Lakota

April 30, 1989
Written sympathetically from the point of view of the Indians, this western follows the life of Tacante, a Lakota (Sioux) warrior. Born in 1848, Tacante grows up amid increasing conflict with white soldiers and settlers. He joins Crazy Horse, takes part in a number of raids and battles (including Little Big Horn) and, at 30, feels he has entered a premature, demoralized old-age: most of his friends and relatives dead, tribal land stolen, bison decimated. Wisler ( The Return of Caulfield Blake ) packs plenty of subplots into this short novel, and while the action centers mainly on war with the white man, there are also detailed descriptions of hunts, inter-tribal warfare, friendship and coming-of-age rituals and social mores. But though the narrative is nicely paced and plotted, Wisler's stilted, hokey prose deflates a potentially interesting effort.