Shadow of the Spear

By: Carolyn London

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Synopsis: When his father is killed by a hideously-masked warrior, young Zarga places his spear in his parent's blood and vows to avenge the untimely death. Someday he will be Chief Elder of the tribe, as his father had been. But to Zarga his mission of vengeance is more urgent than his future chieftaincy. Tall Teacher, a gentle missionary who talks about a new God, teaches that one should love his enemies. Although Zarga finds the white man's message strangely attractive, he can't give up his search for his father's unknown murderer. A sacrifice-demanding stone god who binds the villagers with chains of fear . . . a hidden "sacred cave" . . . deliberately poisoned water supplies . . . distrust of the white man's medicine despite village-wide sickness--these build Zarga's fear nearly to the breaking point. Shadow of the Spear is an adventure in reading. Its vivid pictures of African superstitions and violence point out the terror of life apart from God.