Customer Reviews

The Contract Surgeon

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I'm Dan's Brother and thus not an impartial critic. Dan honored me by asking me twice to read drafts of "The Contract Surgeon" during it's creation. It's his best work. It has nothing to do with Falconry or dogs. It's rather a Historical Novel depicting Dan's conception of the death of Crazy Horse. Not just the death of the greatest known American Indian War Chief but the death of a social order we today have little record of. In "Instinct", Anthony Hopkins portrayed for us what we as humans have lost since we separated form wildness. In "The Contract Surgeon" Dan describes how we lost it.

Based on the scant facts available today, "The Contract Surgeon" tells the story of the last hours of Crazy Horse as he laid dying in the small Adjutants Office at Fort Robinson in Nebraska Territory in the late 1800's after he tried to surrender. During these short hours, and by the use of flashbacks and other literary tricks, Dan tells the story of the death of the culture of the American Plains Indians.

For those of us who have little or no knowledge of American Indian history, Dan provides a chronology that is very helpful and enables Dan to avoid a treatise length book while creating a Novel that is difficult to put down. May of the characters are familiar to us from high school Civil War history like Sherman, Meade and Custer. But more importantly Dan introduces us to several others like Valentine McGillycuddy, truly a remarkable person the figment of no one's imagination who sought no fame or fortune.

Dan's writing are full of questions about what our lives are all about and "The Contract Surgeon" is his best example. "The Contract Surgeon" is must reading for anyone who reads Dan's books for more than just the Falcons, dogs and their relationship to our souls.

I met Dan O'Brien in 1975 when a common love for fine horses, bird dogs and all things wild had enticed each of us into the early advent of what the practical in heart prophisied to be the follies of misguided youth. Our paths crossed and ran parallel for about three years until our separate and multifaceted career paths dictated decisions leading us in different directions. Even though I had been able to follow his successes with the Perigine foundation through reports from common aquaintences, I had not, until recently, known how far Dan had progessed in his desire to become a respected author. THE CONTRACT SURGEON, a far cry from the short stories of his youth, is the combination of careful research, and an intimacy with the land that can only be expressed by someone whose livelihood is hinged upon the vitality of a place as hostile yet fragile as the ancient grasslands of North America. Dan's vibrant word pictures, painted through army surgeon Valentine McGillycuddy's recollections of his own youthful passion for the Great Plains and its inhabitants, create a sensory overload which compelled me to read the whole book in one setting. No contemporary author has driven me to that point in many years. If you have ever connected with the land, fine horseflesh and wild places, keep a bandanna handy. Same goes for the warrior who has wondered how you can hate yet respect and even love the enemy. For the dreamers and the politically correct, who need a reality check, this one is for you too.

A fine read, crafted by a man whose misguided youth has proved visionary, not misspent. My compliments to Dan and his own Dr. McGraw. Whoever he is.

This is a well-written and exciting literary historical novel. O'Brien manages to steer clear of the cliches that are rampant in this genre by fully developing all of the novel's characters and creating dialogue that is never stilted or preachy. Above all, he presents a well-paced story set against the background of a complicated and humanistic take on the violent collision of two cultures that may not have been as different as we often think.

Crazy Horse comes off noble and courageous as he probably was. The author did mix in episodes of the great warrior's cruelty that fell well within the category of atrocity. However, the treatment was not overly sentimental and told of the hostilities that existed between the tribes, who had been united to defeat the white man's ignoring of existing treaties.

The surgeon and his love for his wife offered an interesting juxtaposition to the harshness of frontier life. I found this book infomative and enjoyable.

This is beautifully written historical fiction with some excellent medical scenes. I'm a librarian and I read everything and this was the best book I've read so far this year. Riveting medical drama, a lovely romance, and excellent historical details make this a terrific read. Highly recommended by me!

This is the best Dan O'brien book I've read to date. I simply love how he can take an old story and bring it to life by sculpting visions in my head that are vivid months later. I can see the long dry plains and feel the sweltering heat...and sense the cool relief of a pond. Besides the imagery, he is able to bring humanness and emotion to people who are long gone. O'brien has the perfect blend of action and description in his writing..love it. Thoroughly enjoyed this book...and you should too.

I got my book in a good time. It was in the condition as advertised

O'Brien tells a good story and The Contract Surgeon is a great read. I was particularly intrigued by the way he framed the story, having the narrator, Dr Valentine McGillycuddy, tell his tale from a vantage point of old age, nearly sixty years after the day that Crazy Horse died. This "old guy" narrator seems to keep popping up in my reading lately, notably in books like RULES FOR OLD MEN WAITING and the recent Pulitzer Prize winner, TINKERS. And it's cool; I like it. O'Brien had the foresight to make the most of this narrative tool by including A Chronology of Events that gives you a thumbnail history of the western Indian wars of the 1870s. This helps you follow the back and forth nature of the narrative. But the principals here - McGillycuddy and his wife Fanny - come across as very real people. Crazy Horse is not quite so well-realized. But perhaps the author felt there had already been enough written about this notorious war chief. Or maybe "notorious" is the wrong word, because Crazy Horse stories have run the gamut over the years. He has been both villified and deified. My guess is he was just a man, and O'Brien does a pretty good job of making him just that, in this case a pretty good man, who did the best he could. This was a pretty quick read. I was surprised how quickly it was over. If you are interested in western history, you'll probably like The Contract Surgeon. I don't think I've enjoyed a western novel quite this much since reading Will Henry's I, TOM HORN years ago. - Tim Bazzett, author of SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA

The Contract Surgeon is a compelling read that, through the auspices of looking at the Sioux warrior Crazy Horse, provides a mirror that shows a disturbing look at the nature of man. The best read I've experienced so far this year, the novel looks deeply into the plains Indian wars where the reader finds both white man and Indian sharing the human weaknesses of pride, greed, and destructiveness, the latter especially trademarked by the white man here.

Easy to discern throughout the story is the author's deep respect for the man called Crazy Horse. Though not turned into a hero or superman, the nobility emanating from him fills the pages.

For those looking for a better understanding of the forces that determined the plight of the great plains, look no further. Read this fine work.