Mystic Warriors [Hardcover]

Rosanne Bittner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2001

The white buffalo is a sacred and holy creature to the Lakota. Buffalo Dreamer, a holy woman, and her husband, Rising Eagle, have not only been blessed to see the white buffalo, they have eaten of its heart and have been told by the sacred beast that as long as the Lakota have the white buffalo hide, all will be well.

But all is not well. White hunters have stolen the sacred white robe and great misfortune has befallen the Lakota. Settlers continue to invade Lakota territory, backed by vicious cavalry forces that massacre women and children. The Lakota are starving and their anger is growing.
Led by Rising Eagle, a great force of Lakota and other tribes wage war upon the white man. Together they battle to regain the land stolen from them, to protect the precious buffalo the white man wantonly destroys, and to search for the sacred white robe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Rosanne Bittner retains her title as a premier Indian romance writer. . . . Poignant and startling."--Romantic Times on Mystic Visions

"Bittner's descriptions of Lakota life are impeccably researched, with impressive scenes of visions and ceremonies. . . . bringing a variety of intriguing Native American characters to life."--Publishers Weekly on Mystic Visions

"Beautifully written and structured. . . . [Mystic Dreamers] is the West of blood, tears, and transcendent dreams."--Loren D. Estleman, author of The Master Executioner

"Rosanne Bittner's stories are powerful because she creates memorable characters who enlighten readers as they rekindle the magical spark that belonged to the first people to love this land."--Romantic Times on Mystic Dreamers

"Filled with suspense and high emotion, quests and visions, this compelling love story is sure to please Bittner's fans and to win over new converts, especially as sequels are planned."--Booklist on Mystic Dreamers

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Rosanne Bittner and her husband, Larry, live in southwest Michigan and have two grown sons. Ms. Bittner is the author of more than fifty books about the American West of the 1800s and Native Americans. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Western Writers of America, Western Outlaw-Lawman History Association, Nebraska Historical Society, Oregon-California Trails Association, the Council on America's Military Past, and Women Writing the West. She has received numerous writing awards and several of her books have been published in translation in France, Italy, Norway, Germany, Taiwan, and Russia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 366 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (May 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312865139
• ISBN-13: 978-0312865139
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #998,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Welcome! I'm glad to be in touch with you, especially if you love American history and America's Old West of the 1800's. I hope you enjoy stories about that time period, as well as Native American stories. It's what I love to write and currently I've had 57 novels published over the past 28 years. I am still writing and won't stop until the Good Lord requires it. Please check out my web site at www.rosannebittner.com for all the information you could ask for about my books. You can also visit me on Facebook.

I grew up on westerns. They dominated television - shows like The Big Valley, Cheyenne, Wagon Train, Roy Rogers, The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, Bonanza, Have Gun/Will Travel, The Rifleman, Wanted - Dead or Alive, and of course the famous Gunsmoke, which I still watch today on TV Land as well as on the Western Channel. I love the big western stars like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and James Stewart. When I was a teen my idol was James Arness (Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke) instead of Elvis and the like. My all-time favorite western movies are The Guns of Josie Wales, Pale Rider and Hang 'Em High (all starring Clint Eastwood) - The Searchers, Rooster Cogburn and The Shootist (John Wayne). When I was eighteen and watched How The West Was Won, I knew that some day I would write stories about that glorious time period of America's history. Books that deeply impressed me are A Lantern In Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich, and The Proud Breed, by Celeste de Blasis.

No other nation has exploded in exploration and settlement like America, and to this day our Native Americans still suffer culture shock. When I read Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (a must read for anyone who wants to know the truth about America's natives and how they suffered as we settled the West), I knew I also had to tell stories of America's growth through the eyes of the Native Americans, because so much of what we were (and still are) taught in school is completely slanted and mostly untrue. It certainly was NOT all Indian/bad-guy and Soldier good-guy. Many lies were told, many promises broken, and our government horribly abused the Native Americans. But that is another story, and I try to get some of it across in my books.

I also strive to tell an abiding love story between two people whose love holds them together through the trials and tribulations of settling America's frontiers. It took grit and bravery to head into rugged, unknown territory, knowing you will leave family behind whom you will probably never see again. Free land, gold and a better life were strong temptations for men, as well as for many brave-hearted women. I think the best books you can read for a truthful depiction of this country's growth and its affect on Native Americans is Dee Brown's book mentioned above, and the book Disinherited, by Dale Van Every. Also, the true and powerful history of this country as faced by red man and white alike is cuttingly depicted in any book you can get your hands on written by Allan Eckert.

