descriptions of battle I've ever read, they are serviceable and dramatic.
The characters themselves all for archetypes that will be familiar from the 1st book, with minor twists on their formula. Sure me of the violence perpetrated against children and women is tough to read. I don't particularly like sexual assault as a plot point in a lot of books or movies, but here it didn't seem to be used just for shock value. It should be noted that all of the characters are new, this taking place 2,000 or so years after the first book. It seems the majority of these books can be read stand-alone, and I appreciate that.
November 2, 2022
People of the Wolf is a masterpiece; People of the Sea is great: People of the Moon still haunts me. The Gears are great writers and this disappointing book won't change that.
People of the Fire follows the carrier of the Wolf bundle, the remains of Wolf Dreamer's companion from the old world. The inhabitants of the new world are facing a drought and the extinction of their large prey. A rivalry develops between two dreamers over the Wolf bundle, the efforts of Wolf Dreamer and the bundle itself.
Although this book has a heart-rending sequence that had me saying "no no no!" it rapidly devolved and dragged on to the point where I just wanted to finish it but didn't really want to pick it up. The writing is not up to the standard of the Gears' other work: the characters are shallow, events are poorly set up, and the point of view is all mixed up. The POV keeps coming in to characters who are mere observers. In the last third of the book, a character takes a major role that is never fully justified. Although they were clearly trying to do something related to gender, it feels like they were just being trendy here (for the early nineties). There are a couple characters who are gender-atypical, but they don't really show it, they just talk about it. I won't be keeping this one.
People of the Fire follows the carrier of the Wolf bundle, the remains of Wolf Dreamer's companion from the old world. The inhabitants of the new world are facing a drought and the extinction of their large prey. A rivalry develops between two dreamers over the Wolf bundle, the efforts of Wolf Dreamer and the bundle itself.
Although this book has a heart-rending sequence that had me saying "no no no!" it rapidly devolved and dragged on to the point where I just wanted to finish it but didn't really want to pick it up. The writing is not up to the standard of the Gears' other work: the characters are shallow, events are poorly set up, and the point of view is all mixed up. The POV keeps coming in to characters who are mere observers. In the last third of the book, a character takes a major role that is never fully justified. Although they were clearly trying to do something related to gender, it feels like they were just being trendy here (for the early nineties). There are a couple characters who are gender-atypical, but they don't really show it, they just talk about it. I won't be keeping this one.
September 21, 2023
Michael and Kathleen Gear write a great book! This one, set seven thousand years ago in what is now Wyoming and Montana shows how climactic change, the beginning of a period of serious drought to be specific, can alter society. The small bands of people find themselves competing for ever more scarce resources, which makes many of them follow violent men who don't believe in the mystic powers of their ancestors and are ready to abandon tradition. Into this violent setting comes a heroic young dreamer and a fearless woman warrior who, guided by an old woman that many consider a witch and a gay man who straddles the worlds of men and women and of earth and spirit, unite to lead their people into peace and cooperation. This is a great story, and those who read it will learn a lot about what we know of the people who first pioneered the Americas. It's no wonder these two are New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.
July 1, 2020
Not given backstory on characters until about halfway through. No reason to care about any of the characters other than we're just supposed to I guess
Very flat characterization/use of a lot of tropes. Not attached to any of them until halfway through and I only slightly care about Two Smokes, who is the only interesting person present imo.
Bad man bad, wise woman wise. Idc how long ago it was, ppl are more complex than this.
Rape and violence against women as simplistic plot devices (or sometimes useless diversions) are a pet peeve of mine and my tolerance for them diminishes the more I read.
Not a whole lot of history going on for a "historical fiction" but not really enough fantasy to keep it interesting either.
So bored, tried to finish for a 2nd time. Pacing is so slow; by the time things are coming together, Im beyond even trying to care and am just frustrated.
Very flat characterization/use of a lot of tropes. Not attached to any of them until halfway through and I only slightly care about Two Smokes, who is the only interesting person present imo.
Bad man bad, wise woman wise. Idc how long ago it was, ppl are more complex than this.
Rape and violence against women as simplistic plot devices (or sometimes useless diversions) are a pet peeve of mine and my tolerance for them diminishes the more I read.
Not a whole lot of history going on for a "historical fiction" but not really enough fantasy to keep it interesting either.
So bored, tried to finish for a 2nd time. Pacing is so slow; by the time things are coming together, Im beyond even trying to care and am just frustrated.
September 20, 2020
This book started off strong. In fact, it killed off a character that I did not expect to die (though looking back at how much of the book was left unread, maybe I should have expected it). But when things should have started to pick up, the pacing still seemed rather slow. I don't need as much detail about the surroundings or the food when the action is going to start.
On the other hand, once the protagonist accepted his destiny and got around to dealing with the antagonists, things did move pretty quickly, so I guess the authors needed a balance to keep events from feeling anti-climatic.
This is not one of the Gears' stronger stories. I think "People of the Lakes" was much stronger. I think if you love Native American historical fiction, you'll be okay with this story. But if not, the slow, sagging middle will likely try your patience.
On the other hand, once the protagonist accepted his destiny and got around to dealing with the antagonists, things did move pretty quickly, so I guess the authors needed a balance to keep events from feeling anti-climatic.
This is not one of the Gears' stronger stories. I think "People of the Lakes" was much stronger. I think if you love Native American historical fiction, you'll be okay with this story. But if not, the slow, sagging middle will likely try your patience.
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