IN SEARCH FOR THE SACRED PIPE . . .
THUNDER FALLS — THE EDUCATION OF LEOPOLD RED WOLF
THUNDER FALLS
THE EDUCATION OF LEOPOLD RED WOLF
Thunder Falls chronicles the transformation of Leopold Wolf from a naive young man into an outspoken advocate for Native American rights during the late 1800s.
Leo and his father, Isaac, work for the Carlisle Indian School, an institution governed by the motto “kill the Indian, save the man” and notorious for its harshness, Leo witnesses the abuse, neglect, and victimization of children under the institution’s care and resolves to help them gain the respect their culture deserves.
Leo’s quest takes him to Lakota territory, where elder and holy man Black Elk has a vision of Leo recovering the tribe’s Sacred Pipe, stolen years ago. Leo’s journey into—and under—the Black Hills reveals extraordinary phenomena about the Lakota and about himself. In the caverns of the Black Hills, Leo encounters the red wolf, Thunder Falls, and the Soul Tree, all of which guide him toward his destiny. While pursuing the eternal love of Sarah Cameron—niece of a senator notorious for his enmity against the Lakota—and fighting for Native American rights, Leo crosses the country with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and ultimately risks his life for the people he has come to care for.
“Interesting, poignant and well-developed chronicle of Leopold Wolf. From a young man to the later years as an advocate for Native American rights we follow his timeline. Filled with victimization and abuse, as well as passion for his tribe and the pursuit for his great love, Thunder Falls is a page-turner from beginning to end.”
Available in Print, Ebook and soon to be released in audio
EXCERPT FROM THUNDER FALLS
I was eight years old when a cannonball ripped Mother’s body in two, leaving her legs shoved under the kitchen table and flinging her upper body to nestle against the wood stove. With the golden Star of David dangling from her neck, she seemed to stare at me with her piercing blue eyes, even though her soul had already passed on.
This horror occurred because a Confederate cannonball was fired through the front of our home. After it struck Mother, the errant projectile continued on until it found its way into the trunk of the old oak tree in our backyard. So began the Battle of Carlisle.
On that same fateful day, the infamous Battle of Gettysburg raged a mere thirty miles to the southwest. History barely mentions our own struggle in Pennsylvania, but I’ll never forget it.
Listen to the first two chapters below:
EXCERPT FROM THUNDER FALLS
As the opening number struck its first notes, the curtain parted, and out rode Buffalo Bill on a white horse. He wore a long, pure-white beard, a spotless white cowboy hat, and a fine-looking white leather jacket with a long fringe that danced along in tandem with his prancing white horse. The crowd cheered as the star of the show waved.
Once in the center of the ring, he brought a megaphone to his mouth and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, my name is Buffalo Bill. Welcome to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show!”
A cheer exploded, causing Bill’s horse to buck.
“Whoa!” he said, settling his ride. “White Rocket is excited too!”
“I great story with a lot of twists and turns. The education of Leopold Red Wolf recants a fascinating tale about a man and his epic journey with the native American Lakota tribe. It's a fairly long book but if you are into books that weave in pieces of history - especially from this time era - then I would give this one a read for sure!”
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About the Author
Beginning with his debut novel—A Cobbler’s Tale, followed by Moon Flower, The Righteous One, The Bomb Squad, Hope City, Sadie’s Sin, Cape Nome, Otzi's Odyssey, Denali, Thunder Falls and soon to be released—The Nazarite, Neil Perry Gordon has established himself as a well-respected and prolific historical and metaphysical fiction novelist. His storytelling ability has earned him high editorial praise from the likes of Kirkus, Midwest Book Review and others, including hundreds of four and five star reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
Neil attributes his love of the writing process from his formative education at the Green Meadow Waldorf School, where he understood that classes such as music, dance and theater, writing, literature, legends and myths, were not simply subjects to be learned, but lessons to be experienced. His creative writing methods and inspiration have been described as organic; meaning he begins his work with a premise for his characters, rather than working within the confines of a formal, detailed outline. This encourages his writing to offer surprising twists and unexpected outcomes, which readers have celebrated. His novels have the attributes of being driven by an equal balance between character development and face-paced action, which moves his stories along at a swift page-turning pace.
To learn more about Neil's novels, novella and short story, visit his website at: https://www.neilperrygordon.com/
