Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion

I am currently reading the First North American series written by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear.

The first of the books starts during the ice age, and than they travel through time. So far the books are pretty interesting.

One of the things of which I enjoy is that each of the books can be read on its own, as they each different book tells a new story with different characters, but there are things which trickle in from the past books.



































I am currntly on People of the River

Oh wow! I had not heard of this series. Thanks Silver. So many books, don't know how I missed it.

Is it the only series of it's kind do you think? Only book set in prehistory on the First North Americans?

There is a seris called The First Americans by William Sarabande. I have not read them yet though so I do not know that much about them, but I beleive they are set in prehistory.

Well there you go. I have never seen any fiction on this. I am intrigued.

I am wondering how much of the first books are love story and romance between the man and woman. the blurb certainly makes it sound dominant in People of the Wolf.

Terri wrote: "I am wondering how much of the first books are love story and romance between the man and woman. the blurb certainly makes it sound dominant in People of the Wolf."

There is a love story, though personally I would not call the book a romance.

No, I suspect you're right. They don't look like romance.

I read a few of them a while back and enjoyed them. Now, I need to make a list of the ones I've read so I don't waste money and time accidentally getting the few I have. :)

That would be awful. One of my book buying fears. I have a lot of bookcases and have picked up many books over the years, secondhand, new, gifted, given to me. There are many times where I want to buy something and I ahve to check my bookcases first.
There is also the danger, that I have different editions/bookcovers too. :)

I tried to organize different bookcases by genre, so one is sci-fi, another is historical fiction, etc, but that really only works for the sci-fi case. lol

I organize mine. Crime & thriller, classics, hf, military non fiction, non fiction. It is all very organised.
No-one is allowed to touch it without me knowing what they're taking and it must go back in its exact spot when they are done. :)

I have some of her books, just have not read them yet

I read that one! Didn't realize there were more.

I see there is a series that joins with the North American's series called The Iroquois.

Iroquois #1
Iroquois #2
Iroquois #3

I need to make a list of the ones I own and run over to the used bookstore on the corner with it. They're having a bag sale, a bag full of paperbacks for $5, hardbacks for $10. The old owner sold it and the new owner is purging inventory until it gets down to something they can actually organize and count.

Oh no. I am so jealous. :( I would like to go to one of those sales. As long as I didn't have to fight a crowd.

I see the authors of these books used to, or still are, archaeologists. Does that come out in the writing?

they are very well researched books, but not dry with info, it's just part of the story.

Terri, yes the archaeology is often used to set the story up, starting off on a modern day dig. It has been years since I have read any of these (and I have only read 4 or 5) but I do not remember the stories even coming back to the present. This couple are both excellent writers and among my all-time favorite. Whenever there is romance, it is to explain the sociology of the people, their ideals and values.

It sounds very intriguing. Can they be read out of order? Well, what I really mean is, does one have to start at the beginning? Can a reader start, say, 4 books in and still know what's going on?

Yes they can be read in any order you want. Each book can act as a stand alone. They are all about a completely different tribal group, different characters, different plot.

What Silver said! I have only read the ones that I have come across at garage sales, all out of order. I like them and there tends to be a good amount of fighting but not always.

I like the look of the Iroquois series I mentioned in message 14. They look YA with all the kids on the covers, but they sound good.

I had not heard of them before, they do sound good. There are some good YA stories out there!

The only big reason I wouldn't want to read them if they are more YA is that I don't really have interest in child characters. Only if it plays a small part in the book, like Uhtred as a child in the start of The Last Kingdom.

Right, I am kind of that way, too. However, Native Americans began fighting and were considered adults at younger ages than present day, so maybe...

Darla V wrote: "Right, I am kind of that way, too. However, Native Americans began fighting and were considered adults at younger ages than present day, so maybe..."

This is true. That's why my interest in them is not totally ruined by the kids on the covers. There could be adult stories within. :-)

It's been a couple years, but I read People of the Nightland and People of the Lakes. I didn't realize there were so many in the series, my local library only had about three. I really enjoyed both of these books and will probably search out the first novel now I know they are available!

That's the pity when a series has soooooo many in it, our libraries don't have them all and we have to buy some.
I'm going to try some of them one day, but I am still unsure if I want to start at Book 1.

I would like to read at least one of the books one day. The fact that the authors are archaeologists does intrigue me.

