Moon Hunt by W. Michael Gear & Kathleen Gear

Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: North America’s Forgotten Past #24

Publisher: Forge Books (November 21, 2017)

Author Information: Website

Length: 416 pages

My Rating: 3 stars

Moon Hunt is the third book of the Morningstar Trilogy but also book twenty-four of North America’s Forgotten Past by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear.  Built upon an accurate representation of ancient North America and filled with realistic characters, in-depth world building, shadowy mysticism, political intrigue, and interpersonal relationships, the Gears deliver as entertaining a novel in Moon Hunt as anything else on the shelves today.

Delivered through many point-of-view characters and shifting between these people nearly every chapter, this story demands that new readers jump in, make notes, and quickly acclimate themselves to this place and its colorful people.  The most important of these being Morningstar, who is believed to be a god reincarnated.  His death and passage into death the catalyst for an epic quest by his sister, Night Shadow Star, who quickly becomes the main focus of this swirling, shifting tale, as she journeys forth into the depths to return the soul of her brother to life.

The highlight of Moon Hunt for me personally was the Gears’ world building; their deft handling of this Native American culture filled with intricate detail, lovingly explored, and fully realized, as Cahokia and its denizens spring to life upon the pages.

Nearly as entertaining was the adventure and intrigue filled story line.  The quest of Night Shadow Star a twisting, turning trail of suspense, misdirection, and constant pitfalls.  The Gears expertly guiding readers along behind the heroes, building tension, promising resolution, only to pull the proverbial rug out from under their feet time and time again.  This journey of discovery meshing with the overarching plot of political machinations in the empire keeping readers constantly occupied turning the pages to get to the end.

As for any criticisms, my only one is the epic scope of the cast here, which literally contains a dozen or so people (mortal and divine) whom a reader must have familiarity with to fully enjoy the narrative.  This plus the constant shifting between these multiple point-of-view characters does become off-putting and a tad bit overwhelming, though this frustration does lessen around the halfway point.

Overall, Moon Hunt was an entertaining read with plenty of action, intrigue, and mysticism to keep my interest firmly fixed upon it.  Certainly, this is a demanding read with its large cast and detailed world building, but for those readers who enjoy a challenge and a dose of something unique, the Gears have produced a fine story sure to satisfy.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

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