Promised Valley War

Promised Valley War is the second book in Ron Fritsch’s four-novel Promised Valley series set in prehistoric times. Blue Sky, the farmer’s son who led the rebellion in the first book, and Wandering Star, the young hunter who became his lover, realize they and their peoples will suffer for the high treason they knowingly commit every moment they spend together. They, along with the other individuals on both sides willing to treat their “eternal” enemies as their equals, nevertheless set the stage for what they’ve feared most: another horrifying war.

In Ron Fritsch’s four Promised Valley novels, prehistoric farmers inhabit a fertile river valley they believe their gods promised them in return for their good behavior and obedience. Their enemies, hunters roaming the mostly barren hills beyond the mountains enclosing the valley, believe their gods gave it to them. In the first book in the series, Promised Valley Rebellion, one farmer, who has just come of age and wishes to “go with” another man, secretly meets a young hunter who goes with men. They become lovers. Both peoples are pleased that men who go with men, as well as women who go with women, live among them. Since they don’t have children of their own, they can contribute their time and efforts to the betterment of their people in other ways, such as parenting orphans and abandoned children, remembering and retelling the stories handed down to them by their gods and ancestors, hearing disputes in place of the king, and fighting in the front ranks in their armies. Both peoples also, though, view consorting with an enemy as high treason. In Promised Valley War, the second book in the series, the youthful farmer and hunter who knowingly commit treason every moment they spend together, along with others among their peoples most curious about their “eternal” enemies and most willing to treat them as their equals, nevertheless set the stage for what they’ve feared more than anything else: another horrifying war. Joseph Yurt for Reader Views says: “It is the story’s prehistoric setting that provides the basis for the intellectual question which binds the Promised Valley books together: ‘Could civilization and history, with their countless heaven-sanctioned wars and genocides, have begun differently?’ With that as his touchstone, Fritsch thoughtfully and compassionately offers answers through the story and its characters. “In writing this multi-faceted novel, Fritch masterfully layers and blends several literary devices—intellectual twists and turns, enigma, allegory and parable—to create a story rendered in both intricate detail and simple wisdom. Even through the vivid telling of epic war and death, Fritsch employs both fantasy and genuineness to connect with and uplift the reader. “While Promised Valley War is an adventurous tale on its surface, it is not what it seems to be; it is much more. For me it was a book of revelations. For anyone who has never lost their child’s heart and imagination, Promised Valley War will compel them to consider all that the book has to say to them. That’s what unforgettable books do.” Kirkus says: “The author’s well-rendered descriptions of the creeping onslaught of war and winter give the reader a visceral feel for the endangered paradise that can occur despite the best intentions of the best people, and readers will be surprised by the twists he gives his tale. Alongside the careful plotting and natural-sounding dialogue, there’s a refreshing amount of deeper resonances in the Promised Valley series, a steady undercurrent of commentary of the present day. The treatment of the young hero Blue Sky’s attraction to other men, for instance, is straightforward but nonconfrontational, and characters at several points grapple with their society’s primitive theology. ‘Could gods who were good-hearted … allow humans to go to war with one another?’ the narrative at one point asks. ‘[I]f they, like humans, had no choice in the matter, why did humans call them gods?’ The novel will leave readers eager to find out what happens next in Promised Valley. Luckily, Fritsch has plans to add two more volumes to the series. A captivating novel that will transport readers back to prehistory times—while reminding them of their own.” Promised Valley War is the first-place winner in the Gay/Lesbian Fiction category of the 2011 Reader Views literary awards competition. Promised Valley War is the winner of the bronze medal in the Literary Fiction category of the 2011 eLit Book Awards competition. Promised Valley War is the winner of a finalist medal in Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Fiction category of the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards competition. Promised Valley War is the winner of the silver medal in the Action Fiction category of the 2012 Readers Favorite Award competition. Promised Valley War is a finalist in the Gay & Lesbian & Transgender Fiction category of the 2012 National Indie Excellence Awards competition.

Promised Valley Peace is the fourth and last novel in Ron Fritsch’s allegorical Promised Valley series. The 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 to bring the prehistoric enemy hunters and farmers together as one people in a “new kingdom” and end warfare between them forever. Individuals who partner with persons of the same gender are once again in the front lines, risking their lives for their peoples. The first three novels—Promised Valley Rebellion, Promised Valley War, and Promised Valley Conspiracy—have won a number of awards. Reviewers have included these comments about the series. Reader Views: “It’s the story’s prehistoric setting that provides the basis for the intellectual question which binds the Promised Valley books together: ‘Could civilization and history, with their countless heaven-sanctioned wars and genocides, have begun differently?’ With that as his touchstone, Fritsch thoughtfully and compassionately offers answers through the story and its characters. While it’s an adventurous tale on its surface, it’s not what it seems to be; it’s much more. For me it was a book of revelations. For anyone who has never lost their child’s heart and imagination, Promised Valley War will compel them to consider all that the book has to say to them. That’s what unforgettable books do.” Kirkus: “The author’s well-rendered descriptions of the creeping onslaught of war give the reader a visceral feel for the endangered paradise that can occur despite the best intentions of the best people, and readers will be surprised by the twists he gives his tale. Alongside the careful plotting and natural-sounding dialogue, there's a refreshing amount of deeper resonances in the Promised Valley series, a steady undercurrent of commentary on the present day.” Feathered Quill: “An imaginative and well-crafted piece of fiction, featuring plenty of action and unexpected twists and turns. The suspenseful battles, sweeping scenery, and interpersonal drama would undoubtedly be a satisfying mix on the big screen. Are you listening, Hollywood?”

