Sacred Ground: A Novel

Sacred Ground: A Novel

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  • Create Date：2020-12-07 04:12:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Mercedes Lackey
  • ISBN：9781250810823
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Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author Mercedes Lackey comes contemporary fantasy Sacred Ground—now back in print！

Jennifer Talldeer is Osage and Cherokee， granddaughter of a powerful Medicine Man。 She walks a difficult path: contrary to tribal custom， she is learning a warrior's magics。 A freelance private investigator， Jennifer tracks down stolen Native American artifacts。

The construction of a new shopping mall uncovers fragments of human bone， revealing possible desecration of an ancient burial ground。 Meanwhile， the sabotage of construction equipment at the site implicates many activists—particularly Jennifer's old flame， who is more attractive and dangerous than ever。 Worst of all， the grave of Jennifer's legendary Medicine Man ancestor has been destroyed， his tools of power scattered， and a great evil freed to walk the land。

Jennifer must make peace with the many factions and solve the mystery of her ancestor's grave before the world falls into oblivion。

"Skillfully weaving a tale of fantasy， mystery， and Native American folklore， Lackey has written a unique novel sure to appeal to YAs。"--School Library Journal

At the Publisher's request， this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software （DRM） applied。

Editor Reviews

Page-turning and spine-tingling。” —Booklist

“An impressive novel。 A gripping adventure， merging reality with the supernatural plane。” —Piers Anthony

“Lackey's a great storyteller。 where this book excels is in its heroine。 Lacker makes you want to know her—a significant characteristic in the success of female PIs like Kinsey Milhorne， V。I。 Warshawski， and Kat Colorado。 A very enjoyable thriller on several levels。” —Locus

From the Publisher

About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is the author of the bestselling Valdemar series， and the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms， and， also with James Mallory， the Enduring Flame trilogy （The Phoenix Unchained， The Phoenix Endangered， and The Phoenix Transformed）。 She has written many other books， including Trio of Sorcery， Phoenix and Ashes， Sacred Ground， The Firebird， The Fairy Godmother， and Alta。 Lackey is the co-author， with Andre Norton， of the Halfblood Chronicles， including Elvenborn。 Mercedes Lackey was born in Chicago and graduated from Purdue University。 She has worked as an artist's model， a computer programmer， and for American Airlines， and has written lyrics and recorded more than fifty songs。 She lives in Oklahoma。
Mercedes Lackey is the author of the bestselling Valdemar series， the Obsidian Trilogy （The Outstretched Shadow， To Light a Candle， and When Darkness Falls）， the Enduring Flame trilogy （The Phoenix Unchained， The Phoenix Engendered， and The Phoenix Transformed）， and The Phoenix Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms。 She has written many other books， including Trio of Sorcery， Phoenix and Ashes， Sacred Ground， The Firebird， The Fairy Godmother， and Alta。 Lackey is the co-author， with Andre Norton， of the Halfblood Chronicles， including Elvenborn。 Mercedes Lackey was born in Chicago and graduated from Purdue University。 She has worked as an artist’s model， a computer programmer， and for American Airlines， and has written lyrics and recorded more than fifty songs。 She lives in Oklahoma。

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Reviews

，

I read this book several years ago and really enjoyed it。 I would very much like to see it ebook。 （most of my paperbooks are in the garage in plastice totes） I would like to see Merecedes do more with the character she created。

Maria Park ，

Wonderful look into Native American magic and the strength a woman brings to the tribe。

Midori ，

I was surprised by this book as its not typical of other books I've read by this author。 I had to look at the publish date （1994）。 It seemed so relevant to today's issues。 But I think it's more a twist of irony and accident that it's foreshadowing current events。 I would recommend it but do read her one page disclaimer。 It is entertainment， as she says。

Mo D ，

I really enjoyed reading this， certain aspects touched really close to home & it was really nice to see a book done from the native perspective。 I really hope to see more Talldeer books。

Caroline North ，

Respectful storytelling with an underlying message， if anyone cares to see it。 Blessings to those that explore the path， and stay respectful！

