Son of the Great River

by Elijah Meeks

Son of the Great River is an adventure story set in the distant past, with pen-and-ink illustrations interspersed throughout the book.  It follows a boy named Saffu, who is forced to leave his tribe and travel to the land of cities and kings to return a strange artifact.  His journey takes him across the Bronze Age landscape and through his own, sometimes troubling, coming of age.  He quickly loses sight of his quest and gives up, but tragedy forces him on and when he discovers civilization, where he befriends two other young people, the hunter Samhail and the brilliant runaway girl, Rheem.  Despite his desire to return to his tribe and his love, Naganawae, he finds himself embroiled in the plans of an ancient king and a war not of his choosing.  Each character responds differently to the temptations and corruptions of civilization and power, and their choices are sometimes contradictory.  Throughout, Son of the Great River reveals that despite the trappings of bronze weapons and strange cultures, the people of this ancient time are much like the people we know today, with the same courage and weakness that define us.

You can visit the author’s website at www.sevenlions.org
You can buy the book on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601457723