Kirjahaku

"Win Blevins, that master yarn-spinner, has done it again with 'The Rock Child.' A wonderfully wild one which you don't want to miss." - Tony Hillerman. "Packed with drama, adventure, humor, the lore of American Indians and Tibetan Buddhists, plus unforgettable historical characters, this book is a dazzling tour de force and a deeply moving story. A wild mythic novel of the American West. The climax would satisfy the Buddha himself "- Library Journal An unlikely trio comprised of the Shoshone Indian Asie, a Tibetan nun, and Sir Richard Burton-the famous soldier and explorer-flees from the Utah Territory to California in 1862. The Destroying Angel of the Mormon Church, Porter Rockwell, pursues them relentlessly. The journey is jam-packed with unforgettable incidents and colorful characters, including a fledgling journalist named Mark Twain. In the end Asie discovers why he was named the Rock Child, what it means to be a man of color in America, what spiritual path will nurture him, who his people are, and the strength of love.Reviews"Blevins, whose book Stone Song fictionalized the life of the legendary Crazy Horse, has stated his aim is to write 'mythic novels of the American West.' He meets that goal in The Rock Child.The voices shift between an Indian-Anglo musical savant; Sun Moon, a virginal Tibetan nun shanghaied into American prostitution; and Sir Richard Burton, real-life explorer, linguist, and Arabian Nights translator. Joining Burton in rescuing Asie and Sun Moon from a dreadful fate is Mark Twain, a comedic catalyst that surprisingly few historical novelists have thought to exploit. Like Twain, Burton is well drawn. He's a cultivated, Sean Connery-type sinner who feels badly about his appetites, and the picaresque passages told from his perspective enliven this ambitious narrative." - Library Journal"A colorful novel set among the Mormons in 1862, featuring such real folks as Sam Clemens, Sir Richard Burton, Brigham Young, and Porter Rockwell, by the author of Stone Song, Win Blevins. Half-Indian Asie Taylor, a musical prodigy who has been accepted into the Church of the Latter-day Saints, drowns when his delivery wagon is overturned in a flash flood. He experiences an out-of-body experience, returns to life, and is amazed to see the scarred but beautiful face of Sun Moon above him. Sun is a Tibetan Buddhist nun who was kidnapped in Asia and shipped to America to be sold into prostitution. Tarim, the tavernkeeper who bought her, expects to resell her for a hefty sum."When Porter Rockwell, a Mormon known as the Destroying Angel (he seeks out and kills enemies of the church) buys Sun Moon, he attempts to satisfy his lust. Frustrated by his inability to do so, he disfigures her face. Sun Moon flees and falls in with Asie, who has decided to go in search of his origins and the meaning of his Shoshone name, Rock Child. Meanwhile, Rockwell is in pursuit of Sun Moon, determined to kill her-and anyone who gets in his way. "Tibetan-speaking Sir Richard Burton, a brilliant opium addict, is in Salt Lake City to persuade Brigham Young to form a separate Western Confederacy. Burton saves Asie and Sun Moon from Rockwell and joins their quest. For a while, Brigham Young gives them sanctuary from Rockwell, though Rockwell later follows the trio to San Francisco."'Life is a flabbergaster, ' says Asie Taylor, hero of Win Blevins's The Rock Child, a story that will flabbergast every reader who opens it. This is a rich, funny, fascinating, meaningful, and memorable novel from the author of that incredible masterpiece about Crazy Horse, Stone Song." -Rocky Mountain News"Win Blevins displays an antic imagination, not only in mingling actual and invented characters, but in melding gritty action-adventure with metaphysical musings." - Dale Wasserman, author of Man of La Mancha

Land holds the stories of people, their legends, and their history. Yellowstone National Park is an extraordinary tale of people and the earth through time and this travel guide goes with you along the journey. Learn about the Indians who lived or traveled through Yellowstone, as well as the mountain men who were the first white people to discover Yellowstone, the government explorers who mapped it and fought to make it a park, the poachers and other explorers--foreign and domestic, high-born and low-born, who sojourned here. You will be led through all the travails, thrills, dramas, and serene satisfactions of the people over the park's history. Easy and enjoyable to read, this travel guide allows you to begin at whichever of the five park entrances you use and follow the park's story as you follow the road.

Did you ever need to spell ""dogie"" (as in, get-along-little) or need to know what a ""sakey"" is? This is the book that can tell you how to spell, pronounce, and define over 5,000 terms relative to the American West.Want to know what a ""breachy"" cow is? Turn to page 43 to learn that it's an adjective used to describe a cow that has a tendency to find her way through fences where she isn't supposed to be. It describes some teenagers we know!Spend hours perusing the dictionary at random, or read straight through to get a flavor of the West from its beginnings to contemporary days. Laced with photographs and maps, the ""Dictionary of the American West"" will make you sound like an expert on all things western, even if you don't know a dingus from a dinner plate.Compiled of words brought into English from Native Americans, emigrants, Mormons, Hispanics, migrant workers, loggers, and fur trappers, the dictionary opens up history and culture in an enchanting way. From ""Aarigaa!"" to ""zopilote,"" ""the Dictionary of the American West"" is a ""valuable book, a treasure for any literate American's library."" - Tony Hillerman.

