The Coming

January 2, 2017
The destruction of the Nez Perce, who were obliterated like other Native American tribes all across the American frontier during the 19th and early 20th centuries, makes harrowing history. Osborne, author of several non-fiction books on government and bureaucracy, has attempted to contain this history in novel form, from “the coming” of Lewis and Clark in 1805 to Chief Joseph’s War in 1877. Daytime Smoke, historical son of William Clark and a Nez Perce woman, leads us through this history at gallop speed—chapters skip years at a time—from the Nez Perce people’s initial hospitality to the explorers, through the betrayal of the tribe, first by Protestant missionaries and then by the American government. Over the span of seven decades, the red-headed Smoke seeks enlightenment. Respectful of old ways, a proven provider, warrior, and leader among the Nez Perce, he also longs to gain wisdom and knowledge from his father’s people. He advocates cooperation with the white settlers, learns their religion and their agricultural ways—and ultimately is betrayed. He is a full-blooded character, as is his wife, Darting Swallow, and, in the beginning chapters, Clark. But Osborne cannot keep up with his huge cast of real-life characters. So much time must pass to tell this story, and so many seminal historical figures are necessary to move the story along, that few of the natives, and virtually none of the whites (with the exception of the flawed and violent missionary Henry Spalding), are any more than passing mentions in the more than 500 pages. Though it is too much to fit in one novel, this work of fiction reaches a level of truth that history cannot in depicting the collision between these two civilizations.

January 15, 2017
Nonfiction author Osborne (The Price of Government, 2004, etc.) has written a historical novel beginning with the Lewis and Clark expedition and ending with the decimation of the Nez Perce tribe.As the company crosses the Rockies and encounters the Nez Perce, William Clark is the focus. The Nez Perce welcomed and aided the white Americans, and Clark was especially popular. He admired the tribe; Lewis thought them "savages." Clark became fascinated with a woman named Swan Lighting who bore him a son, Daytime Smoke, after he left her behind, and Daytime Smoke becomes the focus of the story as white incursion into Native American territory increases. Osborne shows a considered empathy as he describes tribal life. At first, as the tribe meets white trappers and mountain men, there's minimal conflict. Wanting to learn more from whites, the tribe welcomes missionaries--Sent Ones--but soon they find whites rigid and rapacious. Coexistence becomes impossible. Osborne brings historical characters to life and superbly individualizes numerous Nez Perce, some resisting white incursions, some wanting peace. The early narrative has a Garden of Eden innocence, but the latter portion--equally well-researched and rich in historical detail--becomes a depressing litany of white aggression and dark betrayal, especially as the Nez Perce are driven from their lands and attempt to link up with Sitting Bull in Canada. The pace never slackens as the Nez Perce succumb to the avarice and racial prejudice that stained the early industrial age. An epic story sure to be a hit with readers interested in the American western expansion.

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December 1, 2016
Daytime Smoke, the central character in this historical novel spanning the years 180577, is the (real-life) son of William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) and a Nez Perce woman, Swan Lighting on Water. Osborne, a veteran nonfiction writer, has done prodigious research, predominantly on the Nez Perce (Nimi'ipuu) to whom this sad book is dedicated. The Nez Perce story is in large part the story of Chief Joseph (Rising Thunder), whose words toward the end, I will fight no more forever, decorated many a dormitory wall as a poster during the Vietnam War era. As with Barbara Kingsolver, whose writing Osborne's resembles, missionaries (who are initially summoned by the Nez Perce) play a critical role in the disastrous relationship between whites (Soyappo) and Indians and how their cultural differences and white duplicity and violence, particularly over land, had tragic consequences. Osborne is eager to demonstrate his scholarshipsometimes the narrative lags under the weight of too much detailbut he brings deep understanding to the dynamics of the white-Indian conflict, and his novel makes fascinating and informative reading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)