PLACE OF THE MISTY SKY is a novel of the origins of the Classic Maya and the many mysteries surrounding those beginnings. It is also a look at their unique concept of three-dimensional Time in which no event is ever isolated or lost. This is a tale of two strange artifacts and how their influence reaches across a gulf of two thousand years into the present to once again draw their curious possessor into the ancient legend, for which they seem to hold the key. Connor Terry, art historian, has stumbled upon these artifacts in a collection he is preparing for a major auction. He soon realizes he must return to Guatemala, a place he knows well from his past, to pursue the origins of the artifacts. However, that will involve re-connecting with the one person who can help him there-the archeologist he once loved but abandoned twenty-years before. That trip will lead him onto a trail of mystery, murder, and political intrigue in the high stakes world of Pre-Columbian art smuggling, set against those dedicated to preserving their important national heritage. Connor must also come to terms with his troubled past and the consequences of his decision to pursue the legend the artifacts may reveal. Interspersed in alternating chapters is the story of Flint Sky, the ancient spirit keeper who was once entrusted with the key to the same mystery. Standing between the two opposing houses of the serpent and jaguar sign in the sprawling complex of stone mountains hidden in the vast Guatemalan forests, he will find himself caught in the struggle between the old gods and the new-and the powerful men who would use his knowledge to further their ambitions in a land that is about to change forever.
About the Author: Thomas Kuhn is a retired anthropologist, archaeologist, and former teacher. In addition to teaching college level anthropology and geography, he also taught high school English for several years. Additionally, he worked for seventeen years as an award-winning craft artist and operator of Rattler Crafts, an international business specializing in prehistoric Native American Reproductions. Publishing as T. C. Kuhn, he is the author of the six part People of the Stone series of novels detailing the origins and spread of Native American culture from the end of the Ice Age to the coming of the Spanish. Mr. Kuhn is currently working on a three-part series focusing of the rise, spread, and decline of the Classic Maya. He is also the author of the People of the Stone blog (www.peopleofthestone.com), which continues to address controversial and related topics in Native American and general anthropology and archaeology. He presently resides in West Columbia, SC.