Black Hills

A Novel

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Erik Davies, Michael McConnohie

When Paha Sapa, a young Sioux warrior, "counts coup" on General George Armstrong Custer as Custer lies dying on the battlefield at the Little Bighorn, the legendary general's ghost enters him - and his voice will speak to him for the rest of his event-filled life.

Seamlessly weaving together the stories of Paha Sapa, Custer, and the American West, Dan Simmons depicts a tumultuous time in the history of both Native and white Americans. Haunted by Custer's ghost, and also by his ability to see into the memories and futures of legendary men like Sioux war-chief Crazy Horse, Paha Sapa's long life is driven by a dramatic vision he experienced as a boy in his people's sacred Black Hills. In August of 1936, a dynamite worker on the massive Mount Rushmore project, Paha Sapa plans to silence his ghost forever and reclaim his people's legacy-on the very day FDR comes to Mount Rushmore to dedicate the face.

A Great Tale from a truly talented writer

I do not know why I downloaded Black Hills. But I am truly glad that I took the time to check out the book. It's a totally emcompassing work of historical fiction. The author has taken great pains to study the culture of the Lacota Sioux -- in particular, Paha Sapa -- who we meet when he is a child of 11. Paha Sapa, whose name means Black Hills in Lacota, takes a minor part in "The Rubbing Out of Long Hair." He becomes haunted with the ghost of General Custer and carries that hostile spirit in his mind until he grows old.
Paha Sapa's journey follows the history of the Sioux nation. His entire tribe is murdered by the U.S. Army. He has to learn to live in the world of the people he calls "waichu". These are the white men, who the indians refer to as "fat takers".
As the plot develops, we learn much about Sioux language and culture. Paha Sapa joins Buffolo Bill's Wild West Show. He becomes a demolition expert and works on the monument at Mount Rushmore. Of course, he becomes a husband and father. My only regret is that Mr Simmons left out many details in the courtship of Paha Sapa and his wife, Rain.
If you love a great story, you will not be disappointed it Black Hills.

Worth a listen, not among my favorite Simmons book

I generally enjoy Dan Simmons books, with "Carrion Comfort" being among one of my all time favorites.

This book is one of Simmons' recent trend for historical fiction, such as "Everest" or "the Terror." For myself, I am not as much of a fan of his historical books (I almost gave up on Simmons after reading "The Crook Factory") but I did find Black Hills enjoyable and worth the listen, It still suffers from some of the flaws of some of the other Simmons historical fiction, such as his tendency to bring in famous historical figures into the books as if to say, "see how well I researched this topic." I also found the ending to be a little too 'deus ex machina.'

Worth a listen.

Lots of History & Detail

Good Story, Excellent narrator. Libby character 1st showing is annoying. Gets better. Killer Historically !

Good Story

I like Dan Simmons' historical fiction stories, like Drood and The Terror, and this one did not disappoint, or at least not much. It did feel like it was dragging at times, but I felt the same about Drood and The Terror. I thought the performance was good, and if the pronunciation of the Sioux words was incorrect, I'll never know, but it sounded authentic to me.

Great story wrapped around fascinating history.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I have, because it's an especially interesting story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Black Hills, or Paha Sapa. He is a common man, with uncommon powers, that he himself doesn't entirely understand. Faced with a life full of joy and hellacious hardships, he has a faith that he follows to the end.