Ridgeline, Funke - A*

                   This is a fabulous historical novel penned by the same man who wrote 'The Revenant.' It is set in the Powder River Valley in the summer of 1866. As America expanded west, the US Army was tasked with building a fort, which was named after Gen. Phil Kearny. The army was intent on establishing a permanent settlement and brought along women and children. For the Sioux, this was a major transgression right in the middle of their hunting grounds. A Sioux chief, Red Cloud, decided to attack, and uniquely gathered together the Lakota and Ogalala Sioux, the Cheyenne, Minnicoujou, and Arapaho. The battle plan was designed by Crazy Horse, and implemented on December 21. Approximately 30 Sioux attacked the daily wood cutting party, knowing full well there would be a response. Both the cavalry and infantry fell into Crazy Horse's trap, which had over a thousand Indians waiting to pounce. The result was 81 dead American soldiers. The author's descriptive powers encompassing the characters involved, and the land in what is now Wyoming is extraordinary.

                  In the historical notes, it is pointed out that in 1868, the US withdrew from the Valley, abandoned the fort, and recognized the Indians sovereignty over parts of Wyoming, Montana, and  South Dakota.  Six years later, gold was discovered in the Black Hills and the US offered Red Cloud $6M. He declined, war ensued, the combined tribes defeated Custer in a Pyrrhic victory. The end of the Indians freedom soon followed. Before Red Cloud died at 87 in 1909, he said "They made us many promises, more than I can remember. But they kept one. They promised to take our land...and they took it."