Now these books sound very appealing to me. I had been watching a program about the ancients of Britannia and the civilization thousands of years older than the Romans. They lived in Orkaney(spelling) islands. The ruins of their homes still remain and there were tools and even a necklace made of stone and bones that remained. That was kind of emotional for me because it helped me identify with the ancient people because where I saw the ancient necklace I felt like even in such primitive times women still wanted to be decorated with jewelry and made up attractive. I don't know that probably sounds dumb. I know we all have studied Darwin and a female wanting to be sexually alluring is no big shock. But to see that women have been doing the same things for 10's of thousands of years to achieve sexuality...I don't know in a weird way it touched my heart because it helped me personify the ancient people, not gawk at the legacies they left behind.
I am interested in this series because I would love to have that same experience with my country. thanks for informing us about this series!

It is fascinating the way archaeological finds can touch each individuals imagination and stir it. Especially when they are a personal effect. A comb, a necklace, a darning needle.

I was watching something about archaeology and all I could think of was how strange it was that they got excited over the smallest things but when you put it in that perspective it makes more sense. :)

When was on a dig in Panama we simultaneously found two tiny triangular beads, one in the screening and one in-situ. My prof was euphoric. Part of it is was Vanessa is talking about, but for archaeologists it also has to do with a lot of work for very few finds more often than not. Then the excitement is contagious. Quite fun. Hehe

Then there's the whole we think it's 'X' thing until the labs clean it up and that's where folk like me on a site become nearly orgasmic.

Takes a certain kind of person to get into archaeology I guess. :)

if you want to see me get real emotional, let me start talking about Star Trek.

Vanessa wrote: "if you want to see me get real emotional, let me start talking about Star Trek."

Lol Vanessa...I can get emotional about those original Star Treks myself. I wish they would still air them here.:)

Derek wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "if you want to see me get real emotional, let me start talking about Star Trek."

Lol Vanessa...I can get emotional about those original Star Treks myself. I wish they would still ..."


That's what Netflix is for :)

I'm old enough to remember them first run. It was as event, I would go over to a friend's house who had COLOR TV and watch :)

TOS is by far my fave. But I can't decide who my fave captain is...I need to find a Sifi group ;)

Darcy wrote: ", but for archaeologists it also has to do with a lot of work for very few finds more often than not. Then the excitement is contagious. Quite fun. Hehe."

Just like fans of Soccer. A lot of work for very little result so that even the hint of a goal has the crowds in a frenzy. :D

Terri wrote: "Just like fans of Soccer. A lot of work for very little result so that even the hint of a goal has the crowds in a frenzy. :D "

Just like fans of Soccer. A..."

Yes! But without that bothersome other team. hah

Greetings All: We are W. Michael and Kathleen O'Neal Gear, and imagine our surprise when we found a group dedicated to our work! Yes, are paper-trained and veteran field archaeologists with the dirt under our fingernails to prove it. We wrote the First North American Series as way to communicate the depth and complexity of a lost archaeology--that of our own continent. We chose fiction because we'd be able to make the people, culture, and environment come alive in a way that non-fiction simply cannot achieve.

Starting with the third book, PEOPLE OF THE EARTH, we began including bibliographies in hopes that readers would first, understand that the novels weren't just our wild imaginations set free, and second, hopefully they would be interested enough to go our source material. The take away is that we're giving you the best reconstruction of these times and people that we can with the current research.

The success of the series has surprised us, and with the publication of PEOPLE OF THE MORNING STAR in May of 2014, we will have 21 novels in the series. In the case of MORNING STAR our research and understanding of the great site at Cahokia has changed since we wrote PEOPLE OF THE RIVER back in 1992! (Could it really be that long?) We've been lucky in that RIVER remains a pretty good representation of what archaeologists now call "old Cahokia," the town that existed before the Cahokians tore down, re-surveyed, graded, and began construction of a city that would not be rivaled until the 1830s.

As above, we're frequently asked if the books need to be read in order. For the most part, they don't. It does help however if PEOPLE OF THE RIVER is read before PEOPLE OF THE SILENCE, then PEOPLE OF THE MOON, and then THE VISITANT, SUMMONING GOD, and BONE WALKER. Also, be aware that the publisher split PEOPLE OF THE WEEPING EYE into two books with PEOPLE OF THE THUNDER the sequel. The only other caveat is the PEOPLE OF THE LONGHOUSE series which includes THE DAWN COUNTRY, BROKEN LAND, and ends with PEOPLE OF THE BLACK SUN. Those books deal with the formation of the Iroquois Peace League--an event that changed the world. Iroquoisan political philosophy not only influenced the formation of American democracy, but through the works of Louis Henry Morgan, Karl Marx would find an operative model for DAS KAPITAL.

