HIDDEN BENEATH THE BLACK HILLS. . .
PRESS RELEASE - FEBRUARY 3, 2023 - Novelist Releases Tenth Novel: 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.
Available in Print, Ebook and soon to be released in audio
EXCERPT FROM THUNDER FALLS
There was one boy in Father’s group who was constantly troublesome and a frequent visitor to the stockade. His American name was Tom. I’ll never forget the day he arrived. It was the first significant snowfall of the winter. I was outside with the boys while they played in the freshly fallen snow when I heard a wagon approaching, its wheels crunching a path in the snow and ice along the road leading to the school. The moment before it came to a complete stop, out jumped Tom. Actually, he wasn’t Tom yet. He was still the Navajo warrior Bidziil.
Up until that day, I had never met anyone who came close to matching Father’s physique. While only fifteen years old, the Navajo seemed to be a few inches taller and about ten pounds heavier, due to his abundance of muscle. Everyone out on the Great Lawn that day stopped and stared.
Draped around his impressive, wide shoulders was a traditional Navajo coat embellished with geometric designs, and a black leather belt pinched at his waist. Each step he made in his fur boots was deliberate and purposeful. But most impressive was his long, shiny, beautiful black hair, falling halfway down his back.
He was ushered into Father’s barrack and the next time we saw him was that night at dinner. I couldn’t stop gawking at his transformation, which was remarkable as well as disturbing. His divine locks were cut off, and he was stripped of his golden earrings, beaded necklaces, and native clothing. But as we would soon learn, altering his outward appearance could not tame his inner torment. From that day forward, he was known as Tom, but we all knew that behind the scowl and fierce eyes was the untamable warrior Bidziil.
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!”
VIDEOS - CLICK BELOW:
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/