Kath Olukoya ，

I didn't expect this to end up in the graveyard。 I almost put it down at first as its very dated and really feels like you're in the mid 90s reading it， too many contemporary references and a lack of modern technology。 But then I read a review that said the love interest is sexy so I thought I'd keep going with the book。。。 and then accidentally lost it somewhere so now can't finish it！ My subconscious must be telling me something。

Virginia Adi ，

enjoyed every moment of it。

Nancy ，

Very different slant on Mercedes Lackey usual writing。 Quite enjoyed this book， with the suble nuances of prejudice and mystical traditions blending well。 I hope we will see more of Jennifer Talldeer。

June ，

Jennifer is chosen by her grandfather to learn shaman and warrior magic。 She is also a PI。 An insurance fraud case turns into more when Native American artifacts and bones turn up on a site and minutes later a bulldozer explodes killing Native American workers and a white foreman。 Too confuse Jennifer further， her former lover turns up to rally the Native Americans。

becca sporky ，

This one was too hum-drum for me to finish reading。 I am very picky。

Anne Jindra ，

She's Jennifer Talldeer， a medicine woman who has learned at her granddad's knee。 He's David Spotted Horse， a rebel with a cause- which doesn't go over well with his private investigator ex-girlfriend。 She fights for the People in and out of the courts while he runs around stirring up trouble， at least that's the way she sees it。But a construction company that's willfully digging up an ancient Indian burial ground brings them back together and， against the odds she manages to make him see the She's Jennifer Talldeer， a medicine woman who has learned at her granddad's knee。 He's David Spotted Horse， a rebel with a cause- which doesn't go over well with his private investigator ex-girlfriend。 She fights for the People in and out of the courts while he runs around stirring up trouble， at least that's the way she sees it。But a construction company that's willfully digging up an ancient Indian burial ground brings them back together and， against the odds she manages to make him see the other side of things， the pathways into the otherworld。 It's not soft or even always beautiful， but it is an incredible place to walk， and acting as it's guardian is a lifelong journey。This incredibly well researched look into some of the troubles and wonders of Native American life takes you along a road less traveled， and shows you another side to the computerized world of clocking in， eating lunch， clocking out and going home。 Gorgeous and compelling， Sacred Ground is a trip worth taking。Tatianna Anne JindraOn YouTubeBadFantasyRxhttp://badfantasyrx。blogspot。com/2016。。。 。。。more

Mia ，

Really awesome！ I loved the characters， they were well developed， grew， and were relatable！ I liked that we got to learn more about Native American culture。 This definitely one of Ms。 Lackey's best

Eric Steele ，

I love it really engaging I have read it dozens of times。

Debra Meyer ，

great book， great narrator

Roberto Albandoz-carrasquillo ，

The thing with Mercedes Lackey is that， even if you are not too interested on a topic， her stuff is very readable and interesting。

Luci Block ，

Picked this up at a local Goodwill not expecting much; just another tale of Shamanism from a lay person， or so I thought。 Wrong！ I absolutely LOVED this book and was astounded by the detail Ms。 Lackey presents。 As a practitioner of Shamanism （one never calls themselves a Shaman-- it's an honorary title bestowed by others）， I found this book fascinating in the lengths she goes to to explain the journeying to Otherworlds， spirit guides， protection， rituals， dress， burials， tools on and on。 Her Picked this up at a local Goodwill not expecting much; just another tale of Shamanism from a lay person， or so I thought。 Wrong！ I absolutely LOVED this book and was astounded by the detail Ms。 Lackey presents。 As a practitioner of Shamanism （one never calls themselves a Shaman-- it's an honorary title bestowed by others）， I found this book fascinating in the lengths she goes to to explain the journeying to Otherworlds， spirit guides， protection， rituals， dress， burials， tools on and on。 Her understanding and empathy of Native American nations， their history and plight is commendable。 I've read all the Tony Hillerman novels and this one surpasses his by far。 Same genre but different view and detail。Some will like this novel， basically an intro into the world of Native American Medicine-Shamanism; others who aren't aware that Shamanism exists in reality will hate it or find it incomprehensible and that is as it should be。 I for one， totally enjoyed it， understood it and appreciate it。 Worth a re-read。 Thank you， Ms。 Lackey！ More Jennifer Talldeer novels， please！ 。。。more

