BLACK HILLS by Dan Simmons - SIGNED LIMITED EDITION BOOK
See all titles by Dan Simmons.Black Hills is an
important and revelatory novel, the most singular accomplishment to
date by the always unpredictable Dan Simmons. With empathy and great
narrative power, it illuminates a significant chapter in the nation’s
history, and takes us deep into the heart of an extraordinary American
life.
The story begins at the
Battle of Little Big Horn in June of 1876. Eleven-year-old Paha Sapa
(whose name, in the Lakota dialect, means “Black Hills”), is present at
the precise moment of Custer’s death, a moment that will have enormous
ramifications. The narrative that follows encompasses eighty years of
highly charged history and ranges from the eponymous (and sacred) Black
Hills of South Dakota to the Dust Bowls of the Great Depression to the
emerging face of Mount Rushmore, where an astonishing revelation awaits.
On one level, Black Hills
is a story of profound and inescapable loss: of family, of cultural
heritage, of the ancient gods that once dominated the Lakota’s world.
On another, it is a visionary account of love, hope, and unexpected
discovery, and a meditation on the Mystery that lies “at the heart of
the heart of the universe.” Absorbing, moving, and constantly
surprising, Black Hills is, by any standard, a major novel, another landmark achievement in a constantly evolving career.