At this point, we've rambled on long enough. If you've read any of the novels and have questions or comments, please feel free to post them here. We'll get to them as soon as our busy lives allow. Thank you all, and in the meantime, read in health!

Lovely to meet you (both?) :). Your series seems well loved by many.

I have a question about your series.

First though, let me help you learn the ropes a wee bit.
there is a feature of this site that helps our group as a community to follow book discussions better, is to the links one uses to link direct to a book or author (if has not been linked already in the last 4 comments).

This helps people find the books instantly. Without these links, people tend not to bother looking at what book is being spoken about.

I understand that many people new to posting in groups, and/or new to Goodreads, don't know how to add those links. So, here is a discussion thread which shows you how to add those links.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
And by links I mean these.. People of the Earth

Links to the books W. mentioned:
People of the Morning Star
People of the River
People of the Silence
People of the Moon
The Visitant
The Summoning God
Bone Walker
People of the Weeping Eye
People of the Thunder
The Dawn Country: A People of the Longhouse Novel
The Broken Land: A People of the Longhouse NovelPeople of the Black Sun: A People of the Longhouse Novel

Das Kapital

Now, my question to you, W.

I don't like stories rich in love plots or in romance. Not a huge fan of sex scenes in books either.

I have heard that the earliest books in your North Americans Series are regarded as romancy/love story in style and that the series is less that way later on.

For me, a reader who doesn't like love story driven plots, which book do you recommend I come in on?
I am fascinated by pre history and have long wanted to try your books, but I don't want to read books that a mainly about the relationship between two people. I am more interested in people's relationship with their environment and what is going on around them.

Terri, thanks for the warm welcome and the tips for newcomers, and yeah, that pretty much fits us. We have always been amazed at how our books are described. The romance tag probably came from the cover art. Also, Jean Auel and Linda Lay Schuler's books gave people the impression that all prehistory was romance. When we wrote People of the Wolf, the story about the migration into North America, it was a composite of various Native American creation stories, coupled with the dreamer's quest, from the anthropological literature. And yes, environment is a huge part of all of our novels, with special application to what's occurring today. Most of these cultures expanded or folded depending on what happened with environment.

So, to answer your question, we'd recommend People of the MoonPeople of the Owl or People of the Mist as possible first reads. As we stated above, most of the books are independent reads.

Thanks for the interest, Teri, and let us know what you think.

I have never found them to be romancey at all. I've been fooled by some books claiming to be historical fiction that were really historical romance, and none of the People of series is romance at all. They do include love, because they include all of life.

Recently read People of the Lightning, about the bog people found in the area of Florida I grew up in and discovered how many I'd missed in the series! I have a LOT of catching up to do...

I have a question about the more recent findings in NC that are much older than Clovis, much much older. I don't have the link to the article handy, but it was at an ongoing dig that UNC has had people at for decades and one guy decided to dig below the "approved" layer and found things that confirmed earlier theories of an older population. Will you be doing a book about them??? *hoping*

Crystal, the official archaeological shorthand for this stuff is OTC, or Older Than Clovis. And it's showing up everywhere. The problem with OTC is that we just recover flakes (chipped stone), fire cracked rock, and utilitarian tools. Nothing diagnostic like Clovis points, so it's hard to get a handle on these people. They may have been making the majority of their tools out of bone or wood. Nor have we found any spectacular kill sites yet.

As soon as someone recovers good enough data to give us an idea about these folks, we'll probably do a book.

I really enjoyed People of the Lightning, btw. The site was discovered while I was in school and we were given the opportunity to go and "assist" one day and got the whole tour and talk about what they were finding as a school day trip. And I grew up on Merritt Island, with the Sykes Creek swamp zone backing onto my neighborhood and as kids we spent plenty of time boating and crawling around in there and the book really caught what it's like to hack your way around a FL swamp that opens onto pine in some places and open flood plains with hummocks in others, with the exception that all the characters managed to not lose a shoe in the muck around the mangroves, unlike us! LOL Thank you so much for the series, time for me to check my titles against the current list and pick what to get next.

For Crystal
People of the Lightning