The Contract Surgeon: A Novel - Softcover

O'Brien, Dan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803235879 ISBN 13: 9780803235878

Publisher: Bison Books, 2011

Synopsis

Winner of the Western Heritage Award, this beautifully crafted historical novel from one of the West’s most popular writers tells the true story of the friendship between Valentine McGillycuddy, a young doctor plucked from his prestigious medical career and newly married wife to serve in the army during the Great Sioux War, and the fearsome chief Crazy Horse. When Crazy Horse finally agrees to surrender to the United States, mistrust and treachery on both sides generate further conflict, and he is gravely wounded. McGillycuddy declares the chief his patient and struggles through a long night to keep his spirit alive. Set in the sprawling Great Plains during the most tragic period in its history, this tale of bravery, justice, and love weaves a tapestry of time and events into the account of a single day—the last in the life of Crazy Horse—to reveal the secrets surrounding America’s past.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Set in the Great Plains during the bloodiest period in its history, The Contract Surgeon is a tale of bravery, medical daring, justice and love. Dr. Valentine McGillycuddy, or Mac, is the young contract surgeon, pulled West from a prestigious medical career to be a surgeon for the U.S. Army in what would become known as the Great Sioux War of 1876. Crazy Horse is the legendary Sioux leader, the most feared of the Sioux war chiefs. His dedication to his people forces him - after years of war and famine - to surrender to the U.S. Army. One, a man of science. The other, a mystic. Their unlikely friendship defied their peoples' war. Mac is among the men who ride out with the column to accept the chief's surrender and is shocked to find that he recognizes the chief. They had met four years earlier in far different circumstances, each unaware of who the other was. Their friendship develops after the surrender, goes far deeper than either might have guessed. When rumors soar that Crazy Horse is plotting revenge against the army, he is arrested; and in a bungled attempt to contain him, the chief is stabbed. McGillycuddy declares him his patient. The army wants Crazy Horse to live - in death he will become an indestructible symbol of rebellion. In The Contract Surgeon, friendship is stronger than the law and the love of one friend for another is more binding than the Hippocratic oath. Beautifully written, set in the stunning North Dakota badlands, the novel documents the total destruction of a way of life while confirming the invincibility of the human spirit. Its tapestry of time and events is masterfully woven into the account of a single day - the last day in the life of the great war chief Crazy Horse - to reveal the secrets that created history. (6 1/4 X 9 1/4, 324 pages, map)

About the Author:

Dan O’Brien is the author of numerous novels and memoirs, including Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch, winner of the Western Heritage Award for best nonfiction in 2001 and selected as the 2009 One Book South Dakota winner. His books Stolen Horses, Equinox, and The Indian Agent are available from the University of Nebraska Press.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bison Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0803235879
• ISBN 13: 9780803235878
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256