Sean Talbot ，

loved this book was my first foray into urban fantasy。 love how Jenny has a very strong personality but isn't perfect。 her relationship with her grandfather and David shows a lot of thought in creating the Osage warrior and shaman。 loved the book

Max ，

This was a pretty good book。 Jennifer Talldeer is an interesting protagonist， though I admit I didn't like her as much as Diana Tregarde， Lackey's other urban fantasy protagonist。 Talldeer's triple identity of private investigator， rescuer of Native American artifacts， and shaman was a pretty cool concept， but I feel more could have been done with that。 Further， she just isn't quite as entertaining or fun to read about as Di was。 Part of this is because she's kinda uptight， and while she works This was a pretty good book。 Jennifer Talldeer is an interesting protagonist， though I admit I didn't like her as much as Diana Tregarde， Lackey's other urban fantasy protagonist。 Talldeer's triple identity of private investigator， rescuer of Native American artifacts， and shaman was a pretty cool concept， but I feel more could have been done with that。 Further， she just isn't quite as entertaining or fun to read about as Di was。 Part of this is because she's kinda uptight， and while she works on this during the novel， the change comes a bit late in the story for it to really help。 Her grandfather is a nice mix of comic relief （he beats the local kids in games of Tetris） and serious mentor who guides Jennie on her spiritual journey。 David， Jennie's foe/eventual love interest was okay。 He starts out as a pretty big jerk， and I'm not sure I'm completely sold on his changing feelings towards Jennie。 Still， I think this and other flaws in the protagonists come about in large part because this is meant to be a series， but all that exists is this first novel and a much later novella。 The antagonist， Calligan， is motivated largely by greed rather than anything more complex， but he's still a nasty piece of work and the sections from his point of view just made me root for his defeat all the more。 The plot itself is relatively good， even if it jumps around a little bit。 The mystery is complicated， and while the reader quickly finds out what's going on， that doesn't reduce the suspense。 There were some parts that seemed somewhat odd， such as David beginning his own spiritual journey。 While this is important to his character growth， it comes at a point in the narrative where a fair bit of time is just briefly summarized， something I generally find odd in Lackey's urban fantasy stories。 They often have a sense of urgency to them that isn't fully reflected by the character's actions， and this was an especially odd example。 Still， the book sucked me in pretty quickly and made me practically race to the end once it really got going。 There's a lot of stuff touching on the Native American rights movement and environmental issues， and I really liked this aspect of the story。 There was also a disturbing and compelling depiction of spousal abuse， which helped make the villain even more loathsome even though he's just a mundane man in a world of supernatural power。 I liked the use of Native American spirituality and religious practices， but I was a bit disappointed by how vague everything was。 The Diana Tregarde books give a sense of a coherent magic system even while giving only sparse details， whereas this book didn't really seem to have any clear idea of what magic or Medicine means exactly。 Still， I had a fairly good time with Sacred Ground， and I'm willing to be somewhat forgiving since it's clearly meant to be the first in a series。 I'll admit that I wasn't left with the same sadness about this story being cut off as I am by the short life of the Diana Tregarde series， and I'm not sure I would have sought this out if Jennie Talldeer didn't make another appearance alongside Di in Trio of Sorcerery。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

Usually fantasy sticks with European mythology。 This time， Native American mythos took center stage。 Lackey did an excellent job of keeping the stories interesting and presenting the mythology in a very good way。 The book seemed very respectful of the culture and as accurate as possible。 I really enjoyed the story of a medicine woman。

