Them Bones

My usual reaction to reading a Waldrop story is yes, it's obvious he did a lot of research, but what was the point, why should I care?

This novel has something usually lacking in Waldrop -- emotion. It's a fast-paced, poignant read of time travelers stranded in two versions of the American Moundbuilder culture: one from our history and one in a world where Rome lost the Second Punic War. Waldrop does his usual thorough research, and here he actually gives us, rather than his usual bizarre juxtapositions of characters, some likeable people whose struggles and joys seem very real -- to us, the reader, but almost invisible to the archeaologists from 1929 who study some odd mounds in Louisiania. This is a look at lives buried by time and ultimately, like all lives, capable of being seen and felt only in the imagination.

Waldrop fans will like this.

More importantly, even if you're sometimes annoyed by Waldrop, you'll like this. ( )

First Line: "There's a horse in the small mound," said Bessie.

It's 1929 and archaeologists are digging in a mound in Louisiana when they find something very exciting: the skeleton of a horse. What's so exciting about that? From the skeleton's position in the mound, it was in America a few centuries before it was supposed to be. Then the archaeologists dig a little more and find something even more curious: the cause of the horse's death--a cartridge from a rifle.

Them Bones sticks to the Moundbuilder culture of prehistoric America, but the story is told from differing viewpoints: the 1929 team of archaeologists, a scout sent back to the wrong time to prevent World War III, and the group of soldiers who followed him.

The story moves quickly--too quickly--and the chapters involving the group of soldiers tend to be downright confusing. The 1929 group of archaeologists and the scout had the most interesting stories to tell, especially Leake (the scout) who became well-acquainted with the group of Indians he found himself amongst. I've visited Cahokia, the one remaining supreme example of Moundbuilder culture. It is awe-inspiring, so I enjoyed Waldrop's choice of setting and the Indian characters Leake met.

The bones were there for a wonderful book, but they just weren't fleshed out. The setting was a winner, but the pace was too fast and the characters not fully realized. I'm glad that I read the book because it encouraged me to go online and do a bit more research on Cahokia, but Them Bones left me feeling like Oliver Twist. Please sir...couldn't I have had some more? ( )

A solid first novel, showing many of Waldrop's strengths, but which has a couple of structural problems that keep me from giving it an even higher rating. ( )