The Shintae By Brian R. Hill Publish America (2005) Reviewed by Rebecka Vigus for Reader Views (2/06)

The Shintae takes the reader to a distant time where survival of the fittest is the law. Mr. Hill pits the evil mountain people, Cantaens, against the forest people, Maraens. The quest is to find the Shintae, a stone of magic powers, and unharness the magic.

Kaer, "a native of the forest lands of Marae”, he was just short of six feet in height, he was tall for his race.” He had found the Shintae and was returning home when he was caught unawares by the evil Cantaen warrior, Sartae.

"Sartae was a terrifying sight.” Sartae's reputation for torture in the name of fun has reached Kaer, who only anger's the warrior by laughing in his face. Leaving Kaer for dead, Sartae and his troops return to their homeland to try and harness the magic of theShintae.

Meanwhile, Kaer recovers and is joined by Angharad on a quest to recover the stone. Together they set out to recapture the Shintae and return it to Marae. Separated during a blizzard the two each go their separate ways toward recovering the stone.

The detail of man vs the elements in this story is enough to keep the reader glued to the pages. Who will triumph in the battle for the Shintae? Will the Cantaens be able to take over the Maraens? Will the Maraens outwit the Cantaens? Does Kaer recover? Does he have one last battle with Sartae? Do Angharad and Kaer meet up again? These and many other questions are only answered if you read the book.

As a first book, Brian R. Hill has a hit on his hands. I found it to be an easy read, yet one I had trouble putting down. The action begins in the first two pages and is non-stop right to the end of the book. I look forward to seeing more by this author.