Promised Valley Peace

Promised Valley Peace is the fourth and last novel in Ron Fritsch’s Promised Valley series. Blue Sky and Wandering Star and the other conspirators and their allies from the first three novels give up on the gods, whose existence many of them doubt, and discover how to use horses in warfare. They prepare to employ them in a last battle against the die-hards led by the brutal War Cloud. The purpose of the allies is to bring the prehistoric enemy hunters and farmers together as one people in a “new kingdom” and end warfare between them forever.

The US Review of Books: “This story ties up all the loose ends and leaves the reader with closure and satisfaction as they turn the last page, assuring devotees of this tale a pleasing ending. The friendship and affection between these youths is heartwarming, the sweeping action of the battles and combat is breathtaking, and the pacing is rapid-fire and wastes none of the readers’ time. While perhaps being a little graphic for younger readers, teenagers and adults will be swept away by the details that bring this saga to life and to its close.”

Kirkus Indie Reviews: “The novel convincingly depicts a society in which homosexual relationships are conducted openly with no lessening of public esteem, and Fritsch handles the theme with a no-fuss skill reminiscent of Mary Renault’s. Blue Sky, Wandering Star, and their various allies and enemies also contend with the introduction of horses as beasts of war in the valley’s latest conflagration. Fritsch tells a very detailed, very human story. Some of the book’s younger characters admirably seek to forge a real, lasting peace in their lifetimes, and the interminable threat of war allows Fritsch to make the conflict an allegory for every human conflict to come. There’s a sad moment of irony when a character late in the book hopes that their peoples will ‘never go to war again.’ A wise, bittersweet conclusion to a sprawling tale of prehistoric war and peace.”

Reader Views: “While this story is set at the end of prehistoric times, it made me reflect on how we share many of the same issues even today. For the people of this valley, they had horses to go to war, in our modern times we have weapons of mass destruction. Yet we share a common issue of having to deal with people that are greedy and manipulative for their own gain. In the story and in real life, people from different backgrounds will go against each other because of perceived differences, yet at our core we all come from the same origin. I found Ron Fritsch’s Promised Valley Peace very thought-provoking and I enjoyed being able to return to see what was happening in the lives of these people. Even though they were created in the author’s mind, he writes in such a way that the land and the people are very real and the readers who have been following this series will be happy to see how it concludes.”

Feathered Quill Book Reviews: “Upon finishing Promised Valley Peace, my take away from this body of work is a strong sense of having experienced an incredibly interesting epic tale of “what if” had the beginnings of time played out as Mr. Fritsch had so adeptly written across the pages of his series. His signature style of writing several subplots, twists and turns in the early pages delivers an intrinsic feeling of being at the starting line of a champion race that is about to begin. Indeed, Mr. Fritsch has accomplished fantastic closure to his epic series in book four, Promised Valley Peace. Quill says: The answer to the question of peace is delivered and then some in Promised Valley Peace. Book four stays true to the author’s intent in that it is genuinely thought-provoking with an epic ending that complements this intriguing civilization of people.”