Review: Native American Lord of the Rings
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 17, 2011
This is one of the best books I've read for some time. The Bear with Two Shadows is an epic Native American Lord of the Rings tale. The characters become real, at times more real than the `two-leggeds' we see all around us. I love Hibbs the Bear, Surt the Fire, Little Brother the Hawk, Leandra the Sidhe, GrandMother the Turquoise Woman. Hibbs is very wise: "Seeing the light is one thing, while seeing by the light is something else." Might as well enjoy the view "while we walk to death," he says.There is an underlying theme of good versus evil in this story as one expects in good literature, and make no mistake, this novel is a classic literary tale to be enjoyed at any age. There is also a powerful theme of light versus darkness (the Darklings.)The novel resonates with the lyricism of Roland D Yeomans. He describes the coming of Spring thus: "He (Hibbs) had been wandering alone to greet the coming twilight, a time when he could enjoy the burst of color from the sun clawing to keep its fiery head above the horizon. The dying sunlight streamed through the hovering branches like glowing arrows, the grass beneath his bare feet was gray, and the spiderwebs gleamed silver. Life pulsed all about him. Spring was coming."At first Hibbs the bear thinks GrandMother is joking when she tells him why they must be continually be on the move. Hibbs is the hunted. He has many enemies, such as the Lakota and the Gray Bear. Hibbs has yet to grasp that he is the key to rescuing the Whyte race from certain oblivion. For the Whyte race to live, Hibbs must die. The superb world building of the author reaches its crescendo in this section of the book. In order to protect Hibbs, he is taken to ancient lands, meets strange beasts, sees wonders. Perhaps he can hide amongst these strange creatures?Here we see the battle between good and evil. Hibbs is a healer faced with a tyrant and his vast army. Will Hibbs and Little Brother survive? Is Hibbs' epic journey over?Desperate struggles are yet to be faced.A great read. One of the best.