The Storyteller Trilogy
Song of the River, Cry of the Wind, and Call Down the Stars
-
- $14.99
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
The complete saga of prehistoric Aleut tribal life in one volume: “Under Harrison’s hand, ancient Alaska comes beautifully alive” (The Denver Post).
In Song of the River, eighty centuries ago, in the frozen land that is now Alaska, a clubfooted male child had been left to die, when a woman named K’os rescued him. Twenty years later and no longer a child, Chakliux occupies the revered role as his tribe’s storyteller. In the neighboring village of the Near River people, where Chakliux will attempt to make peace by wedding the shaman’s daughter, a double murder occurs that sends him on a harsh, enthralling journey in search of the truth about the tragic losses his people have suffered, and into the arms of a woman he was never meant to love.
In Cry of the Wind, Chakliux has one weakness: the beautiful Aqamdax, who has been promised to a cruel tribesman she does not love. But there can be no future for Chakliux and Aqamdax until a curse upon their peoples has been lifted. As they travel a dangerous path, they encounter greater challenges than the harsh terrain and the long season of ice. K’os, the woman who saved Chakliux’s life when he was an infant, is now enslaved by the leader of the enemy tribe against whom she has sworn vengeance. To carry out her justice she will destroy anyone who gets in her way, even the storyteller she raised as her own son.
And in Call Down the Stars, a handsome young tribal warrior and sage, Yikaas has traveled across the sea to hear stories of the Whale Hunter and the Sea Hunter peoples. Around the fire, Qumalix, a beguiling and beautiful storyteller, barely old enough to be a wife, catches the eye of Yikaas, and so begins their flirtation through storytelling, which brings to vivid life tales of the Near River and Cousin River tribes. The fates of lovers Chakliux and Aqamdax, and their wicked nemesis K’os, are revealed as Yikaas and Qumalix weave together tales from their ancestors’ past—and tales from their own lives.
Customer Reviews
It's complicated
I want to like this author. There is much to admire in these books if only I could follow it. The stories are extremely convoluted and the author continually plays tricks with pronouns to keep the reader guessing as to what is happening, when, how, where, and to whom. There are two poorly drawn maps hidden at the end of the books but throughout the book there is little evidence as to how far and in which direction the action is moving.
Within one of the stories spectators complain to the storyteller "Too many names." And the author seems to revel in their discontent. The fact that the action takes place simultaneously in two timelines 6000 years apart in at least 5 different locations and involves some 50 characters intertwined in extremely complicated relationships is confusing, but additionally, none of the names are at all familiar but many are similar. Very few names are gender specific so it can be very difficult to tell whether a man or woman is speaking.
The author's notes indicate the the often unpronounceable names are for authenticity but sometimes I strongly suspect that they are red herrings left to sew confusion.
Oh, yes! This is not like the books of Jean Auel, Linda Lay Shuler, and Elizabeth Bear. This is an epic multiple murder mystery. These books might come to clarity if produced on screen with visual clues to orient the viewer but apparently the purpose of this exercise is to illustrate the ambiguity of story telling.
I believe the author has a vivid imagination but that she refuses to discipline it.