Promised Valley Conspiracy is the third novel in Ron Fritsch’s four-book prehistoric Promised Valley series. Fritsch continues to ask if history and civilization, which prehistory gave birth to, could’ve begun differently. US Review of Books: “There is a traditional, epic tone to the book that is reminiscent of Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey. It is a story whose firm, relentless action is the narrative drive of this novel. It fascinates with pages filled with excitement and drama. Fritsch’s world is one filled with wondrous surprises, where there are no damaging thoughts among the people toward same-sex unions. It’s refreshing to see the disappearance of negative cultural trappings found in today’s world.” Kirkus: Promised Valley Conspiracy “explores the ongoing conflict between the valley people, who are prosperous farmers occupying all the richest Promised Valley lands, and the hill people, who inhabit the sparser uplands and live bitterly, believing that their gods promised the valley and its comforts to them. Since the valley people have a similar belief about themselves, a state of dangerous friction exists between the two groups. Savage warfare and desperate diplomacy marked the well-orchestrated events of the first two books, and tensions continue to boil to the surface in this volume. These books continue to be an intelligent and involving look at the personal sacrifices of making war and keeping peace.” Reader Views: “The author’s creativity in writing a series such as this is to be admired. I noticed as the two different peoples 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.” Feathered Quill: “I highly recommend the captivating and interesting Promised Valley series. Quill says: A thought-provoking tale of intrigue and ‘what ifs’ had life played out in Promised Valley fashion.”

In Ron Fritsch’s four Promised Valley novels, prehistoric farmers inhabit a fertile river valley they believe their gods promised them in return for their good behavior and obedience. Their enemies, hunters roaming the mostly barren hills beyond the mountains enclosing the valley, believe their gods gave it to them. Promised Valley Rebellion, the first book in the Promised Valley series, is a story of forbidden love. The farmers’ king refuses to allow the marriage of the coming-of-age prince to the daughter of the farmer who saved the king’s life in the last war with the hunters. Her brother decides he has to help his sister and the prince, his boyhood friend, correct the flagrant injustice. That decision leads them and their allies into a youthful rebellion against the king and his officials, who rule the kingdom from their bluff-top town. The far more numerous farmers in the villages below, who despise the officials but not the king, and who admire the prince, are in a position to determine whether the rebels will succeed or face execution for treason. Kirkus says “the story encourages the reader to ponder the universal elements of the tale” and calls the prehistoric world of the novel a “strange, primitive world that feels winningly real.” The US Review of Books says the novel “is a good tale that feels real, with a strong promise and a good twist at the end,” and a “good book to read by the fire in wintertime.” Promised Valley Rebellion is the winner of the gold medal in the Literary Fiction category of the 2010 eLit Awards competition. Promised Valley Rebellion is the first-place winner in the Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Fiction category of the 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards competition. Promised Valley Rebellion is the winner of the silver medal in the Historical Fiction category, and a finalist in the General Fiction category, of the 2011 Readers Favorite awards competition.

Promised Valley Conspiracy is the third novel in the four-book Promised Valley series by Ron Fritsch. The farmers and hunters have ended the fighting in the horrific war they started in the second novel, Promised Valley War. Both sides understand, though, that new and possibly even more deadly fighting threatens. Blue Sky and Wandering Star and their allies among the hunters and farmers realize they must depart from the thoughtless hatred of the past if they want matters to proceed to a favorable conclusion for both peoples.

What would the war do without me? We March at Midnight is award-winning author Ray McPadden’s chronicle of his experience as a highly decorated Ranger Officer leading some of the most dangerous missions during the height of the Iraq and Afghan wars. In 2005, Ray joined the army in search of what he calls “the moment”—a chance to prove to himself and his brothers in arms that he is a true leader. His job is to establish the first outpost in the Korengal, Afghanistan’s deadliest valley, and his decisions and mistakes will have a permanent impact on the men he commands. During the fifteen-month tour, his unit receives numerous decorations for valor while suffering nearly 50 percent casualties, ultimately accomplishing their mission in a land considered unwinnable. Prowess with a rifle platoon soon earns Ray a position in the world’s premiere raiding force, the 75th Ranger Regiment, an accomplishment earned by less than 1 percent of the officers in the US Army, and during the most combat-heavy period of the twenty-first century. Ray spearheads the first joint-strike force of Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, in a shadow war against the agents of a foreign government, where lightning raids by helicopter, armored vehicle, and foot are his nightly routine. In 2009, when Ray returns to the same corner of Afghanistan where his military career began, he suddenly finds himself tasked with leading Rangers against a target he knows all too well: the home of friends from his first tour. As he leads one last raid, Ray is at war with himself. Conquering this unexpected enemy proves the greatest challenge of all. We March at Midnight is a blood-spattered tour de force of growing up, leadership, the nature of war, and its aftermath.