Black Hills: A Novel - Softcover

Simmons, Dan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316186651 ISBN 13: 9780316186650

Publisher: Reagan Arthur / Little, Brown, 2011

Synopsis

Paha Sapa, a young Sioux warrior, first encounters General George Armstrong Custer as Custer lies dying on the battlefield at Little Bighorn. He believes--as do the holy men of his tribe--that the legendary general's ghost entered him at that moment and will remain with him until Sapa convinces him to leave.

In BLACK HILLS, Dan Simmons weaves the stories of Paha Sapa and Custer together seamlessly, depicting a violent and tumultuous time in the history of Native Americans and the United States Army. Haunted by the voice of the general his people called "Long Hair," Paha Sapa lives a long life, driven by a dramatic vision he experiences in the Black Hills that are his tribe's homeland. As an explosives worker on the massive Mount Rushmore project, he may finally be rid of his ghosts--on the very day FDR comes to South Dakota 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 / Little, Brown
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0316186651
• ISBN 13: 9780316186650
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 640