Coming of the Storm

By: W. Michael Gear, Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Narrated by: Kevin Orton

Of best-selling husband-and-wife writing team W. Michael and Kathleen O’Neal Gear, Booklist proclaims that “nobody does Native Americana better than the Gears.” Coming of the Storm launches a series featuring Black Shell, a Chicazaclan trader, and his struggles with Hernando de Soto, an invader intent on spreading Catholicism at the point of his sword.

©2010 W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Good Book

The book is actually a very good book. I read the book before I listened to it and loved the book. The narrator of this book does not do a very good job. I would recommend the book but the audible version needs a new narrator.

Creates a story line from history

Anytime an author attempts to create characters and a storyline from a time in history they're taking a chance. There's no doubt that there are things that are way out of whack with this book like any other of the genre, but for the casual reader who's looking for entertainment and not historical accuracy, it's clear the authors took the time to learn enough that the setting comes across as real. The characters are appropriately flawed and gifted to lend to its readability and by the end you're certainly cheering for them to succeed.

Personally, I was looking for something a little racier after reading the Psy-Changeling series and the Elder Races series, but this romance is definitely less explicit and subdued. There's nothing wrong with that, but it wasn't what I was expecting and overall the storyline is enjoyable enough to have me purchasing the next book in the series.

Where the book succeeded was in the construction of several complex characters driven by different motivations coming together toward a common end. Particularly, the Black Shell and Pearl Hand characters are deep in their complexity, making them more realistic and pulling the reader into the story deeper.

Disappointed

First book by authors that I didn’t enjoy. Something about the narrator that I didn’t like.

Disappointing...

I have read other books by this couple but none have compared to the first three...The Visitant Series. This one rambled along and never really coalesced.

Story was great, reading, not so much.

The Gears, once again, have written a wonderful story of N. America's indigenous peoples.

The reader's diction was clear, but he had below average affect and the variety of voice between characters was so lacking it was sometimes confusing to know who was speaking.

Awesome

This series, the fight for America, is so damn good. I read (and own) the books, first. I love the Gears and have read every book.

Another great book...

by a great team of authors! W. Michael Gear & Kathleen O'Neal Gear, as anthropologists & archeologists, have the background to turn a based on true life fictional story into a rich, fully informative, & highly enjoyable masterpiece! This book begins after the landing of Hernando de Soto in Florida, with his push into the lands & homes of Native Americans. He is followed, & constantly irritated, by a man who was enslaved by de Soto for a time, & his wife. They make it their mission to stop him after seeing first hand his vicious methods of warfare. Along the way, up through Florida & Georgia, into North Carolina & Tennessee, back into Georgia, Alabama, & Mississippi, they follow the army, gathering others who share the mission & try to stop the deadly invasion. This was a good storyline which was written into a great book, by wonderful authors. Can it get much better?

great book

Would you consider the audio edition of Coming of the Storm to be better than the print version?

yes,

What did you like best about this story?

everything, from start to finish they caught the best idea of how the natives must have taken the new people coming to their land

Have you listened to any of Kevin Orton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

yes outstanding

If you could take any character from Coming of the Storm out to dinner, who would it be and why?

the chick she sounds hot and easy

Any additional comments?

great book.

Wish there were more books by the gears

No one does native like the gears. Love all there books. Wish there were more
On tape

Dialogue does not fit the time of the story.

What aspect of Kevin Orton’s performance would you have changed?

The preformer can only read what is written. He cannot change the content.

Any additional comments?

People of that time did not speak in such a mannner. Their speech was simpler.