In 1940, scientists discovered the Spirit Cave Man's mummified remains near Grimes Point, Nevada. Since then, he has been hidden away from public view, unable to divulge the secrets of his life or of the people who inhabited the Great Basin 10,000 years ago. At last, author Dennis Cassinelli brings us a novel that sheds light on this enigmatic man and the ancient world he inhabited.

The Great Basin, 10,000 years ago....

Sixteen-year-old Turtle Who Fights lives with his clan near the Black Island Marsh. He yearns to be a great shaman like his grandfather, Mauwee, and seeks to absorb all he can about the natural world. Meanwhile, his tribe's nomadic lifestyle takes him on an inspiring journey that includes visits to the cave-riddled hillsides near Stillwater Marsh, the sanctified pyramid of Pyramid Lake, and a great gathering of tribes and clans in the pristine setting of Lake Tahoe. But danger strikes when an evil band of redheaded cannibals kidnaps members of Turtle's tribe and threatens the welfare of every clan in the Nosrac Valley.

In his breathtaking first novel, Cassinelli brings to life an ancient landscape of lakes and marshes and depicts a humanized portrait of a clan lost to the shifting sands of the Great American Desert.

The book also includes four appendices that discuss the historical subjects of the novel in further detail.