Elaine ，

Another reread， and I'm glad I did。

Dlora ，

The main character of this novel talks about her three layers of persona， and the action of the story occurs on all three levels as well。 "There were layers to who she was， like an onion， each layer both hiding the one beneath and keeping the one beneath from reaching outward。" First of all she is Jennifer Talldeer， a private investigator in Tulsa， Oklahoma， earning her keep with regular jobs and tracking down stolen Indian artifacts when she has time。 Secondly， she is a Native American， The main character of this novel talks about her three layers of persona， and the action of the story occurs on all three levels as well。 "There were layers to who she was， like an onion， each layer both hiding the one beneath and keeping the one beneath from reaching outward。" First of all she is Jennifer Talldeer， a private investigator in Tulsa， Oklahoma， earning her keep with regular jobs and tracking down stolen Indian artifacts when she has time。 Secondly， she is a Native American， Hu-lah-shu-tsy， Good Eagle Women， daughter of an Osage father and a Cherokee mother。 Her deepest layer reveals who she really is， not just what she does: Kestrel-Hunts-Alone， a Medicine Woman and shamanic apprentice learning Warrior Medicine and walking the spirit world。 The plot line follows Jennifer's job as a PI hired to uncover whether the owner of a shopping mall construction job is trying to defraud the insurance company。 The Native Americans on the job site uncover the possible remains of an ancient burial site just as a bomb explodes， killing several workers and injuring other。 Is this an accident or the work of militant Indian activists？ Impacting her job as a PI and her heritage as a Native American is the appearance of an angry bunch of mi-ah-luschka， spirits in a hell of their own making caught between earth and The Summer County。 But of more threat is the looming dark evil of another powerful spirit， seeking to break into the real world to control a corporeal body。 I very much enjoyed the Native American setting and the way Native American religions were skillfully woven into the story giving a richness and depth to an action plot and Jennifer Talldeer is a small， tough， powerful heroine。 。。。more

Aunt Edie ，

Mercedes Lackey is extremely prolific。 Over the decades I've read many， many of her books。 So this one is a miss for me but that won't stop me from continuing to pick up her books。 A few okay books scattered among so many good and very good books is to be expected。 I recommend the author but not the book。 Mostly I was disgusted with the dynamics within the love story。 But that was balanced by an interesting story outside of that relationship which kept me reading to the end。

Lisa Cohn ，

Good book， read it long ago and many times since。 If you're looking for something similar， try River Marked by Patricia Briggs （not the first in that series）。 It had the same flavor to it。

Audra ，

Standalone。 I love it when an author has the sense not to drag a story out and give us a single shot book - I miss single shot fantasy novels。 This was a good one。

Dannie Lane ，

I want more！ Much much more of this， love it， love it， love it

Wanda Porter ，

Great book。

Tozette ，

Another Mercedes Lackey Mary-Sue， although that's putting it undiplomatically， since that is basically her genre home。 Many of the characters exhibit only faint hints of what might be charitably called 'characterisation'， but at least these cardboard cut-outs are not rescued from their tragic pasts by bards， elves or shiny white ponies。 You might call it a step in the right direction。 Despite this， the story suffers for the lack of comfortable intertextuality that even unrelated Valdemar novels Another Mercedes Lackey Mary-Sue， although that's putting it undiplomatically， since that is basically her genre home。 Many of the characters exhibit only faint hints of what might be charitably called 'characterisation'， but at least these cardboard cut-outs are not rescued from their tragic pasts by bards， elves or shiny white ponies。 You might call it a step in the right direction。 Despite this， the story suffers for the lack of comfortable intertextuality that even unrelated Valdemar novels have。 Oh， well。 Unthrilling but quietly， self-indulgently entertaining with vaguely feminist themes。 Two stars。 。。。more

