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Anompolichi: The Wordmaster
Fourteenth-century Scottish sailing master Robert Williams leaves port for a short, but profitable voyage around the British Isles, his ship laden with cargo including the king’s goat. A sudden and powerful storm erupts, sending his ship farther off course than he or any of his seasoned crew have journeyed before, driving them into astonishing discovery and relentless tragedy, and flinging Robert into a world unlike any he has imagined. In that new world, he meets a remarkable Native man who recognizes him from a dream—Iskifa Ahalopa, known by his people as an anompolichi, a wordmaster. Robert and his new friend soon find themselves caught up in unforeseen depths of intrigue and danger, brought before astounding spectacle, and plunged into perilous adventure in the New World long before history recorded its discovery.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 2, 2025
Phillip Carroll Morgan has crafted an adventure so entertaining that you will feel like you cannot read fast enough! Told through shifting perspectives, there is great satisfaction and humor in getting to see the thoughts of opposing worlds colliding. Each character is thoughtfully introduced so you quickly grow to care deeply about them. Just when you think you understand what the story will be, it unfolds in quite unexpected ways. The language shared is fun to learn throughout. I can’t say enough good things about an excellent story full of adventure, heart, and wit! I cannot wait to start book two!
April 5, 2022
If you know any Choctaw or Chickasaw, than you know the real jokes were hidden in the names this trickster author gave most of the characters. Hishitohbi, yoshoba, Hosiini!? Is sa yukpachi tuk, Mr. Morgan.
March 25, 2024
Despite being one of the tribes we learned about in school (sadly, only when we cover the Trail of Tears and the "Five Civilized Tribes"), Chickasaw media feels fewer and farther between than many other Native American tribes. I was thus delighted to pick up one of the few fiction books about Chickasaw ancestors including the Chickasaw/Choctaw language, especially with my interest in learning more of the language myself.
Phillip Carroll Morgan weaves a very intentional story throughout and I felt like I was reading a tale that was handed down over many campfires. The story of the shipwrecked Scotsman Robert and the goat, Lizbeth; their intersection with wordmaster Iskifa, led to find and rescue them via a vivid dream; the events that occur at the Yamohmi and the moral lesson encompassed within.
The story takes a little while to get going as it builds via alternating perspectives. The main villain isn't introduced until halfway through the book. While the story is well-woven, I also thought the sentence structure needed more variety as it didn't flow off the tongue seamlessly - this was something that was particularly clear to me as I read it aloud to a listener.
I loved the presence of real Chickasaw/Choctaw words, wishing there were even more of them.
That being said, I do have mixed feelings on the lack of translation of all of the Chickasaw words. Many have translations in text and most of the ones that are not translated occur in Robert's chapter where he really would have no idea what was being said. While I respect and agree with thinking about who the audience is and decentering a white, English reader, since Chickasaw has so few people who understand the language, the preservationist in me wishes that we could preserve more of what was written here. There were definitely words that I was unable to find via an internet search, probably due to conjugations or different use cases than are in the current online tools.
Still, such an important book and I really do wish there was more Chickasaw-centered fiction out there!
Phillip Carroll Morgan weaves a very intentional story throughout and I felt like I was reading a tale that was handed down over many campfires. The story of the shipwrecked Scotsman Robert and the goat, Lizbeth; their intersection with wordmaster Iskifa, led to find and rescue them via a vivid dream; the events that occur at the Yamohmi and the moral lesson encompassed within.
The story takes a little while to get going as it builds via alternating perspectives. The main villain isn't introduced until halfway through the book. While the story is well-woven, I also thought the sentence structure needed more variety as it didn't flow off the tongue seamlessly - this was something that was particularly clear to me as I read it aloud to a listener.
I loved the presence of real Chickasaw/Choctaw words, wishing there were even more of them.
That being said, I do have mixed feelings on the lack of translation of all of the Chickasaw words. Many have translations in text and most of the ones that are not translated occur in Robert's chapter where he really would have no idea what was being said. While I respect and agree with thinking about who the audience is and decentering a white, English reader, since Chickasaw has so few people who understand the language, the preservationist in me wishes that we could preserve more of what was written here. There were definitely words that I was unable to find via an internet search, probably due to conjugations or different use cases than are in the current online tools.
Still, such an important book and I really do wish there was more Chickasaw-centered fiction out there!
September 11, 2023
a book with a really strong first half and a really kind of weak second half, really enjoyed the characters, the premise, and the setting, but the actual plot around the Yamohmi was disappointing for as much time as it took up, especially with how easily it wrapped up
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews