This was Robert Shea's last historical novel. Weak character development, exciting action, intriguing plot tracing the survivors of the Black Hawk War in 19th century Illinois.
Says almost nothing about Sauk and Fox culture or concepts outside of basic animism, and some songs that are precious -- woven into the story wonderfully.
As Historical Fiction, fine display of spirit of the actual events -- Black Hawk Wars fought just prior to the Civil War.
Some of the incidental action -- the inerrant accuracy of Greenglove's marksmanship even at night when he is drunk and shooting without preparation or time to "draw" the proverbial bead at a figure fleeing across broken ground, for example -- are not plausible. The author seems to have no personal understanding of woodlore, craft mastery, no feel for what woman actually do, no sense of the import of human consciousness.
But the plot is enriched with the color inherent in the French Lord's emigration to Illini Indian lands, with feuding sons, race hatreds, and an almost Homeric vision of the futility/inevitability of warfare. Perhaps ironically, the "hero" Shaman never actually kills anyone.... ( )