This novel, while still fiction, speculates about the lives of the ancient Nevadans. It is inspired by archaeological sites dating to over 9000 years ago. Dennis Cassinelli says within the book that he is not an Archaeologist; still, it is obvious he has done a lot of research on various ancient sites found around Nevada. One such site is the Spirit Cave, where the remains of an old man was found in the Nevada desert in 1940. All of the addresses listed in the book are from Nevada; Legends of Spirit Cave seems like the type of book you would find in the gift shop of some historical site or museum. It somehow made its way to a used book store near me, but good luck trying to find it outside of Nevada.
The writing is very plain and flat. There's no complex prose to sift through, everything is told in a very literal way. It also includes 4 Appendixes explaining origins of some of the story elements. This author is a researcher before he is a writer.
On to the story though. It follows two tribes, the Marsh People and the Pyramid Lake people. The main character is a young man named Turtle-Who-Fights belonging to the Marsh people. It shows the growth of this man from boyhood to adulthood. The Marsh people migrate to Pyramid Lake to meet with the other tribe. Early on, Turtle helps in the hunting of a Mammoth, in fact the last Mammoth ever seen. The Marsh people herd this mammoth into a mud pit to immobilize it and only then go for the kill.
The Marsh people finally arrive at Pyramid Lake, which gets its name from the 400 foot tall rock structure that is only visible when the lake water is low. This marks the great gathering of the two tribes. The book goes into differences in culture between the two tribes, such as language barriers and different taboos. Cassinelli's research really shines through the Shamans and medicine women. Medicinal herbs, plants and roots are explained in detail. Much detail is given about the making of stone and flint tools, blankets, garments, and such. Tracking and weather watching are huge factors as well. He portrays a people who can only use what nature has to offer.
Turtle is taken with a small group of Shamans to visit what they call Spirit Cave, and he begins his training as a Shaman. Mauwee, one of the elder Shamans of the Marsh people, realizes he is about to die. He tells the other Shamans that the Great Spirit has called him for a great task, and that he must be buried in Spirit Cave. They oblige and soon the two tribes prepare to part again, having shared a lot of time together. Some people were chosen as mates and switched tribes.
Before the Marsh people depart again, the group is attacked by cannibals. These white skinned, red haired people are barbaric, violent and unforgiving. Several people including two children, and two adult women, Lida and Tani, are kidnapped in a surprise attack that night. The next day, Turtle makes a plan to rescue them. Turtle by this time is known to be one of the Marsh People's wisest and bravest, though young he was.
Turtle and the hunters track the Redheads to a place called Lovelock Cave. When skulls of the children are found in a carrion pile outside the cave, they plan to retaliate. They watch the Redheads for days, studying their habits. They detestably don't cook their food, and will even eat the flesh of their own kind. Turtles plan is to literally smoke out the Redheads. Hunters from both the Marsh People and the Pyramid Lake People unite to make a huge fire outside the entrance of Lovelock Cave, use poles to push the burning piles further inside, and destroy everything they could of the Redheads existence. Only a few Redheads survived who fled back to the north.
As the book closes, the Marsh people finally plan to return home as the season calls, morbid with the loss of Lida, Tani, and the two children. Soon, however, Lida and Tani are found hiding in a cave, one nearby Spirit Cave. Though the prose isn't anything flashy, the ending here is surprisingly poignant. During a lunar eclipse, Turtle visits Spirit Cave and has a vision that the dead Mauwee speaking to him. Mauwee says that the Great Spirit's calling for him, is to pass on the story of his people to the truly distant future. He speaks of people thousands of years from then discovering his remains and gaining ancient knowledge of the past. It added a profound touch, implying that the Spirit Cave Man had indeed fulfilled his spiritual calling.
The Appendixes go further into Cassinelli's research and speculation. The locations in the book are all real sites. Lovelock Cave, which has been excavated to reveal thick layers of ash beneath the surface. Spirit Cave, where "Mauwee"'s remains were excavated. Here Cassinelli has woven together what we know of these archaeological sites and created a very human story out of them.
Great book in my opinion, but in truth, nothing fancy here; Legends of Spirit Cave is a simple and easy read, what I daresay some may find boring. If Speculative Fiction is your thing, you'll enjoy it. If you like wordy and literary writers then look elsewhere.
Till next book!
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