Black Hills: A Novel - Hardcover

Simmons, Dan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 031600698X ISBN 13: 9780316006989

Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books, 2010

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 sacred Black 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.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Black Hills is an important and revelatory novel, the most singular accomplishment to date by the always unpredictable Dan Simmons. With empathy and great narrative power, it illuminates a significant chapter in the nation's history, and takes us deep into the heart of an extraordinary American life.The story begins at the Battle of Little Big Horn in June of 1876. Eleven-year-old Paha Sapa (whose name, in the Lakota dialect, means “Black Hills”), is present at the precise moment of Custer's death, a moment that will have enormous ramifications. The narrative that follows encompasses eighty years of highly charged history and ranges from the eponymous (and sacred) Black Hills of South Dakota to the Dust Bowls of the Great Depression to the emerging face of Mount Rushmore, where an astonishing revelation awaits.On one level, Black Hills is a story of profound and inescapable loss: of family, of cultural heritage, of the ancient gods that once dominated the Lakota's world. On another, it is a visionary account of love, hope, and unexpected discovery, and a meditation on the Mystery that lies “at the heart of the heart of the universe.” Absorbing, moving, and constantly surprising, Black Hills is, by any standard, a major novel, another landmark achievement in a constantly evolving career.

About the Author:

Dan Simmons is the award-winning author of several novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Terror and Drood. He lives in Colorado. Visit www.dansimmons.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 031600698X
• ISBN 13: 9780316006989
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 496