From Publishers Weekly
Internal conflict threatens to destroy a Native American tribe in Coldsmith's latest adventure, which takes place on the Midwestern plains as several tribes try to fend off an aggressive tribe known as the Head Splitters. The Elk-dogs fracture when their young warriors exercise their blood lust in a successful attack against the Head Splitters, only to be reined in by their elders. The leader of the youngsters is a rowdy brave named Badger, who is banished when he accidentally kills the tribe's chief guide during a brief tussle. When Badger leaves, several of his followers go with him. This weakens the remaining ranks and forces the leader, Heads Off, to engage in a desperate series of maneuvers as the Elk-dogs are pinned down by the Head Splitters and winter approaches. Coldsmith (Raven Mocker; The Lost Band; etc.) is on familiar ground when it comes to portraying the minutiae of Native American life, although many of the details he musters are overly familiar. The background of Heads Off, at least, is intriguing-formerly known as Juan Garcia, the son of a Spanish nobleman, he became a tribal leader after being captured. The final face-off between the tribes is far too ordinary to make this book memorable, but the characters and the story line are well rendered, as Coldsmith does his usual solid job of bringing this historical culture to life.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The People of the Plains are led by Heads Off, who in another life was known by the name Juan Garcia. Circumstances placed him in a leadership role; he only stayed to share his life with Tall One, now the mother of his children. Since the defeat of their rivals many years earlier, life has been peaceful and food plentiful, but the young men of the tribe long for their own triumphs in battle. A bloody chance encounter with a small hunting party fans the flames, and soon the tribe is engaged in a war. Coldsmith, voted one of the greatest western writers of the twentieth century by the Western Writers of America, continues his Spanish Bit Saga with a morality tale containing lessons for modern readers. The People are drawn into war by a few warriors who seek personal glory, without regard for the consequences to their tribe. Coldsmith portrays the conflicted, often painful, role leaders must play while also exploring the dynamics of a society that has to reaffirm its value through armed conflict.
Wes LukowskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
