Grey Eyes

by Frank Christopher Busch

In a world without time and steeped in ceremony and magic, walks a chosen few who hold an ancient power: the Grey Eyes. True stewards of the land, the Grey Eyes use their magic to maintain harmony and keep evil at bay. With only one elderly Grey-Eye left in the village of the Nehiyawak, the birth of a new Grey-Eyed boy promises a renewed line of defence against their only foe: the menacing Red-Eyes, whose name is rarely spoken but whose presence is ever felt. While the birth of the Grey-Eyed boy offers the clan much-needed protection, it also initiates a struggle for power that threatens to rip the clan apart, leaving them defenceless against the their sworn ememy. The responsibility of restoring balance and harmony, the only way to keep the Nehiyawak safe, is thrust upon a boy’s slender shoulders. What powers will he have, and can he protect the clan from the evil of the Red Eyes?

Genres: Indigenous, Fantasy, Young Adult, Canada, Historical Fiction, Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Frank Christopher Busch is a member of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and grew up in northern Manitoba. He has spent his professional life working with First Nations businesses, non-profits and governments at the band, regional tribal council, provincial, national and international levels. He lives in Westbank First Nation, British Columbia.

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, I joked with my sister that it was the perfect combination of our interests - indigenous culture for her and magic for me. While I definitely enjoyed the magical aspects, there was lot of reasons that I loved this book. I found it initially a bit confusing (the many long names and the clans to which they belong) and a little slow to start but once it got going I could hardly put it down. It brought me closer to a culture I know very little about but should. I googled and borrowed books from the library to translate the Cree words. I researched the stories. I wrote down quotes from the teachings that I enjoyed. Including such detailed descriptions of the teachings and ceremonies really brought the culture to life for me. I generally enjoy a Good vs Evil story and this one did not disappoint.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.
The first half of the book is very slow, and I found the dialogue throughout to be stilted, but overall the story is good and I enjoyed the glimpse into a different culture.

[Sophie Tonet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply written and full of good life lessons. Also threads together many teachings of Indigenous peoples for those who may just be learning about them.

[Marie Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! What a powerful book. This book teaches us the respect and thanks that we need to give to anyone in need and to Mother Earth. It’s a battle of good and evil. It describes ceremonies that are used to give thanks to what the earth has provided to its people. Never has a book left me feeling like this, but in a good way. Great indigenous Manitoba author, thought provoking novel. This should be a must read for all students.

[Michele Rule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take an adventure back to the time when First Nations people held their rightful place in North America and join young Little Grey Bear Boy as he learns about his special gift of Grey Eye magic. A fantastic tale filled with First Nations culture and traditions, mixed with magic and the struggles of coming of age, culminating in an age-old battle between good and evil. An awesome read for youth from any culture - and engaging for adults as well. Frank Busch has skillfully shared his talent of writing and his love of his culture in this book - hopefully the first of many!

[Stephen Maser · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story about pre-contact First Nations, it allows to see how a small tribe lived as well as some fantasy aspects. It is the winner of the 2015 Burt Award.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Would love a sequel....

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book needs a wider audience! I can't believe there are only 58 ratings at the time of this review.

There are a lot of characters, so at first, I found myself referring to the family tree list at the beginning of the book a LOT. (Thank you, author, for including this!) However, this full cast is there for a reason, because while this may look like a story of a magical boy coming of age in a battle between good vs evil, it is also a story of community. The way the clans interact shifts as the story takes shape, and makes for some powerful moments near the end. Once I got the feeling for who is who, the entire cast came alive. The author makes the characters easily relatable by using modern speech and colloquialisms, which was a warmer and more accessible way to write speech than other historical fiction fantasy style novels. The text is simple enough to be accessible to teenagers, and complex enough to be enjoyed by adults.

I know from his notes that the author was inspired by interviewing residential school survivors who mourned the loss of their culture. He has made traditions come alive by thoroughly documenting and describing them. I could feel the significance of each ritual and tradition through the characters.

The story built around this thorough documentation is a tale as old as time, the chosen one versus a great evil. The climax, however, really taps into the community that has been building throughout the book, which I found refreshing and appropriate.

The ending is filled with bittersweet hope, and I would sure love to read a sequel. It would also work beautifully as a film.

Overall, I would rate this book as a 4.5 out of 5. The dialogue was sometimes too repetitive or on-the-nose, but I rounded up to 5 stars because I had such an enjoyable time reading this book, and I learned so much. I can't stop thinking about it. Thank you, author, for the time and passion you put into this book.

