Iceman Awakens — Sharon Krasny

"Nine strikes and a few sparks. Thirteen strikes and a spark caught a little smoke, but I hurried and blew too much while jostling the needles. Focus Gaspare. I felt the call deep within where my blood retreated to stay close to my heart. Focus. My head felt sluggish and my movements dragged with effort. Slowing my breathing I rearranged the needles on the bark and struck again­-five strikes

and the little spark became an ember.

Gaspare, in the role of a young à -- tzi the Iceman, desperate to confront his fate and honor his father, receives the ultimate sacrifice. At thirteen with a gifted calling and promise of prophecy, he must face his failures, fight the oppression from his brothers, and learn to live in a society that deemed him a curse. This is Gaspare, the reborn Iceman found murdered on the à -- tzal mountains as he begins his tale that led him to that fateful day.

From questions surrounding the mystery of à -- tzi's mummy preserved from the Neolithic Era, this debut novel explores how he got some of his sixty-one tattoos, found his life's purpose in his copper axe, and how he lived. Iceman Awakens speaks of the timeless voices of love, destiny, and betrayal.