Medicine Hat

Spanish Bit Saga #25

by Don Coldsmith

When Pipe Bearer, the young shaman of the Elk-Dog people dreams of a powerful spirit-horse--one bearing distinctive, hat-like markings on its head and ears--he knows he is being sent an important message. But he cannot interpret its meaning. Soon after, a colt is born bearing the exact markings he dreamed about and he is directed to undertake a long quest to the lands of the Pawnee and Lakota in order to learn the meaning of this event. Disguised as traders, he and his wife, Otter Woman, will encounter many wonders and not a few dangers before they discover the meaning of the colt with the Medicine Hat.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Westerns

268 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Don Coldsmith was an American author of primarily Western fiction. A past president of Western Writers of America, Coldsmith wrote more than 40 books, as well as and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. His “Spanish Bit Saga,” a series of related novels, helped to re-define the Western novel by adopting the point of view of the Native Americans, rather than the European immigrants.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I didn't like about this book was the disappearing brother character, Swimming Elk. He doesn't exist in the later part of the book.

[Jessie Armstrong · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the better of the three books of the series that are basically told around the story fire after the fact. Perhaps the first time he wrote like this he got good reviews, but I really don't know how. Without giving away any spoilers, it is fairly predictable.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good "Western" story. It's actually not like your normal American Western tale. Lots of nicely developed characters and a nice continuing storyline. Recommended

[Quinton Guillaume]

good