People of the Lightning

In the Gears' latest epic about pre-Columbian North Americans (after People of the Lakes), a wealth of rich historical detail once again bolsters a pulsing narrative set in a turbulent time. Here, the Gears vivify the Windover people, who-as explained in a foreword-lived in Florida about 8000 years ago and, curiously, were ``not closely related to any other Native American population.'' Cottonmouth, the cruel leader of the Standing Hollow Horn clan, and his warriors kill the children of Musselwhite, and capture her husband, Diver. Musselwhite is the soul and great warrior of the Windy Cove clan-as well as the mother and murderer of Cottonmouth's young son. Despite his hatred for Musselwhite, Cottonmouth desperately hopes that she will try to rescue Diver-not only so that he can kill her but because he believes that with her will come a ``Lightning Boy'' (created when a lightning bolt penetrates a woman's womb) who will help him during a forthcoming cleansing of the world. The Lightning Boy turns out to be the 15-year-old Pondwader, an albino who is married off to the grieving Musselwhite (who believes Diver dead) as payment for his mother's gambling debt. But when Musselwhite learns that Diver is alive, she sets out on a dangerous rescue mission that reaches a dramatic climax. Though perhaps a bit less interesting than the authors' previous works, this tale about love and the struggle to survive will not disappoint their fans. (Nov.)