Deborah Ideiosepius ，

This book charmed me， Jennifer Taldeer is a mixed Osage and Cherokee and has chosen the challenging path of a PI。 Being both a 'minority' and a small woman in this business is challenging enough， but Jennie has other things that challenge her。 Her grandfather， Mooncrow is a shaman and is teaching her his trade， she is his only apprentice。 Despite training for this her whole life she feels that she is not making the progress she ought to be， this bothers her。 Also， her sideline or hobby is This book charmed me， Jennifer Taldeer is a mixed Osage and Cherokee and has chosen the challenging path of a PI。 Being both a 'minority' and a small woman in this business is challenging enough， but Jennie has other things that challenge her。 Her grandfather， Mooncrow is a shaman and is teaching her his trade， she is his only apprentice。 Despite training for this her whole life she feels that she is not making the progress she ought to be， this bothers her。 Also， her sideline or hobby is locating Native Indian artifacts that were stolen from their original owners and restoring them to their rightful owners， this is one overachiever who has plenty on her plate。Then， her most recent job unexpectedly tangles all the different threads of her life together: A constitution site in the area has a massive explosion with several people （mostly Indian） killed or injured。 The insurance company for the firm engages Jennifer to investigate whether the company had received threats， the site is steeped strangeness emanating from the enraged ancestors and spirits。 The book weaves a fascinatingly complex web of interconnected plots and details which I absolutely love and which I re-read on a regular basis。Now， disclaimers; I am not 'Native Indian' as the book styles it。 I am not American， never been there。 I know very little about the tribes of North America and Canada -while I am interested in a general sort of way- I do not know enough to pick up if things are incorrect， insensitive or anything else。 I merely enjoy the book。 More often the author refers to specific tribes but she does use this term。 While I have been told that 'First Nations' is the correct term to use these days， perhaps that is a recent development？ I really do not know。 I found the setting of the story， as it is in mythology and history of the region fascinating， I really love the characters and I enjoy their dialog and interaction。 I love the way the story examines the notion of melding traditional ways with the modern day to make sure the survive in a robust way。 The slow relationship between Jennie and David was interesting and I liked the way they developed throughout the story。Now， for the author。 I guess I am a pretty mid-range Mercedes Lackey reader: I have read quite a lot of her books， I have loved and re-read quite a few of her books。 But I am not obsessive about it， I have not read all of her books， I think quite a few of them are pretty bad， and even in the ones I really love I can see quite a few flaws。 One of the greatest flaws for this author （in my， somewhat un-humble opinion） is that series by her often lack ongoing character development and that they are often way too full of easter eggs。 Therefore Sacred Ground is perfect; a single stand alone novel that never needed an ongoing series to make it good。 Characters and a plot that start on the first page， finish at the end and give us an excellent， enjoyable adventure。 Perfect in itself and not needing any more。 I get sick of series and more series never-ending。 In a lot of ways， this very unusual offering by Lackey is my favourite of hers， and is a great testament to her writing skills， which are not always stretched by the never-ending Valdemar （please don't anyone shoot me for saying this）。 。。。more

Mary Ann ，

It was great to read this book set in OK。 Wish she would do more， and I enjoyed the Native American aspect！

Jeremy Preacher ，

I couldn't finish it。 Honestly， I couldn't even get a quarter of the way into it。 It has much the same flavor as her urban fantasy Burning Water， but without the engaging characters or convincing magic system。 It didn't help that it has a ton of cultural references scattered everywhere to make it feel "hip" and "modern" but now scream "eighties。" （Also？ If you lived in Tulsa in the eighties I'm sure plenty of the offhand references will feel very true-to-life， but since I didn't， I just found I couldn't finish it。 Honestly， I couldn't even get a quarter of the way into it。 It has much the same flavor as her urban fantasy Burning Water， but without the engaging characters or convincing magic system。 It didn't help that it has a ton of cultural references scattered everywhere to make it feel "hip" and "modern" but now scream "eighties。" （Also？ If you lived in Tulsa in the eighties I'm sure plenty of the offhand references will feel very true-to-life， but since I didn't， I just found them tedious and obtrusive。） （It was published in 1994 but I'd bet money it was written at least five if not ten years earlier。） The groveling "please forgive me for appropriating your culture" author's note at the back didn't help， either。In the grand scheme of things this is pretty early Lackey， and I wouldn't mind seeing what she did with urban fantasy as a mature author working in a maturing genre， but this？ This is not worth reading。 。。。more

Clysta ，

Love this book。。。 I found the spirituality intriguing from this point of view。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Sacred Ground: A Novel

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Sacred Ground: A Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Sacred Ground: A Novel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0