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.

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.

“Cassinelli has done a wonderful job of getting into the heads of his characters, making each person real and distinct. His knowledge of archeology and the setting greatly enhances the story, but doesn’t overwhelm it. You won’t feel like you’re reading a textbook. Instead, readers will feel like they stepped out of the modern age into life in the Great Basin centuries in the past, and into a great adventure. If you’d like to treat yourself to a book that isn t formulaic or run-of-the-mill, read Legends of Spirit Cave.”

— Deana Hoover, Carson Times

“Dennis Cassinelli combines science with interpretation, fact with a highly believable fictional narrative. [Legends of Spirit Cave] will enhance our perceptions and understandings of very early Nevada history and is sound enough to be used in the classroom as a basis for discussion. Mr. Cassinelli’s years of research on the very early inhabitants of the Great Basin — and Nevada in particular — and his strong belief in scientific investigation and validation, require judicial and open-minded reading of the story he weaves.”

 — Mary Ellen Conaway, Ph.D., Director of Museums, Carson Valley Historical Society

Paperback: $20 (All proceeds from the paperback version benefit the Friends of Sutro Tunnel charity.) Paperback copies include four appendices that discuss the historical subjects of the novel in further detail. These appendices are not included in the digital version.)
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eBook: $4.99 on Amazon
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