The Dawn Country

In the second volume of their People of the Longhouse series, the Gears continue to focus on Northern Iroquois living in the early 15th century. Years of cold, dry weather has decimated food supplies and led to widespread theft among villages, resulting in bitter warfare and rampant kidnapping of children, who are kept as slaves or held for ransom. The evil witch-woman Gannajero, believed by many to be "a beast in the form of an old woman," has captured and abused children from many villages, resulting in an improbable alliance of former foes united to rescue their young kin, several of whom are injured. In alternating chapters, the Gears track both generations on their respective journeys, while also spending time in Gannajero's shifting camps. The Gears, both archaeologists, sustain unrelieved deprivation, treachery, gore, and brutality throughout, authentically revealing the culture of the time, and certainly overwhelming squeamish readers. An inconclusive ending points to book three, and familiarity with the first book in the series will make this journey more enjoyable. (Mar.)