Shadows in the Cave

Publisher Marketing: A colorful tale of ancient Cherokee legends, magic, and the beings known as the Immortals-the creators of the world. Years after the events of 'The Promised One', Shonan is chief of his people and refuses to allow his family to use magic, which he blames for a great loss. But his son, Aku, inherited his mother's shape-shifting ability and longs to use it. Just as he begins to learn his power, he encounters a violent tribe called the Brown Leaf People and is forced on a quest to the Darkening Land, the underworld, to save his sister and father with the help of his great-grandmother and unusual companions. A thrilling and extraordinary quest to save his family and bring back healing magic to his tribe. Author Reviews "A magical novel that is deeply rooted in the oldest storytelling traditions of North America. A skillful reworking of mythic themes and archetypes rings true on many levels. For all who love mythic fiction and fantasy." (On Zadayi Red, Volume One of the Cherokee Mists series.) -- Terri Windling, Editor of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror "Drama, emotion, magic, imagination, mysticism, insight into prehistoric peoples -- this book is an amazing ride into the unknown." -- Tony Hillerman Professional Reviews "The heroic magical quest has a fresh element in SHADOWS IN THE CAVE with its engaging Native American setting. The authors draw effectively on Native American mysticism to create a fine fable." -- Kirkus Reviews "Blevins possesses a rare skill in masterfully telling a story. He is a true storyteller in the tradition of Native people." -- Lee Francis, Native American Studies, University of New Mexico. "A powerful reshaping of a Cherokee legend that blends fantasy traditions with Native American culture and myths to create a unique atmosphere of nature magic and Indian lore. Fans of Native American myths, as well as fantasy, should enjoy this new twist on a young man's rite of passage and his date with destiny." -- Library Journal Reader Reviews "A superb coming of age Cherokee quest fantasy. The Galayi Tribal War Chief Shonan has banned the use of magic especially by his family ever since the events that shook him and his tribe several years ago (see Zadayi Red). Although he honors the Gods and knows his wife Meli has the power of shapeshifting and her grandmother is a seer who lately seems to talk to herself or some spirit no one else sees, he prefers earthly pragmatism over the mystical. Their oldest children are twin twelve years old, Aku and Salya. A male Aku has the maternal paranormal skill of shapeshifting that he yearns to use, but fears disobeying his father while his female twin ironically cannot. "Unable to resist Aku practices shifting by himself. However, as he begins to become proficient, the Brown Leaf People violently attack the Galayi's five villages. Shonan and Salya are dispatched to the underworld Darkening Land while his sibling's body is owned by a monster. There only hope to return to the living is Aku; who must find himself if he is to save his family members. This is a superb coming of age Cherokee quest fantasy that grips the reader the moment the Brown Leaf tribe attacks. The story line focuses on the young hero whose reflective doubts are his biggest impediments to saving his twin and their father. Fans preferring some action intermingled with major moments of meditative pensiveness will enjoy Aku's journey into his mind, heart and soul as he traverses the Shadows in the Cave of the Darkening Land." --Professional Book Reviews, Harriet Klausner Contributor Bio:  Blevins, Win "I came naturally by my yen to wander far places, physical, imaginary, and spiritual..."-"Win Blevins" Win Blevins, of Cherokee, Irish and Welsh descent, is from a family that was on the move, always west. Win's childhood was spent roaming, his dad a railroad man. Win went to school in St. Louis, and the family spent summers in little towns along the tracks of the railroads. He listened to the whistles blow at night and wanted to go wherever the trains went. Seldom has a young man been in more of a hurry. Using scholarships, Win ran through a succession of colleges, receiving his master's degree, with honors, in English from Columbia University. He taught at Purdue University and Franklin College, then received a fellowship to attend USC. Win became a newspaperman - a music, theater, and film critic for both major Los Angeles papers. In 1972 he took the big leap-he quit his job to write out his passions-exploring and learning wild places-full time. His greatest passion of all has been to set the stories of these places, their people and animals, colors and smells, into books. Win climbed mountains for ten years. A fluke blizzard caught him on a mountaintop and froze his feet, an end to climbing mountains, but not to exploring them. He's rafted rivers in the west, particularly the Snake and the San Juan, and was briefly a river guide. His love of the great Yellowstone River gave him a fine appreciation for the people who first loved these wild places. Along the way, Win lost the use of his legs and learned to sail, deciding a boat was a good place for a man without legs. He regained the use of his legs, and maintains his love of the open seas. His first book, "Give Your Heart to the Hawks", is still in print after thirty years. Other works include "Stone Song", a novel about Crazy Horse, for which he won the 1996 Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award and the 1996 Spur Award. He's written 15 books, including a Dictionary of the American West, numerous screenplays and magazine articles. He lives quietly in the canyon country of Utah. His passions grow with time-his wife Meredith, the center of his life, their five kids and grandkids. Classical music, baseball, roaming red rock mesas in the astonishing countryside, playing music He considers himself blessed to be one of the people creating new stories about the west, and is proud to call himself a member of the world's oldest profession-storyteller. Contributor Bio:  Blevins, Meredith Meredith lives with her husband, author Win Blevins, and their family in the Canyonlands. She has been a creative arts therapist, an award-winning travel writer, and has published five books, including "The Hummingbird Wizard, Long and Winding Road "and "Red Hot Empress. "