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The Summoning God (2001)

The Summoning God (2001)

Book Info

Rating
4.28 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0812540344 (ISBN13: 9780812540345)
Language
English
Publisher
tor books

About book The Summoning God (2001)

A series written by the award-winning archaeological team Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear. This couple has an incredible talent for bringing their field work on North American aboriginals into vivid focus. They develop their characters with such style you become certain you would know them if you met them on the street. Each book they have written draws a story around their own archaeological finds in such a way that they take you back to the fireside councils and the raging battle fields of peoples that lived on the continent nearly a millennia ago.In this series, the Gears develop a modern day story around an archaeological team involved in trying to unravel the mysteries of sites known to have been inhabited by the Anasazi, including which ones might actually relate to the Anasazi, and the meaning behind their art and artifacts. Rulers of an empire, there was a point in their history when drought drove them to despair so deep that they turned against their own gods and their own people. This is not light-hearted reading. As the modern day scientists try to fathom the disaster they have found in an ancient kiva, the past tugs at their reason and their emotions forcing them to reassess what they may or may not believe about the ancient gods they study. The books are written using side-by-side story lines of the past and present. The two interact to solve both central mysteries as well as several conflicts between the characters and their own past histories.I found this series truly “devouring.” It makes a statement about the assumptions and presumptions we take with us when we study those who came before us. Through the study of those that preceded us, we may be able to understand a bit more about ourselves. Sometimes it is easy to forget the power of belief and just how far it will drive the human spirit. It is best to remember…

"The Summoning God" is the second book in a trilogy, written by a husband-and-wife archeologist team. Each book in the trilogy switches its story between modern day, where archeologists are digging Anasazi sites in New Mexico, to ancient times, when the Anasazi were in existence. The items that the archeologists find entertwine with the stories being told about the Anasazi during their time. Each Anasazi story is built around a mystery. Like with the first book in this series, I find the story line of the Anasazis to be fascinating, but think the modern-day tale being told about the archeologists is about as flat as a cheap romance novel. However, I like the idea of splitting the story between modern times and the Anasazi's time, and because I really like learning about the Anasazi way of life, then I keep giving these books a relatively high rating. Maybe the third book will surprise me with a richer story about the archeologists...

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This was a Goodreads recommendation, and I really liked it! I have read another book written by the Gears, but for whatever reason I never read another one after that. I wish I had read this trilogy in order (this was the second book), but it definitely hooked me on the series. It is a great mystery, full of red herrings and intrigue set 800 years ago in the American southwest. Very interesting story. My only wish would be that the book just consist of the historical portion, and stop writing every other chapter about modern-day archaeologists trying not to fall in love. I'm going to read the first and third books now. Great recommendation!
—Elaine

The Gears are the best at what they do, which is writing about pre-history based on archeology, creating a plausible fictional story to help us to understand the facts and thus preserve our own Native American history. Kathleen and Michael have been my lamplight in becoming a Native American historical fiction writer. They alone are responsible for peeking my interest in our dim past and have provided a window to that time and place of which they write. If you desire to see the past of our unknown history of the Native tribes of North America, I advise you to make all of the Gear's books your first choice. You can do no better. Kitty Sutton
—Kitty Sutton

Sequel to "The Visitant," alternating a fictionalized event in Puebloan Native American prehistory with the archeological dig of the site. Lots and lots of folklore, emphasis on witchery and the rivalry between the First People and the Made People.I especially like this from the preface:How could such a thriving and sophisticated culture be reduced to a mere handful of survivors? Despite the romantic image that the Puebloan peoples were peaceful farmers, we have abundant archeological evidence to demonstrate that during the thirteenth century the Anasazi were engaged in brutal annihilation-oriented warfare. Massacres, scalping, slavery, torture, and even cannibalism occurred.The vicious cycle that led to the rise and fall of their civilization has become clear as a result of the excavation of hundreds of their towns: the rise began with a warm wet climatic episode that resulted in a period of affluence and scientific achievement. With the affluence came swift population growth. In the process of feeding their people, they exhausted the soil, cut down the trees, over-hunted the animals. Then the climate changed. When their crops wouldn't grow, they expanded their trade routes. When their trade routes were cut, they turned to warfare to keep them open. When they couldn't keep them open, they took what they needed from their closest neighbors. They must have next fought to protect their homes from their victims' wrath, then the fight became a struggle just to stay alive.We leave it up to you to decide where in that cycle our modern civilization stands,but several things are clear: we've over-utilized our resources, the climate is changing, and we've already begun to "fight."
—Kathy Sebesta

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