Black Hills by Dan Simmons - Review

Paha Sapa, whose name means "Black Hills" in the Lakota language, is not yet 11 years old when General Custer takes his Last Stand. Paha Sapa is there in person, and on finding the corpse of the one his people call "Long hair," presses his hand to the dead general's chest to count coup. In so doing he becomes afflicted with the ghost of his people's enemy, which takes up residence within him. A startling relationship that abides throughout much of Paha Sapa's extraordinary life.

Sixty years after this historic moment, Paha Sapa is again part of American legend when he is working for Gutzon Borglum as a dynamiter on Mount Rushmore. Now diagnosed with cancer, Paha Sapa intends to blow up the monument the day President Roosevelt is due to arrive for a dedication ceremony. In so doing Paha Sapa hopes to avoid the fulfilment of a revelation given to him long ago, whilst seeking a vision for his tribe in the days following the Battle of The Little Bighorn.

The level of research Simmons has put into this novel is astounding. As I followed the life of Paha Sapa through the different time zones of the story, I was awed by the great swathe of history I was witnessing. The story flits between several different times in the life of its protagonist (something which at first is a little confusing,) revealing a broad vision of the changing landscape of America. As well as The Battle of The Little Bighorn, and the sculpting of Mount Rushmore, other iconic events are entwined in the story: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, The World's Columbian Expedition in 1893 with its landmark original Ferris Wheel, the messianic Ghost Dance prophecy, and the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. We also meet many remarkable historical figures such as Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and of course General George Armstrong Custer.

Custer provides further narrative perspective through part of this book as his spirit endures within Paha Sapa, composing explicit missives to his lost love. The absorption of the ghost of Custer is related to another gift the would-be Lakota holy man has: the ability to see glimpses of the lives and futures of people he touches.

All of this is a clearly constructed plot device by Simmons, which allows him through multiple perspectives to reveal the panoramic sweep of history that is such a key aspect of this story. If there is a fault with this book, it's that its ambition - so plain to see, necessitates such a device. At times the book also reads a little too much like a history lesson. Another criticism might be, that as there is no antagonist to speak off, it at times lacks dramatic tension. Whilst I think this is true, my interest was held in other ways, such as wanting to know the meaning behind Saha's vision.

The style of the prose is quite dense, and punctuated by Lakota terms which add authenticity but slow down the flow of the writing. Taken together with the changing perspectives and the jumping around in time, this is not a particularly easy read. At points the level of detail - such as when explaining the technical aspects of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge - made for a rather dry experience. Albeit one in which I learned a great deal.

There is a melancholy feel to much of this story, unsurprising given the tragic history of the native peoples of the Great Plains. To Simmons credit he never falls into the horrible sentimentality which so often plagues writing about Native Americans. The native culture revealed here has many faults, but the spiritual subtlety of Lakota belief is still visible.

Paha Sapa himself is a great character. I liked him a lot, and found him to be utterly believable. He has a quiet self-deprecating demeanour, and a dry irreverence at times that I enjoyed. I also found I could really empathise with him, and at no point did he seem like a parody or stereotype. The story of his life, the relationships he forms, and the encounters he has are truly remarkable.  His meeting with the woman who becomes his wife and the mother of his child is beautifully told. It holds a rare uplifting moment in the life of Sapa, otherwise so full of heartache and tragedy.

The ending of the book is a surprise, and a largely satisfying conclusion to the story. Although the last vision Paha Sapa has, left me feeling slightly incredulous. When I finally read the last chapter of the story, and then read the epilogue, I was astounded by how much of the story is based on fact.

This then is a meticulously researched, densely written, visionary tale of the death of one culture and the birth of another. At its conclusion there is a spiritual optimism inspired by science as much as anything else; a counter to the otherwise pervasive sadness of much of the novel. This book is unlike anything I've ever read, and it leaves a strong impression. It is a love story, and a story of the terrifying power of human ambition and ego. It speaks of our ability to destroy and to create, and of course how these are both twin aspects of the same awesome power. Like the gift of The Thunder Beings given to the crazy lightning struck Heyoka.

I'm not sure I can say this is a fun read. It is, however, so much more than that. It is a truly ambitious narrative journey across one of the most remarkable historical landscapes of the modern era, and a moving meditation on the power of the human spirit.

Black Hills
by Dan Simmons
487pp, published in the UK by Quercus and in the US by Reagan Arthur Books, UK Hardback £16.99/US $25.99.

Available from the Book Depository