River of Swans

Spanish Bit Saga #10

by Don Coldsmith

Pale Star of the Elk-Dog band, cruelly abducted from the People as a child, has grown into a cunning and courageous woman, Married to a scout named Brule, she has won the respect of the Fran-coy at faraway Fort Mishi-hgan for her beauty and storytelling skills. Yet she yearns for her home. So when Brule and Pale Star are chosen to guide the Fran-coy soldier Andre Du Pres down the Big River into uncharted territory she forms a daring plan to get back to her family. But Pale Star's judgement is soon clouded by a secret and forbidden love for Andre, and she may lead the exploring party straight into danger--and bring a white stranger and his powerful medicine to the People's land.

THE SPANISH BIT SAGA

Set in the New World of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Don Coldsmith's acclaimed novels recreate a time, a place, and a people that have been nearly lost to history. In The Spanish Bit Saga we see history in the making through the eyes of those proud Native Americans who lived it.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Westerns, Fiction

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

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

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a way I wanted this book to end, but I knew it wouldn't happen. Then the author fooled me. He gave me the very ending I had hoped for--the perfect way to end this story. This is (so far) one of my favorite books of this series. I really enjoyed reading it. Four stars.

[David Colwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as most in this series, but not bad. It lacked something I can't put my finger on. Maybe that it was told more from the white mans prespective than the Indians. The author does a good job of presenting the simplier, more straight to the point, life style of the Indians. Whether or not that's really true, I don't know, but I think I want it to be.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

1650, Michigan. A small army party looks for a water route to India. The landscape, budding romance, & rigors of an untamed land round out the story. Historical fiction.

[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