“Cherokee speakers view the world as a large room … in this room there are all the things that have happened, will happen, or could ever happen … behaviors that people engage in today are witnessed by their ancestors … the events that affected their ancestors are also visible in this room.” (Introduction) A collection of short stories set across 200 years and multiple generations of two connected families begins in 1839. Ama Wilson is fleeing with her family and other Tsalagi people, pursued for being Native, hoping to reach Indian Territory before the Texas Rangers catch up with them. Slowed by her little brother’s fever, Ama and her family stop to give him a chance to recover. A strange man speaking German sets up camp nearby and attacks the family in the middle of the night, killing Ama’s mother and “feeding” from Ama, setting her on the path to becoming a vampire. This hair-raising opener sets the stage for stories that follow. Ama makes appearances throughout, a benevolent but powerful monster among a cast of humans and monsters, some supernatural, including zombies and werewolves (some, like Ama, using their powers for righteous good), others humans with monstrous intentions and actions. Each story is firmly grounded in specifics of time, sometimes referencing characters from earlier stories and generations. Beautiful book design also graces this volume, which includes striking illustrations incorporating the Cherokee syllabary (the author is Cherokee) and two family trees. (Age 14 and older)