Sacred Ground

by Mercedes Lackey

Paperback, 1995

Status

Available

Call number

Fic SF Lackey

Publication

Voyager (1995), Paperback, 400 pages

Description

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 spends hours tracking down stolen Indian artifacts. The construction of a new shopping mall uncovers fragments of human bone, revealing possible desecration of an ancient burial ground. the sabotage of construction equipment implicated Native American activists--particularly Jennifer's old flame, who is more attractive, and more 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 stand against the darkness. If she wavers even for an instant, she will be annihilated, and the world will fall into oblivion.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member amberwitch

Jennifer Talldear is a Native American PI in Tulsa. As part of an investigation of insurance fraud she duscovers the desecration of her ancestors burial mounds.
The investigation is started due to a bomb explosion on a building site and complicated by the discovery of Native American bones and

artifacts.
Jennifer is an interesting character, and her relationship with her live-in granfather and Medicine Man mentor rings true.
The complete turnaround of the male romantic interest - from arrogant male prig to respectful fellow initiate in the Medicine ways - ring lwess true, and the Evil of the story seems rather predictable and stale - insurance fraud, environmental destruction, avarice, spousal abuse are just some of his sins.

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LibraryThing member juniperSun

A standard detective story with Native American elements thrown in for local color. Action packed, except for some sections where her opinions on wife abuse, racial prejudice, or sexism were flaunted. A clearly defined Evil, and wrapped up ending are on the plus side. I hate to tag this with Native

American as she clearly states that she is not basing that part on reality, but the meme is a large part of the story line, and allows her to include other worldly action.
Not a bad book, but I had been saving this on my TBR as a treat and it did not meet my expectations like her SF/fantasy genre does.
ETA: seeing that this book won awards in Teen categories helps me understand the audience of this novel a little better, tho I also expect more of writers for that age group also.

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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey

Another old familiar - I've read this easily a dozen times. And still keep coming up with new interesting facets. I like Jennie (though it's a trifle startling sometimes when she's addressed as Jennifer, since that's my name - I don't use Jennie, fortunately). I keep looking for links to Misty's

other books/series - specifically, to Jinx High which is also set in Tulsa (well, near it). But I don't think it does link, aside from the general background. Actually, my impression of the area from Jinx High fits the stereotypes that Jennie complains about in Sacred Ground - especially "Oklahoma, the Flat and Treeless". Arrrgh, now I have to reread Jinx High to see if I'm remembering right.

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LibraryThing member dragonasbreath

This was fun, would LOVE to see more of this character. She has the usual woman doing a man's job problems, but she has fun and she does it in style

LibraryThing member AudraJean

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.

LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher

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.

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