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Reviewed by Anne Boiling for Readers' Favorite
"Black Hills" by Dan Simmons is a historical novel with a mystical quality. This is a fictional account of past events. The book opens with General Custer dying at Little Big Horn in 1876. Ten year old Sioux warrior, Paha Spapa, lays his hand on the chest of Custer as he takes his dying breath. Custer’s ghost enters the young man, leaving him able to see both the past and the future, by touching people.
The plot continues by reminding the reader of tales of the American West. Time moves on to 1936, Sapa plans to destroy Mount Rushmore on the day FDR is scheduled to dedicate Jefferson’s face. The mountain on which the monument is carved was sacred to the Lakota tribe. Sapa takes a job working with dynamite, hoping for an opportunity to set his plan in motion.
Dan Simmons is a master of characterization. The plot skips around through history using actual events as it tells the story of the American west. Simmons handles this style well. However, for the reader, it may be a bit confusing at times. The descriptions are vivid and the method he uses to reveal history is uncanny. Simmons makes this mystical take more realistic by discussing the Brooklyn Bridge and the Chicago World’s Fair. I knew little about the Lakota culture. It was a pleasure to learn more about these noble people. The length of this novel is daunting. Toward the end, I felt the author lost focus and went off on a tangent. "Black Hills" is a fascinating read and one that readers will enjoy.
