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Show r i . i n.j... in , ii i m,.,,,,., ..nwiuu, i.iiihii.. mm , i.i. m m i "' 1 '1 - A western epic that shouldX remedy your cabin fever "Once more Hardeman came as a peacemaker. This time there would be no sleeping village wakened by the sound of gunfire and bugles. He had come to make peace and peace there would be no matter what the cost." by Nan Chalat The Snowblind Moon, A Novel of the West, by John Byrne Cooke. Simon and Schuster, 1984. Hardbound, 6K6 pp.. $18.95. The events in John Byrne Cooke's novel take place in late winter, just before spring, when the weather swings between wind-driven blizzards bliz-zards and glaring sunshine, during the month the Lakota Indians call "the snowblind moon." The story unfolds in a fictional valley in the Wyoming territory shortly after the Civil War and has all the ingredients of a traditional Western epic cowboys, Indians, soldiers and mountain men all reliving the conflicts and conquests of the American frontier. The central theme of the book is a tried-and-true classic the inevitable inevit-able clash between the white and Indian cultures. The heroes, as you might expect, are seeking a peaceful coexistence.against the pressures of prejudice and progress. They include Chris Hardeman, a calvary scout, and his young friend Johnny Smoker, a white youngster raised by Indians who now walks a thin line between the white and Indian worlds. Hardeman and Smoker set out to convince a Lakota chief to surrender to the approaching army in exchange for safe transport to the Dakota reservation. In the process they meet Lisa Putman, inheritor of Putnam's Park, a former roadside inn for wagon trains heading to Montana and California. Lisa's household includes her uncle Bat Putnam, a grizzly but N ii ' M. ViiMXv,, r : lovable mountain man, Julius, a former black slave, and Ling and Harry Wo, the Chinese cook and the blacksmith. This unlikely crew lives next door to a small group of friendly Indians who form the Sun Band. Their leader is Sun Horse, who is well respected among the other Indians and thought by Hardeman to be a key to a peaceful settlement of the Indian wars in the West. Sun Horse was also Lisa Putnam's father's close friend and turns out to be Johnny Smoker's grandfather. The complicated loyalties add drama and emotion to Sun Horse's pivotal decision whether to stand and fight or surrender. But just as negotiations get under way, an errant circus troupe . shows up at the inn, surprising and confusing both the Sun Band and the inhabitants of Putnam's Park. The ensuing melee makes for engrossing reading on a snowy afternoon. Though the action is somewhat predictable, Cooke manages man-ages to steer away from many of the overworked cliches of noble savages, down-trodden minorities and lonesome lone-some prairie women. There is still the satisfaction, however, of knowing know-ing who the bad guy is and seeing the hero and heroine finally locked in ' a romantic embrace. Cooke, who lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, seems in this first novel to be determined to include every trick in the writer's trade. As a result some of the language seems to be a forced combination of Indian idiom and eloquent Eastern literature. There is no shortage of descriptive detail or long flashbacks full of heart-wringing personal tragedy. For this reason The Snowblind Moon will probably not achieve the status of a classic. However, the story is well crafted and will provide hours of pleasant reading during this Snowblind moon. |