Black Hills: A Novel

As I write this review the audio version of Black Hills is not yet available from the store. My local library had it and it is wonderful!!!I am a book person. Buying with a single click is my favorite computer event. I love paper books. I love my Kindle. And since my current drive time is around 20 hours per week audio books are a new love.

Other reviewers compared this to other Dan Simmons books. Can't do that since I've never read them. I don't care. Most of what those reviewers said is just so much noise to me.

This is the only book I've ever come across that really should be heard rather than read. The Lakota Indian words would be just letters on a page but read by Erik Davies and Michael McConnohie they come to life!

This is a wonderful tale weaving well documented history from the Brooklyn bridge to the black hills, from the battle at Little Big Horn to almost current times. And then you add a couple of real men, one the famous General Custer and another a real plains Lakota Indian, toss in a lot of heart and you have a great story. And don't forget to read the epilogue.

This is the best audio book I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. And, it ranks on my list of favorite books ever. I finished the book hours ago and am already mentally planning a cross country trip with my husband just to hear it again. And, the store, I'll single click to pre-order my copy. This is the first audio book I MUST have in my permanent collection.

I really liked the way Dan Simmons uncovered a very important piece of history that helped shape and mold the land we are known today. If you took a poll, NOT many people have visited North Dakota even with Mount Rushmore, but what a magical place the reader goes to here. Unsuspecting, quiet, and a failure in his own sense and to the closest around him, Paha Sappa takes the reader on the interesting road of himself as an Indian becoming an American. Dan Simmons is the best in conjuring the ghoulish and grim. With close touch to the Supernatural and just plain being human. He manages to deliver a hardy read you will get done and look forward to reading and being with Paha Sappa daily.

Simmons writes this long book like an autodidact. The character journeys through the Eocene epochs, Custer's last stand, building of Mount Rushmore, Chicago's world fair, Cody's wild west show. Building the Brooklyn bridge, the battle of Somme, W.W.1. Indian on indian warfare, Belgian Jewry, A critique of Henry James's "Ambassadors." There is a fair amount of Lakota language and lore, with the character's name repeated about thousand times. My main problem with the book is that Simmons is more sympathetic to Belgian jewish holocaust then to the whole of Indigenous Americans Holocaust, with his compareing Crazy horse to Hilter,an his obvious anti indian attitude.

I had some initial difficulty getting into Black Hills because of the use of American Indian language and descriptions. that took some getting used to. Another issue I had with the book involved the chapters about Custer, mainly with the italicized font which was difficult to read. Having said that, once I got into the meat of the story, I found it hard to put down. The story was engrossing, especially the scenes that took place at Mount Rushmore. The writing style and some of the plot reminded me of some of Stephen King's early works. I have been enjoying Dan Simmons recent novels, his style of combining factual historical events with exciting stories, and this is one of the best. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

I enjoy historical novels, especially when it takes place in a location that I visited and enjoyed. Dan Simmons writing keeps your interest aloft even when the main character has returned to earth. His description of physical surroundings create a picture in your head that brings the story to life. It is a great trip!

I really enjoyed this novel. The author fully explores the Native culture and myths as well as the history of the period. The paranormal elements were not overwhelming the story which was great. The characters were great. It was humorous and humane and not really scary at all. Loved it!

Black Hills, by Dan Simmons, begins with Paha Sapa, a young Lakota boy, touching the body of the dying General George Custer at Little Big Horn. In that moment, Custer's spirit enters Paha Sapa's body. It doesn't leave for over sixty years.

Paha Sapa experiences this more than once with people. He has Custer's spirit in his head, but he also can see the pasts and futures of many people he meets, including Crazy Horse. During his initiation ceremony to become a man, Paha Sapa also experiences a terrible vision of the future; four large stone presidents of the United States careening across his beloved Black Hills, eating everything in their sight and leaving all behind them to waste. Paha Sapa grows up as his Lakota family and the other native tribes of the Great Plains die out. He comes to the decision that he must destroy these stone presidents before they destroy his land. So he sets out on a plan to blow up Mt. Rushmore before the monument is complete.

