Raven Storm

by W. Michael Gear Book 5 in the The Earliest Americans series.

First published 2025

Amazon

4.6(209)

As the Ice Age ends, Rain Bear struggles to protect the Raven People in a landscape where prey is disappearing and old enemies are moving to new ground. His warriors capture Tsauz, the blind son of North Wind chief Cimmis, and Rain Bear sees a chance to exchange the boy for the imprisoned seer Dzoo.

Tsauz reveals that the North Wind People are abandoning their home, creating an opportunity for a final attack. An assassin inside Rain Bear’s own community tries to kill the captive before he can alter the balance of power, forcing the chief to choose between revenge and a settlement that might end generations of bloodshed.

Climate and ecology make the conflict more than a tribal feud. As game moves and familiar territories become less reliable, communities must decide whether to migrate, trade or fight for shrinking resources. Tsauz’s value comes from the possibility that information and negotiation may achieve what generations of revenge have not, challenging Rain Bear to imagine survival without annihilating an enemy people.