KITTERY, Maine, Nov. 15, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Racken has never been to the ends of the earth. He cannot speak to reindeer, he cannot fly like a bird, and he has never seen the all-mother, nor does he want to. At the age thirteen, Racken's only concern was to become a hunter for his tribe, but everything changes when an odd band of men come to Racken's village. Follow his journey of self-discovery and marvel at The Touch of Bark, the Feel of Stone, a fascinating novel by R.I. Miller.
Racken lives in the time before -- before the vast forests of Great Britain were chopped down, a time when people gathered roots and berries and hunted and fished in a land where aurochs, wolves, and deer roamed and huge flocks of birds clouded the sky. It was a time before people wrote, a time before his people raised sheep or cows. It was a time when Indo-European tribes began to arrive.
Racken's tribe was one of the old tribes, and the old tribes began to fear what they saw happening: why were there fewer deer and the fish that filled the streams were not as plentiful, and why had the weather changed? Why, indeed, were there so many mysteries, and more importantly, who were these people who came over the water to settle in the land of the people?
When he was thirteen, Racken's only concern was to become a hunter for his tribe, like his father was; but all that changes when an odd band of men come to Racken's village. And to his surprise, his mother apprentices him to their leader, Mathen. It is with these men that Racken learns the depths of friendship and fear, hate and trust, love and loss. This journey brings him to the very edge of life, and the vision he brings back challenges him and his tribe. Beginning with great reluctance, Racken learns and becomes much more than he had ever imagined.
The Touch of Bark, the Feel of Stone is now available for your reading pleasure. To get a copy of this fantastic book, just visit a local book retailer near you or just log on to Xlibris.com today!
About the Author
Born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, R. I. Miller wrote for and was chief editor for the "independent" college paper. After college he traveled, worked, and wrote fiction or poetry whenever he could -- though for very long periods of time, he was his only audience. The author has had a story or two published in literary journals and online magazines. R. I. Miller makes his home in Maine.
"Of all the things that writing demands, time is the most important: time simply to write, to develop, to lose yourself, to find yourself, and to continue. I think the fabric of life and time is made of more than human beings can digest. Trying to digest it all in spite of our limitations is what my writing is about." - R.I. Miller
The Touch of Bark, the Feel of Stone * by R. I. Miller
Publication Date: May 12, 2008
Trade Paperback; $15.99; 175 pages; 978-1-4363-2856-2
Cloth Hardback; $22.99; 175 pages; 978-1-4363-2857-9
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7479. Tear sheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Marketing Services. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x.7876.