For the first time, author Lisa April Smith merges her proven skill at delivering unforgettable characters, page-turner suspense and a scientist's insistence on accuracy. "Forgotten Tales of China" is an epic saga of survival, sacrifice, lust and love, indomitable perseverance, bravery and betrayal. The location is the fertile Yellow River basin near modern-day Beijing - the Chinese Cradle of Civilization. For tens of thousands of years this unique river alternately rewarded its inhabitants hard work, then unpredictably swept away everything in its path with deadly unbridled fury. Each of six tales has its own characters, conflicts and story. The first tale, "The People," is set 40,000 years ago, with a small band who communicate almost solely through sign language. Their lives are shattered by the loss of precious fire - which they have not as yet learned to create. In response to this crisis, Storm, their inexperienced eighteen year old leader, takes four men to steal it from feared Strangers. The result of this chilling lethal exchange will forever alter the People's lives. And then there's low-ranking Berry, the first to be beaten and the last to eat, a nine year old girl who imagines herself to be the successor to Wise Old Mother, the troupe's revered shaman. The following five tales - "Giants," "Squint," Shing's Daughters," "The Temple of the Goddess" and "The Bronze Worker and the Discarded Conqubine" - each address a quantum leap in social and technical development, from the beginnings of spoken language, to the invention of new weapons and tools, to the advent of dynastic government and its inevitable consequence, the fight for vast wealth and power. But the stories are always about human beings: their singular genius, frailties and strengths, passion, love and loss, desires and dreams. If you're interested in China, or if good historic fiction is among the genres you enjoy, this one is for you. If you're a fan of Clan of the Cave Bear, the first two stories of Forgotten Tales are sure to delight. And if you are the rare individual who insists on accuracy in historic fiction, this one was written for you. "L. A. Smith's characters radiate the fear and wonder of discovering for the first time so much of what we today accept as ordinary - and the essence of what it is to be human." " . . . heartbreak and triumph, victimization and courage, power and compassion, reading these stories is like feeling a spark between your own fingertips and those of your most distant ancestors." Author and reviewer Valley Brown