The Legend of Ben Tree
This is a compelling if somewhat long-winded account of a young man's adventures in the mid-19th century American wilderness. Raised among whites, Ben Tree is a trapper guide of white and Native American lineage who takes leave of his widower father and twin brother to hunt with the Absaroke Crow. He soon joins the tribe, marrying the chief's daughter, Little Hoop. Disregarding tribal shaman Buffalo Horn's visions of impending calamity, Ben and his bride set out to visit his father and brother, unaware that they have been murdered by a gang of white trail bandits. Ben's journey, set amidst the tumultuous era of westward expansion, soon becomes a long quest for revenge that, true to the shaman's predictions, is repeatedly beset by misfortune. Eventually, Ben exacts justice through revenge and returns to his adoptive tribe. Hawkins's debut novel, the first installment of a trilogy, seldom diverges from the trail blazed by other well-known sagas of the vanishing American frontier. It is enjoyable, however, and fans of historical westerns will appreciate the author's mastery of settings and events and his avoidance of many of the cliches that plague this genre.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.