First North Americans books in order

Reading order

The First North Americans series is a monumental achievement in prehistoric fiction, spanning twenty-nine books published from 1990 to 2022. Co-written by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear, the series reconstructs the lives of North America’s earliest peoples, from Arctic hunters to Mississippian mound builders to Pacific coast fishermen. Each book focuses on a different culture, time period, and region.

The “People of” naming convention runs through most of the series, with titles like People of the Wolf, People of the Fire, and People of the Sea indicating the specific culture featured. The Gears draw on their professional archaeological training to create detailed, believable prehistoric worlds, while telling stories of love, war, spiritual crisis, and political power that feel timeless. Later entries like People of the Canyons (2020) and Lightning Shell (2022) show the series still going strong after three decades.