Paha Sapa is a wonderful character; he is so good and so kind and so aware of his culture disintegrating around him. He is a complicated person who hates what the white settlers have done to his land but who also respects and admires their ingenuity and passion. He is one of the most achingly lonely characters I have met in a very long time. He is kind to everyone, but is set apart by his race and by the ghost in his mind and by other people's memories crowding out his own memories. I fell in love with him and his quiet dignity.

I also enjoyed the story and Simmons' storytelling approach. There is a true sense of immediacy for the reader in each chapter. The narrative jumps around a lot, from the 1870s to the 1930s and between Paha Sapa and General Custer. One thing I found odd but eventually grew used to is that all dialogue is done in italics, with a dash in front. There is really never a "he said" in the whole book. This was confusing at first, especially when two characters were talking to each other, but eventually I got used to it. I also was initially confused by the jumping around in the dates, but eventually settled in. I think this book begs for a re-read so that I can appreciate all the subtleties in the writing when I go back, knowing the story's full arc.

Native American history is conveniently swept under the rug in history class; no one wants to hear about how their exalted country decimated an entire population. When Native American history is taught, the tribes are often grouped together as one people, which is unfair. And they are given these almost mystical qualities of defending the planet against the ravages of greedy white people. Simmons doesn't play this card in his novel and I'm happy for it. There are moments of idealism in the book, yes (particularly the last thirty pages or so), but his characters also acknowledge that the tribes of the Great Plains were not perfect. Simmons shows us the emotional toll that westward expansion had on one Lakota man, and how his life was affected by it. It's a very intimate and highly moving portrait. While I think the ending of the book was very protracted, it certainly gave me a lot to think about with regards to the future. And I enjoyed getting a sense of General Custer, though the first few chapters from his point of view were far more erotically charged than I'd ever have expected.

Custer comes alive in this book, and never more than when he speaks of his great love for his wife. And so I greatly appreciate Simmons' novel for reminding me, gently, that a person should not be defined by one battle, or one moment, even though history makes it so easy to do so. Black Hills is a good story, but I like the book because it reminded me that it is too easy to have a vague idea of history that can, quite frankly, be inaccurate. Or at the very least, only tell half the story. Simmons tells two sides of a story here- Paha Sapa's and Custer's, and he does so in a beautiful and empathizing manner. Highly recommended.

Simmons layers his Lakota lectures with satisfying tedium. One must read slowly to digest the richness of his research. The reflections of the aged Lakota and his remarkable journey are captivating and heart crushing. A wonderful read for us Indian lovers. Bea

Something happened to Dan Simmons after "Drood". Was he replaced by a sharp-toothed doppelganger, set with the purpose of undoing all of his previous works?

The reviews of "Flashback" alone make me want to cry. Did Dan Simmons find Jesus or join the Tea Party movement?

Let's begin with "Black Hills," perhaps the beginning of the end for Mr. Simmons.

The premise was hokey to begin with (young Sioux boy finds himself possessed by the spirit of General Custer), but I stuck with it for a while because...well, really was such a big fan of everything he did before. I say "premise" because...well, it's really just a forced excuse to throw in a bunch of unconnected history, from Mount Rushmore to the Brooklyn Bridge. It's great if you are a history buff, but for the rest of us, a pastiche of items from a certain time period does not make for compelling reading.

I mean it with utmost respect. I *want* Dan Simmons to do much better than this. I know he is fully capable of doing much better than this.

There are a few good ideas in there--the Sioux / Lakota culture *is* actually quite interesting to read about (I'm part Sioux myself, as it turns out), but it all fizzles out in the end like the Ghost Dance that never happened.

Not to spoil too much, but the Brooklyn Bridge was the turnaround point for me. I literally could not read it anymore. The main character decides then and there that white people are just as holy as the holy people of his own culture. Ick. Are we supposed to forget everything we read about Little Big Horn and the early days? Suddenly we find we are apologists for everyone--Custer, Crazy Horse, and even the weak-but-marginally-interesting Paha Sapa.

In the end, it turns out Mount Rushmore is just a rock.