[Michelle Lerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I loved this book. As others have written, it starts off slowly and picks up speed once the reader is comfortably situated and understands the characters and surroundings-- and it then becomes very difficult to put down. The writing is good and the story keeps moving. It really needs to be made into a movie, though it would take the right director to do it justice.

Frank Busch said he wrote the book in response to a comment he heard from many residential school survivors he interviewed-- that they wanted their culture back. He spoke to elders and gathered information about what his own community was like before contact with settlers, and then wrote a story that both communicates a lot of the beliefs, traditions, and ceremonies of his nation and also places them in the context of a fast-paced fantasy adventure. Word has it that he's working on the sequel and plans it to be a series of 7 books-- one for each of the 7 traditional teachings of his nation. I can't wait to read them all.

This is not a children's book-- it has some difficult themes and scenes of violence-- but it's probably ok for middle school and older. I don't think there are a lot of books that are both for adults and adolescents/teens, but I think this is one.

[Deirdre · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must confess that I started this and then skipped to the end. I really appreciated the subject matter, the themes, and the immersion into a different culture and set of values, but I found the writing stilted and lacking in subtlety, with too much telling instead of showing. If Busch writes more, I would read it - I think he has room to grow and a good thing started.

[Ace Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Indigenous youth, I remember this book being invaluable to me. Representation in media and protagonists that are Indigenous without being political are so important for our youth to see. I love this book with my whole heart.

[Robin Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought I would never get through this one. As most have said the beginning is quite slow. The story and characters both got much better in the second half. Would be keen to see the story continue.

[Steve Dragswolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grey Eyes started off slow, but the pace soon picked up with every turn of the page. There are many ceremonies described within the story that Busch takes his time to describe. This attention to detail brings an overall sense of reality to this fantastical tale. The Sundance ceremony, in particular, was described in just enough detail to educate readers on the reasons for and the purposes of the ceremony without going too deep which would have led to either boring the reader or inspiring the reader to wrongfully misappropriate the ceremony.

That Sundance ceremony is also where the reader is brought in emotionally to the story. Through the wrong actions of one man in the ceremony, the reader is struck with anger and a sense of injustice towards the man and feels a sense of pride and general praise for Little Grey Bear Boy. At this moment is when we start to take sides and see the gentleness and humility of Painted Turtle Man when compared to the other man. This is also the point where the magical and fantasy start ramping up.

Overall, Grey Eyes is a truly wonderful story that draws the reader in (eventually) and expertly pricks at the right emotions to keep the reader entertained and rooting for Little Grey Bear Boy. This story honestly got better with every new page and the ending leaves the reader satisfied, yet ready for more. Considering there are several more novels to come in the series, that's a great thing. Busch wrote an evocative story that educates readers as much as it entertained. This is one story that all should pick up and enter into this year.

Read more of my thoughts on Grey Eyes at ADUIDE.org.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An indigenous fantasy story by a Manitoban Cree author, refreshingly set pre-European contact, so it has a clear indigenous atmosphere, with valuable glimpses into cultural practices like manners, beliefs, and ceremonies. In a bit of a Cinderella story, the poorest clan in the village has the good fortune to birth a grey-eyed baby; grey-eyed people are rare and have strong magics like visions, levitation, shapeshifting, etc. The once-poor clan's fortunes and status improve with this birth - as does the status of the once-dismissed old man healer among them who predicted the birth - but there is jealousy from certain members of the powerful clan who had the last grey-eye, and the ever-present threat of the dangerous Red Eye, who uses his powers for evil, and whom the village fears might do harm if he hears of the grey-eyed child.
It was interesting to see the way the matriarchal community worked, with the code of politeness that focused on the collective good and on conflict avoidance (though this seemed to have a frustratingly hard time dealing with people who had a tendency to act in selfish or troublemaking ways). The story shows the grey-eyed boy's growing up, with family fortunes rising and falling for different reasons and village secrets being slowly revealed, leading to the final conflict.
My one gripe is that the ending is a bit inconclusive: there are some important loose ends which hint at a possible sequel, but I don't see one published yet. (Please please please?)
Overall, though, this is a great read for both people looking for a unique fantasy setting/atmosphere and people interested in Indigenous culture and voices.

[Steven Buechler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Busch gives readers an engrossing story as we follow the Grey-Eyed boy from birth to maturity. We follow the young lad with the special gift as he learns not only the ways of his people but also what it means to be a man. Busch has used vivid descriptions here that envelop the mind’s eye of any reader to give a clear image of a scene.

http://tinyurl.com/oj8nqek

[Synnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally I thought the book started out a little bit slow. But once it picked up, I was riveted. The characters were well written and the plot itself was intriguing. The descriptions of the ceremonies were beautiful. I would recommend this book for sure.