Book Review: The Summoning God

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

[5 stars]

The Summoning God Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Kathleen O'Neal Gear , W. Michael Gear
Class/Genre: Fiction Mystery Historical
Series: Anasazi Mysteries # 2
Forge, Jul 2000, $25.95, 352 pp.

In the thirteenth century, the site today known as Pueblo Animos was called Longtrail Village. Its residents converted to the new Katsina religion. Times were harsh as war and pestilence swept across the Anasazi people forcing bands to merge into large numbers for safety. Twenty-first century archeologist Dusty Stewart and physical anthropologist Maureen Cole explore the untouched Pueblo Animos. They discover a massacre of at least forty children under the age of six, the skinning of females, and some evidence of cannibalism. The empathic Dusty feels the past horrors that have engulfed this sight.

In 1263, enemies attack the village. Browser, war chief of the Katsina, desperately wants to save his people, but wonders if witches are involved. As the murderers become bolder, Browser realizes that victory today only delays the inevitable decimation of his people. Maureen concludes that the evil of the past is influencing Dusty. She steps outside the comfort of science to seek help from a local expert, a shaman. As past and present meet, Maureen and Dusty will be freed from the chains that bind them.

Chapters fluidly alternate between the past and the present, but the Gears manage to maintain a sense of continuity in the story line. That enables THE SUMMONING GOD to turn into a fascinating reading experience. The everyday details of the Anasazi culture seem genuine and add to the overall historical subplot. The relationship between Dusty and Maureen is an intriguing blend of distrust, unwanted attraction, and passion (more often with the sight than with each other). Though not easily categorized, fans that want something different will fully relish this tale.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner