Black Hills by Dan Simmons may be the first historical fiction book I’ve ever read. Historical fiction, as I recently learned, portrays fictional accounts of historical figures. In this case, Dan Simmons shares the story of a Sioux indian and through the eyes of a seemingly simple character Mr. Simmons pulls a great amount of depth from the life of a man struggling to overcome the loss of his heritage.
Black Hills is exciting from the moment it opens to the first scene taking place in the middle of a battlefield. As we learn who our protagonist is, Mr. Simmons takes us through multiple points within a very specific timeline that very quickly builds into an exciting complicated plot line with several different aspects.
True to the graphic American frontier, Black Hills is realistically crude and violent. The main character, whose name is Paha Sapa, gives the reader a first person view of the changing times as America expandes westward. This is far from a history lesson. While the story line takes place around some major points in US history the book is driven by the complexity of the wonderful character that Dan Simmons built into Paha Sapa.
This is a character driven novel. As the book progresses, the multiple points of conflict begin to merge into one epic tale centering on the unusual life of one American indian. Several times in the book Paha Sapa assumes fake names as his identity is shaped by his environment. Yet the overall theme is bigger than fulfilling one’s destiny. Black Hills is not driven by war, love, or hate. The story is fueled by the crushing weight of the protagonist’s quest to fulfill his place in the way of the Natural Free Human Beings.
Black Hills by Dan Simmons will be available on February 24, 2010. I highly recommend the book.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Below is a video in which the author, Dan Simmons, gives a wonderful summary of the story. I think he does a great job conveying the tone of the novel. (Please forgive the corny intro…)
3 comments ↓
Tried reading the book, but found there are way too many boring digressions. one whole chapter is about building of a bridge! Snoozeville!
This is one of my favs so far this year. It isn’t a quick or light read, thats for sure, but there is so much to reward a reader who is interested in the book
You know, I really tire of people who want “quick reads”…why do you want that? I find that the best books are the ones I spend the most time with, and that reward me by giving them that time. Simmons has written 27 novels. None of them that I know of are short or super easy to read. Paha Sapa and the other characters in this novel are fully realized people–you can’t tell the real historical figures from the fictional. There are no shortcuts–no perfect characters–no perfect endings…but Simmons greatly rewards his readers, and Paha Sapa at the end, with what I see as his most heart warming ending to a novel–a man who has hurt so much in his life deserves this kind of ending. I loved this novel, and anyone who appreciated the complexity of America and those who live here will feel the same.
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