Promised Valley War

Book excerpt: In Ron Fritsch’s four Promised Valley novels, prehistoric farmers inhabit a fertile river valley they believe their gods promised them in return for their good behavior and obedience. Their enemies, hunters roaming the mostly barren hills beyond the mountains enclosing the valley, believe their gods gave it to them. In the first book in the series, Promised Valley Rebellion, one farmer, who has just come of age and wishes to “go with” another man, secretly meets a young hunter who goes with men. They become lovers. Both peoples are pleased that men who go with men, as well as women who go with women, live among them. Since they don’t have children of their own, they can contribute their time and efforts to the betterment of their people in other ways, such as parenting orphans and abandoned children, remembering and retelling the stories handed down to them by their gods and ancestors, hearing disputes in place of the king, and fighting in the front ranks in their armies. Both peoples also, though, view consorting with an enemy as high treason. In Promised Valley War, the second book in the series, the youthful farmer and hunter who knowingly commit treason every moment they spend together, along with others among their peoples most curious about their “eternal” enemies and most willing to treat them as their equals, nevertheless set the stage for what they’ve feared more than anything else: another horrifying war. Joseph Yurt for Reader Views says: “It is the story’s prehistoric setting that provides the basis for the intellectual question which binds the Promised Valley books together: ‘Could civilization and history, with their countless heaven-sanctioned wars and genocides, have begun differently?’ With that as his touchstone, Fritsch thoughtfully and compassionately offers answers through the story and its characters. “In writing this multi-faceted novel, Fritch masterfully layers and blends several literary devices—intellectual twists and turns, enigma, allegory and parable—to create a story rendered in both intricate detail and simple wisdom. Even through the vivid telling of epic war and death, Fritsch employs both fantasy and genuineness to connect with and uplift the reader. “While Promised Valley War is an adventurous tale on its surface, it is not what it seems to be; it is much more. For me it was a book of revelations. For anyone who has never lost their child’s heart and imagination, Promised Valley War will compel them to consider all that the book has to say to them. That’s what unforgettable books do.” Kirkus says: “The author’s well-rendered descriptions of the creeping onslaught of war and winter give the reader a visceral feel for the endangered paradise that can occur despite the best intentions of the best people, and readers will be surprised by the twists he gives his tale. Alongside the careful plotting and natural-sounding dialogue, there’s a refreshing amount of deeper resonances in the Promised Valley series, a steady undercurrent of commentary of the present day. The treatment of the young hero Blue Sky’s attraction to other men, for instance, is straightforward but nonconfrontational, and characters at several points grapple with their society’s primitive theology. ‘Could gods who were good-hearted … allow humans to go to war with one another?’ the narrative at one point asks. ‘[I]f they, like humans, had no choice in the matter, why did humans call them gods?’ The novel will leave readers eager to find out what happens next in Promised Valley. Luckily, Fritsch has plans to add two more volumes to the series. A captivating novel that will transport readers back to prehistory times—while reminding them of their own.” Promised Valley War is the first-place winner in the Gay/Lesbian Fiction category of the 2011 Reader Views literary awards competition. Promised Valley War is the winner of the bronze medal in the Literary Fiction category of the 2011 eLit Book Awards competition. Promised Valley War is the winner of a finalist medal in Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Fiction category of the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards competition. Promised Valley War is the winner of the silver medal in the Action Fiction category of the 2012 Readers Favorite Award competition. Promised Valley War is a finalist in the Gay & Lesbian & Transgender Fiction category of the 2012 National Indie Excellence Awards competition.