Sun Born

A Novel of North America’s Forgotten Past (Morning Star Series, Book 2)

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

Narrated by: Charlie Thurston

An old enemy has returned to Cahokia with vengeance in his heart. Will the empire's living god choose to save his city?

A thousand years ago, the mighty Cahokian civilization dominated the North American continent. At the heart of the empire stood a vast city, teeming with tens of thousands of residents, traders, and travelers. The city of Cahokia sent settlers and priests throughout the continent, from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico, carrying word of the power of their gods. People who wouldn't bow to that power were conquered or slaughtered. Power rested in one being, Morning Star, a god resurrected in the body of a living man.

A new threat has come to the city, emissaries from a civilization that rivals and perhaps even surpasses that of Cahokia. It soon becomes apparent to the gods-possessed Lady Night Shadow Star, human sister of Morning Star, that her people could be conquered by this technologically advanced culture. With the fate of their cosmos as a wager, the people of Cahokia are faced with a battle between the gods.

Morning Star is unwilling - or unable - to fight to defend his people. Who then, will save them?

©2016 W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear (P)2021 Tantor

Sun Born

Excellent story about the life and times of the people of Cahokia! The narrator does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life.

great way to re look at the story

Sun Born : People of the Morning star (2) (North America's Forgotten Past, #23) by W. Michael Gear
Sun Born, the second book in the eye opening new series featuring one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in North America will entice readers to learn more about its history and mythology. Cahokia was at its pinnacle over a thousand years ago, it a remarkable rise in trade and prestige would be the focus of Power and North American mythological Gods. The Morning Star is the reborn embodiment of the cross culturally renown Twin God whose influence and connection throughout the North American world laid the foundation of many of the cultures throughout North and Central America. His story of rebirth would spread far and wide and would gain interest in far flung places like Mayan empires. How would the two great powers of the prehistory world share their mutual mythology, and influence? What would be the outcome of these two Cultures colliding in a clandestine nova of subterfuge and intrigue? The internal conflicts within Cahokia is not prepared for the advent of a new Powerful players into the world. The the Four Winds clan, and its contenting conflicts within Cahokia and its neighboring communities are ripe for exploitation. Blue Heron has just the ex-husband who could stir up the entire boiling pot of power and conflict. Can the tenuous connections brought together to save Cahokia in People of the Morning Star find a solution to this new and contemptuous advisory? Can Seven Skull Shield, “that rascal” find a way to save his world, his friends and his people? Lady Night Sun Morning Star will face a new dilemma right on the heels of her new found freedom. Can she sacrifice her ideals, her prestige and her heart in a way that will bring Power into balance? Or will Thirteen Sacred Jaguar the lord of the Itza bring this magnificent city and its culture to heal, and making the Four Winds Clan Neal at his feet?

Character List
Morning Star/ Chunkey Boy: of the Four Winds Clan, the reincarnated Morning Star, the reborn leader of the Four Winds clan, is struggling with personal concepts of his own belief. He has found that power and prestige are not all they are reputed to be. The internal conflict within Cahokia, the Four Winds Clans, and the Earth Clans has worn away the polish of the Ideal.
Lady Night Shadow Star: of the Four Winds Clan, eldest of the Morning Star’s sister. She is said to be a great beauty, and tempestuous young woman of remarkable abilities and passions. Finds that her heart has its own rules, and she is forced to choose between her people and the man she has come reluctantly to love.
Clan Keeper Blue Heron: Keeper of the Four Winds Clan, a strong political leader of the Cahokia world. Her desperate love connections have come to haunt her again. She must face the insufferable heartache and retribution of her ex-husband’s advantageous return.
Fire Cat: High War Chief , Red Wing Nation, slave of Lady Night Shadow Star. He takes an oath to protect Lady Night Shadow Star, but his oath has come at an enormous personal cost.
Seven Skull Shield: thief, and trades man who is a loud, aggressive fighter, and the only possibility to stop the exploits of this invading horde of subterfuge and intrigue. He will find that his connections are frayde by his loyalty to the Four Winds Clan. Hunted and captured by his friends and enemies he must find how to help his new associates survive the coming of a new power to Cahokia.
Tonk’tazi Wind: adviser and living sister to Blue Heron, one of the leading powers in the Four winds Clan. Meets with contingent and trade agreements with other nations.
Nine Strikes: the Little Sun, hereditary second of the rulers of the Natchez. Killed in Cahokia after being honored by the Morning Star for his dancing and costume used at the celebration.
Horn Lance: of the horned serpents house of the Four Winds Clan, Cousin of high chief Green Chunkney, Ex-husband of Blue Heron, exiled for his failed coup of the Four Winds Clan matrons, returned from extended trade adventures that lead to the Mayan civilization and the orchestrator of the massive contemptuous plot to overthrow the Four Winds Clan and rake havoc on his enemies.
Thirteen Sacred Jaguar: son of the yitah Four Fire Shield, one of the multepal, the ruling brothers of the mighty empire of Chichen Itza. Come to Cahokia, to spread the jin the true history of the hero twins, and take this rural outpost to the heights of the Mayan empire.
Lichen: Dreamer as a young girl went to tutor under an Wanderer, the keeper of the Tortoise bundle.
Animal characters/ gods:
Hunga ahuito: the two headed Creator eagle who dwelt above the Rainbow realm in the sky, about the middle waters of the earth, and the four realms of the Underworld clear down to were first woman lived in her cave beneath the roots of the world tree.
First woman or Old-woman-who-never-dies: ruler of the Underworld lives in a cave down below the World tree’s roots. There she dreamed the patterns and Powers of the underworld. He realm was portage by the color red, indicative of fertility, creativity, war and chaos. She had dominion over the waters and plants. She is the daughter of Corn Mother, gave birth to Morning Star and his twin wild One.
Piasa: the Water Panther giving it a female body with serpent tail; sometimes isn't directly named lest it be aroused. (America before the European Invasion pg 48) Piasa, a mythological beast/god that prowled the depths, attaching the people in the swamps and waterways.
Horned serpent: the flying snake “ his voice is sibilant and terrible; Sunlight glistened in tiny rainbows from the scales that armored his skull. The horns that jutted from his head were forked and might have been made to translucent red jasper that almost glowed. Awesome crystalline eyes stared down at me in glittering splendor, like faceted quartz. And in their gaze resonated a Power that sent it waves through my souls. Chevrons dots and dark centered circles decorated the length of his huge body. Each consisted of a symbol of the first days drawn upon his hide by breath giver during the creation. Those mighty wings rose from the center of back and spread above in large patterned feathers almost transparent in the sunlight.” (description from Coming of the storm)
Snapping turtle: to whom fish and frogs answered.
Tie Snakes: who guarded springs, lurked in the depths of the rivers and invoked the rains,
The Thunderbirds mythological gods who make thunder and show messages of the gods.
Morning Star: the good twin, loved by his mother Corn woman and raised by Old-woman who never dies.
Kukul: the powerful Kukulkán (also K'uk'ulkan or K'uk'ul-chon) is a god of Mayan mytholoogy. Kukulkan is known to the K’iche’ group of Maya as Gukumatz. The name Kukulkan means “feathered serpent”, like his Aztec equivalent Quetzacoatl.
The text of the Popol Vuh tells of the Mayan creation myth, followed by stories of a set of heroic twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanqué. The text ends with the mythical history of the K'iche' Kingdom itself, giving its rulers an association with the divine.