Twig is afraid of her emerging talents as a Dreamer, but if she wants to protect her people, she must learn to control her power. Her whole village is under threat from the terrible Thornback raiders, who rampage through the land killing and enslaving everyone they meet. Twig’s dreams, however, point to a far more terrible danger: a hideous light in the sky. With the help of an ostracized shaman and her best friend, Twig begins a dangerous journey to save her people. Twig’s story is set during a controversial new archaeological theory’s hypothesized comet explosion over North America. The proposed comet is held responsible for destroying the Paleoamerican Clovis culture, the culture in which the Gears have placed Twig. Readers hoping to learn how the Clovis people ate, built and lived will be disappointed, but those looking for an exciting fantasy novel will be pleased by the unusual setting, the well-paced action and the individual lens on culture change at a massive scale. A little bit of Paleolithic speculation wrapped around a spiritual coming-of-age. (Fantasy. 9-11)
