Winter on the Plain of Ghosts: A Novel of Mohenjo-daro

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Summary: A thriller from ancient history
Review: 
Winter on the Plain of Ghosts is a gripping fantasy from a three time Aurora Award winner which reaches so far back in history the era is scarcely recorded, yet it carries overtones of life as we know it today. Eileen Kernaghan outlines the problems of religious bigotry and the entrenched resistance to change by the powers in charge as disaster threatens, when change is their only way to survive.
The reader escapes with Rujik of Ur, a boy being sacrificed to the gods of his tribe in an age-old ritual; stays with him through his successes and disasters, his failed yet triumphant love, and in doing so learns something about himself and the surprisingly similar problems of modern living.
`Winter` is a satisfying book, beautifully written by an author with a poet's heart, one which will stay with the reader long after he has closed its back cover.


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Summary: WINTER ON THE PLAIN OF GHOSTS -- A REVIEW
Review: Eileen Kernaghan's reputation for meticulous research and an engaging story is well sustained by her most recent book, WINTER ON THE PLAIN OF GHOSTS. Set in the prehistoric Indus Valley, the novel is a retrospective tale of a young boy who escapes the perils of village ritual sacrifice to become first a thief, then a wealthy and respected merchant in the ancient city of Mohenjo-daro (The Tiger City). His subsequent involvement with the priesthood which controls Mohenjo-daro and his eventual rebellion against their repressive hold on its inhabitants make for compelling reading.

Though known as a fantasy writer, in this instance Kernaghan's strong, lyrical prose, combined with her passion for well-researched detail, help her lend an aura of historical authenticity; magical and fantastic events are skillfully interwoven with plot and dialogue, often convincing the reader that such things were part of everyday life in these long-ago times. Fully realized characters and catastrophic events compel the plot towards its inevitable conclusion. This is a powerful, satisfying novel, which, in this reader's view, will make it difficult to put down.

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Summary: a wonderful journey!--winter on the plain of ghosts
Review: i loved this book! it combines excellent, evocative yet unintrusive writing with a faithfully depicted historical setting. it tells of real people that i come to care about facing circumstances that range from frightening to fulfilling.

the story takes place in a world where many peoples mix--hill-tribes and desert-folk, rich and poor inhabitants of an ancient and crumbling city, making their lives within and outside of the law.

many faiths are represented, older than any that exist in india today. the world unfolds with convincing realism even while spirits and demons, goddesses and gods, divination, alchemy and spells are a natural part of it all. it's hard for me to explain this. the magic, the deities don't pop out at you like overblown caricatures, no matter how intense the scene. they work beautifully into a story of a real person in his fascinating world. i can't say it enough times--i LOVED this book!