Guardian of the Hills

by Victoria Strauss

The pyramid-shaped hills were built in a mythic time, and to the Native Americans of Arkansas they are sacred and alive. Now Pamela’s grandfather means to excavate the hills. He dismisses with contempt the legends of the Quapaw Indians, his own wife’s people. Instead, he seeks the glory of discovering an early American culture as rich as the Aztecs’.

But as men and machinery move into the scorching valley, there are terrible accidents, violent fights and accusations. Crows begin to gather in the hellish heat…thousands of them, ominous and waiting.

For something is awakening beneath the hills of the Quapaw, an ancient evil eager to be free. And Pamela, barely aware of her own Native American heritage, is caught between her grandfather’s close-minded beliefs and a supernatural being who reaches out to her in dreams. She must face the choice her mother rejected years ago: to embrace the destiny that awaits her in the hills, or deny the truest part of herself forever.

229 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

I'm the author of nine novels for adults and young adults, including the Stone duology ("The Arm of the Stone" and "The Garden of the Stone"); the Way of Arata duology ("The Burning Land" and "The Awakened City"); and "Passion Blue" and "Color Song," a pair of historical novels for teens. I've reviewed books for SF Site, Black Gate, and Fantasy magazine, and my articles on writing and how to get published have appeared in Writer’s Digest and elsewhere. In 2006, I served as a judge for the World Fantasy Awards.

I'm an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), and co-founder, with Ann Crispin, of Writer Beware, a publishing industry watchdog group that warns about literary schemes and scams. I maintain the Writer Beware website, blog, and Facebook pages, and I was honored with the SFWA Service Award in 2009.

Reviews

[Rogean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not exactly the kind of book I'd like to read. Tried my very best to keep reading but it's too boring for me. I dozed off the first day. I don't know with the others, but won't recommend.