I would have given this more stars, but for the poor editing. Seems like about once on every page there was a typo or some other correction that the editor missed. I know this shouldn't detract that much, but it really does for me. Interrupts the whole flow of the reading when I have to stop and figure out what's really being said because a word doesn't fit. Generally I really like these stories, and wish the authors would have put in the effort to get better editing done. ( )

I had high hopes for this one and they were not met, which is why I gave it a 2.5 stars. I grew up close to the Ohio mounds and looked forward to this story about the Mississippi people who built them. The authors have a background in archaeology and it shows in the details of everyday life. Excellent work there. My problem was with the overall story which depended entirely too much on shamanism and fate. I find "God(s) did it" stories boring. Inevitably, the characters have no free will, so whatever choice they make will yield the same result. There was an excellent fable about over-population, environmental degradation, and the hazards of unequal wealth distribution buried under a fantastical story of spirit guides and an angry "First Woman." Those who like that sort of story can add an extra star. ( )