“Promised Valley Conspiracy” by Ron Fritsch

Promised Valley Conspiracy

Ron Fritsch
Asymmetric Worlds (2012)
ISBN 9780615739250
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/13)

Author Ron Fritsch’s “Promised Valley Conspiracy” follows the tales of “Promised Valley Rebellion” and “Promised Valley War.” In this saga, agriculture is new and the farmers have settled in a fertile valley. The hunters in the barren hills believe that the gods want them to have the fertile land in the valley as well. This has ignited a war between the people of the hills and the people of the valley. It also causes problems with the hill people among themselves. Many of them try to escape to the valley to avoid starvation. Thunder Hunter, a warrior of their own, has an encampment with soldiers nearby with the sole purpose of slaughtering these people who are from their own society. The valley people are horrified when they see these slayings. Neither the elderly nor the children are spared.

Some of the valley people welcome their former enemies into their land and allow them to live alongside them. They realize that part of the reason that these people are starving is because so many of their family were killed off in the war that took place between each other. Hoping for peace, they try to forge an alliance so that the fighting will be over. Thunder Hunter becomes a common enemy.

Originally, the hill people had thought that farming was unnatural and evil. To the valley people, hunting and gathering was viewed as being backward and brutal. As the two groups begin to join together they find a common ground in realizing that in spite of these differences they are very similar in other ways, especially in regards to their love and care of their families and each other. Both sides are also accepting of homosexuality, and some unions are made between men of the valley and hills. They get past the idea of it being treasonous. A new era is coming and it is time for peace among the people. I suspect that this won’t happen quite just yet because there is a fourth novel in this series.

I enjoyed reading “Promised Valley Conspiracy” by Ron Fritsch. Unfortunately, I feel that I would have been able to relate to the characters more if I had been able to read the first two prior to this one. Even though the characters are described, not following along in what they experienced beforehand made it take longer for me to feel a connection with them. The author’s creativity in writing a series such as this is to be admired. I noticed as the two different tribes of people learned to see similarities amongst their differences; it is the same in our world today. Lack of understanding of the beliefs of others creates a disconnection and fear among people. Learning to understand and respect the differences makes for a better world whether it is prehistoric or current. There are many valuable lessons to be learned in this story.