Hachette recently sent us BLACK HILLS by Dan Simmons to review as part of our History Corner section! I am usually the person who reads any native American book, but I am bogged down with book reviews (be prepared, they'll be coming out on the blog about every other day pretty soon!), so I offered to let hubby read this one!
Simmons is the bestselling author of The Terror and Drood and is
back with a thrilling tale of supernatural suspense set on the American
frontier.
Synopsis: When Paha Sapa, a young Sioux warrior, "counts coup" on General George
Armstrong Custer, as Custer lies dying on the battlefield at the Little
Bighorn, the legendary general's ghost enters him - and his voice will
speak to him for the rest of his event-filled life.
Seamlessly weaving together the stories of Paha Sapa, Custer, and the American West, Dan Simmons depicts a tumultuous time in the history of both Native and white Americans. Haunted by Custer's ghost, and also by his ability to see into the memories and futures of legendary men like Sioux war-chief Crazy Horse, Paha Sapa's long life is driven by a dramatic vision he experienced as a boy in his people's sacredBlack Hills . In August of 1936, a dynamite worker
on the massive Mount Rushmore project, Paha Sapa plans to silence his
ghost forever and reclaim his people's legacy-on the very day FDR comes
to Mount Rushmore to dedicate the Jefferson
face.
Seamlessly weaving together the stories of Paha Sapa, Custer, and the American West, Dan Simmons depicts a tumultuous time in the history of both Native and white Americans. Haunted by Custer's ghost, and also by his ability to see into the memories and futures of legendary men like Sioux war-chief Crazy Horse, Paha Sapa's long life is driven by a dramatic vision he experienced as a boy in his people's sacred
Review: Paha Sapa (translated as Black Hills) has George Armstrong Custer;s spirit with him for over sixty years till it is released. He has a gift, in that he is sometimes able to see the past and future, with just touching a person and comes at odds with Crazy Horse, when he learns of the boys gift and tries to get him to reveal his own fate. The story goes back and fourth through Paha Sapa's life from the beginning to whom he marries, his son and finally his granddaughter and her descendants to show the difference he makes.
The character Paha Sapa is a great and likable character whom helps carve the Mount Rushmore presidents heads, but has a secret purpose behind working on the monument. He meets many famous people throughout the story, ranging from Libby Custer , Buffalo Bill Cody, to Gutzon Borglum. the narrative goes back and forth in time alot, but it is easy to keep up with and made the story interesting! It was interesting to get a different side of Little Big Horn than we normally get told about. I personally enjoyed the story and would give it a 5 out of 5 stars rating. Dan Simmons does a very nice job on this book.
Disclosure: This book was sent to me by Hachette Publishing for review purposes, free of charge. I was not told how to review it however, and no other compensation was given.