"A tale of life, love, and the enduring bond between man and nature... Mac "The Dancer" Maclean has always embraced the wilderness of the American West. From a young man just beginning to live to his adulthood as a daring explorer in the Rockies, Mac has always felt his destiny pulling him to the fertile banks of the Yellowstone River. Traveling west with a small band of fellow explorers, he ventures deep into the heart of uncharted territory. With a gripping narrative that spans generations, Mac creates a life fully his own, leaving behind a legacy built on the wild rapids of the river he calls home. An adventurer's story told like never before, the Rivers of the West saga follows those compelled by the evocative grasp of the untamed frontier, looking to carve out a place in America's most awe-inspiring backcountry. Win Blevins' masterful storytelling takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the American frontier, reminding us all that even in the afterlife, great authors like Blevins continue to shape our understanding of history and adventure."

A tale of life, love, and the enduring bond between man and nature...Mac "The Dancer" Maclean has always embraced the wilderness of the American West. From a young man just beginning to live to his adulthood as a daring explorer in the Rockies, Mac has always felt his destiny pulling him to the fertile banks of the Yellowstone River.Traveling west with a small band of fellow explorers, he ventures deep into the heart of uncharted territory. With a gripping narrative that spans generations, Mac creates a life fully his own, leaving behind a legacy built on the wild rapids of the river he calls home.An adventurer's story told like never before, the Rivers of the West saga follows those compelled by the evocative grasp of the untamed frontier, looking to carve out a place in America's most awe-inspiring backcountry.

A soulful odyssey to reclaim one's homeland... The northern Cheyenne call Powder River country their sacred home. Now held captive far to the South in so-called Indian Territory, the remnants of this once-mighty nation are growing weak. To survive, the Cheyenne must battle their way to their ancestral home, fending off the pursuit of well-armed soldiers.Among this outnumbered band are Adam Smith Maclean, born both white and Cheyenne, and his beautiful wife Elaine, a strong-willed New Englander determined to stand by Adam and his desperate, daring people on their trek through the hostile heart of the West-toward the welcoming banks of their beloved Powder River.An adventurer's story told like never before, the Rivers of the West saga follows those compelled by the evocative grasp of the untamed frontier, looking to carve out a place in America's most awe-inspiring backcountry.

A destiny defined by the exploration of a lifetime... When Flare O'Flaherty-son of Ireland, mountain trapper, and gambler-agrees to lead a group of missionaries downriver to the remote headquarters of the mighty Hudson's Bay Company, he doesn't expect to face the greatest challenge of a wandering man's lifetime in the form of the Snake River.Accompanied by Margaret Jewell and Shoshone Sima, Flare searches for his destiny along the mighty river that bears the shape of a serpent-and holds the promise of home.An adventurer's story told like never before, the Rivers of the West saga follows those compelled by the evocative grasp of the untamed frontier, looking to carve out a place in America's most awe-inspiring backcountry.

A spiritual quest becomes a wild adventure...A would-be priest, Dylan Campbell signs up with Nor'West Company to bring God to the Indians. But as he travels across the mighty Saskatchewan in the company of a mystical wanderer called the Druid, he witnesses acts of violence, carnality, and evil he never thought possible. Meeting a beautiful woman at Fort Augustus and a white-bearded enemy among the fierce and bloody Piegan Indians, Dylan learns what it means to brawl and scratch and struggle for life in refuge of the legendary High Missouri-utilizing mind, body, and soul.An adventurer's story told like never before, the Rivers of the West saga follows those compelled by the evocative grasp of the untamed frontier, looking to carve out a place in America's most awe-inspiring backcountry.

A first-hand account of the West's most renowned period-the North American fur trade.Step into the untamed world of Joe Meek, a legendary figure of the West's trapper era. Born in rural Virginia in 1810, Meek's journey begins in St. Louis at the age of eighteen, where he embarks on a thrilling career in the fur trade.As a member of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, Meek finds himself among the esteemed company of Kit Carson, Thomas Fitzpatrick, and the Sublette Brothers. In book one, readers are transported to the rugged landscapes of the Rocky Mountains, California, and the Southwest, experiencing firsthand the challenges and triumphs of a mountain man's rugged life.With vivid descriptions of the wilderness and Meek's unfiltered observations, Win Blevins brings to life a bygone era of adventure and danger in this colorful memoir.

Filled with raw adventure, the joyous story of life in the untamed wilds of the American frontier continues.In this second volume, Joe Meek comes to light as pioneer, sheriff, US Marshal, and legislator. Through his wondrous adventures, he becomes an important part of Oregon's formative years, as well as that of the entire Northwest.Authentically human, Meek details the struggles of women, Native Americans, missionaries, trappers, early settlers, explorers, and the Hudson's Bay company, and how they all came together to shape a territory-and finally a state.With vivid descriptions of the wilderness and Meek's unfiltered observations, Win Blevins brings to life a bygone era of adventure and danger in this colorful memoir.

A first-hand account of a daring and brash adventurer whose exploits shaped the American West.In 1830, a mysterious traveler, known only as a passenger from Vera Cruz, caught the attention of Cincinnati locals with his cryptic remarks about Mexico. Little did they know, this enigmatic figure was James O. Pattie, whose extraordinary tales would captivate readers for generations.Renowned author Timothy Flint, intrigued by Pattie's stories, delved into the adventurer's remarkable life, uncovering a treasure trove of daring escapades and remarkable encounters. From traversing the untamed Western plains to navigating the complexities of Native American relations, Pattie's journey was one of resilience, ambition, and boundless curiosity.In this meticulously crafted memoir, Win Blevins brings to life James O. Pattie's explorations with vivid descriptions and raw authenticity.