Sacred Mounds

By: Jim Metzner

Narrated by: Jim Metzner

A novel of historical fantasy from Jim Metzner, producer and host of the Pulse of the Planet radio series and podcast, with a foreword by Hutke Fields, principal chief of the Natchez Nation.

Cyclonic hordes of insects, a telepathic despot, body-swapping sex - just a few of the surprises Salvador Samuels encounters when he’s swept back to precolonial times, walking in the moccasins of a blind Indian - who, in turn, has been transported into Salvador’s body in present-day America.

Four hundred years apart, they’re bound by a mission to rescue our world, aided by the mysterious presence of the mounds. Thousands of these ancient earthworks once dotted the landscape of North America. We still don’t know why they were created. Sacred Mounds suggests they are as important today as when they were made over a thousand years ago.

Sacred Mounds weaves the stories of two men, each a stranger in a strange land. With the help of two remarkable women, they must find a way to save our planet and return home.

©2020 Jim Metzner (P)2020 Skyboat Media

One of those books that...

....You dont want to put down. Or, in the case of Audible, turn off. I think one of it's most compelling qualities is it's genre alluding identity - part time travel, part Castaneda leaning magic tale, told by a thoroughly 21st century New Yorker. In lesser skilled hands, the result could have been hard to get through, but, as I said I didnt want this story to end. It was easy to follow. I've listened to maybe 50 books in recent years and I think the narration here is as good or better than any I've previously heard.

adventure, spiritual awareness, mystery and humor

This book has it all — time travel, adventure, spiritual awareness, mystery and humor. My husband basically read his print copy overnight! And I gobbled up the Audible version read by the author. Metzner’s voice was perfect, as you would expect from a long-time radio show host.

Sacred Mounds reminds me a little of the Outlander series, with less emphasis on sex and violence, although there is a little of both, very well handled. Basically the main characters from 400 years ago and the present day embark on quests to save the world. They exchanges bodies, throwing both of them into totally new cultures, languages and social rules, requiring both to learn how to live in their new surroundings. It’s a fascinating dilemma.

My favorite thing: the author has the uncanny ability to transport the reader from an engrossing moment of suspense back into her awareness of self — you are moving along at a clip, and all of a sudden you’re aware of yourself in the world around you. For me this is a rare and welcome experience in a novel. The book is a unique mix of entertainment, a thoughtful exploration of why humans live on the planet, and possible response to the destructive forces we see around us.