"I had to finish this heart-wrenching novel…. cheered for Leah through her triumphs. . .and cried with her as she grieved….Any author who can make me care so much about her characters, any author who can draw me so far into the story, will certainly make a fan of me. I will definitely read [Gail Holstein's] work again!
- April Dawn LeFevre, Holbrook Tribune-News, Holbrook, Arizona

“WAKING THE ANCIENTS will keep readers up all night, too. It's a suspenseful tale, tautly told, and set in one of the most fascinating parts of the world.”
- Nancy Pickard, best-selling author of The Whole Truth

“…a profound and chilling tale of what can happen when you give away your power of intellect to another human being….If you’ve ever tried to help a loved one free themselves from any sort of addiction, whether a cult, drugs, or alcohol, Leah’s pain becomes your own in this deep and engrossing work. The unique storyline, great dialog and array of characters stuck with me long after I’d finished the book. Gail Wanman Holstein is one fabulous writer.”
- Ingrid Taylor, Small Press Review

"WAKING THE ANCIENTS is that rarest combination, not just a thrilling story of outdoor adventure, complete with love, betrayal and murder, but at the same time a spiritual adventure that awakens the soul. And above all, it's a crackerjack can't-put-it-down read."
- Lorenzo Semple Jr., Screenwriter, Three Days of the Condor, The Parallax View, Papillon

"…Holstein’s offering shows both promise and polish that is increasingly hard to find in the industry, even among ‘best-selling’ authors….Holstein has achieved the rare but essential combination of a compelling read, rendered with stylistic precision. The added complexity contained within her novel’s pages is merely the icing on the cake."
- Katharhynn Heidelberg, The Journal, Cortez, Colorado

“Gail Holstein’s WAKING THE ANCIENTS is a fast-paced tale of our times in a timeless setting.”
- Bruce Berger, poet, pianist, naturalist; winner of Western States Book Award and Colorado Book Author Award for The Telling Distance

“WAKING THE ANCIENTS is a novel you won’t put down, a suspenseful adventure whose characters get trapped in a nightmare…high in the cliff wilderness of Arizona. Gail Holstein fascinates with her knowledge of the mysterious Mogollon, cliff dwellers who disappeared hundreds of years ago…in a plot filled with tension, then escalating terror. Think Hillerman mixed with Mary Higgins Clark. I highly recommend!”
- Barbara Bartocci, popular, multi-book author of Nobody’s Child Anymore and others

"A page turner…Only Gail Holstein could write about such diametrically opposed life styles and bring them both to life.”
- David Sontag, screenwriter, producer, Director, Writing for the Screen and Stage Program,
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"...written by a woman who is obviously knowledgeable about and loves the history and culture of the ancient Anasazi civilization….we see that civilization is only a thin veneer over the savage beast."
- Jeannine Wait, The Times-Independent, Moab, Utah

“…a clever amalgam of a survivalist thriller and a psychological study of how power within groups goes wildly out of balance and cults form….Holstein has pared her short novel down into a page turner that you may finish in a few hours. Then wait for the movie. With the scenery and suspense, Holstein’s book would make a fine summer thriller.”
- Patricia Miller, The Durango Herald, Durango, Colorado

“Writer Gail Wanman Holstein has some experience with the archaeology and artifacts of the cultures central to her story….Holstein has created a faceted, sympathetic character in Leah Ellis. The reader cringes as she fawns for any attention Branson might toss her; is heartened when she begins to step up to her role as alpha female….a suspenseful, cultures-related story that’s hard to put down.”
- Christine Wald-Hopkins, Tucson Weekly, Tucson, Arizona

“It’s fun to read, and the survival information is a practical bonus.”
- Judi Siegfried, Silver City Daily Press, Silver City, New Mexico

“The sheer originality of this tale keeps the reader interested, and sometimes enthralled.”
- M. Lawrence, FearlessBooks.com

“Waking the Ancients is a good and satisfying read. Holstein grabs the reader’s attention with her setup and transparent writing that has an eerie undertone….The reader can always count on being unbalanced while experiencing the book’s surprising twists and turns. All in all, a delicious page-turner.”
- Larry Greenly, abqARTS, Albuquerque, New Mexico

“Holstein evokes the terrible beauty of the Mogollon Rim and debunks the modern utopian and romantic notion of ‘getting back to nature’….the reconstruction of native culture, especially its spirituality, becomes a central focus: magic arises when they pit themselves against nature. As Holstein reminds us, this struggle comprises the story of humanity…Waking the Ancients is a readable novel that often evokes the ever-shrinking wild places and our vital need for them.”
- Gregory L. Candela, Southwest BookViews