I have lived in Michigan my whole life, but I truly believe that somehow I have a past spirit who lives or lived in the Old West, especially perhaps Colorado, which I love more than any other place in America. I yearn to be there, and I feel I "belong" in the Rocky Mountains. When I go there I feel so "at home." However, the family business as well as our two sons and our grandsons all live close by here in Michigan. I wouldn't leave them. But my husband and I have traveled the West for years and I have visited just about every place mentioned in my books. I am also very active here with fund-raising community projects and am Treasurer for our Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America. Be sure to look them up on the internet, especially in late winter, for news about our group's annual Retreat from Harsh Reality. It's a wonderful experience for any writer.

As I mentioned above, watch my web site and Facebook for news about any new books coming, and about many of my past titles that will soon be printed in trade paperback and as e-books!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Final tale in this great, but gut-wretching saga., July 14, 2001

By 

Affaire de Coeur - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystic Warriors (Hardcover)

Rising Eagle and Buffalo Dreamer knew their visions of the future regarding their tribe were destined to come true no matter how disturbing they were. There would be no stopping the migration of the white settlers into their lands, and they both knew something had to be done and soon. As a Lakota holy man, Rising Eagle had been told to take Buffalo Dreamer as his wife because she was the Chosen One that he had dreamt about. Together, they had seen over thirty years of their visions come true one by one. They had raised their children to be strong and true. Even now, their oldest, Brave Horse, rode with his best friend Crazy Horse to keep the Lakota lands peaceful and free of the white settlers who were constantly coming onto their lands looking for gold. Mystic Warriors is the final chapter of the saga of Rising Eagle and Buffalo Dreamer. Ms. Bittner weaves a tale around historical fact that explains the battle the Lakota Nation went though to preserve their sacred tribal lands better than any history book ever did. She brings out, in story form, the treachery and hatefulness that was practiced against the Lakota while, at the same time, preserving the beauty and dignity of the tribal rituals and beliefs. An excellent saga from start to finish!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This author makes history come alive through her fiction!, April 16, 2001

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystic Warriors (Hardcover)

***** This is the best Historical Romance trilogy I have read in my life! Stop everything and read this book. It makes perfect sense if you have not read the first two (Mystic Dreamers and Mystic Vision); however, if read in order you will understand even more!

The author's main characters in this book are the same as the previous. They are Buffalo Dreamer, a Lakota holy woman, and Rising Eagle, her husband. Their children are now grown. Rising Eagle still did not know he had a son in the white world, from a previous captive, that was raised by Florence, whose Lakota name was Fall Leaf Woman. That son was William, a "blue coat" for the Whites.

Buffalo Dreamer had been told long ago that as long as the Lakota had the skin of the sacred white buffalo, all would be well. But white trappers stole it from her. Until it made its way back to her, all who owned it would have bad luck!

The author followed history as she wrote too! And as in real life, many battles are shown. I saw several characters from the previous books slain in battle or massacred during Army raids.

This book makes the reader see and feel all the love, hope, and pain that the brave people did in the past. Rosanne Bittner makes history come alive through her fiction! I cannot recommend this highly enough! *****

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A triumphant finale to this exciting historocal series, April 15, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mystic Warriors (Hardcover)

In 1855 in a remote part of the Lakota Nation, four white buffalo hunters see the skin of a white buffalo for the first time near a single Indian teepee. Though fearful, the quartet decides to steal the pelt. Causing a diversion, they filch the hide.

Responsible for protecting the hide, Buffalo Dreamer and Rising Eagle are stunned at the loss of one of the People's most sacred talismans. They know that as long as the Lakota possessed the white buffalo, fortune would be their companion. Now the tribe faces hard times as the whites led by their cavalry seem greater than the sands and no treaty is sacred. As the people starve, MYSTIC WARRIORS try to regain what was lost in land and more significantly the white buffalo even though they face impossible odds.

MYSTIC WARRIORS, the third tale in Rosanne Bittner's "Mystic Dreams" series, is a tremendous ending to an incredible historical fiction trilogy. The story line is exciting, poignant, and dramatic as the audience sees the intrusion of whites on the Lakota mostly through the eyes of the Indians. The cast including real persona like Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. The fictionalized characters seem genuine as well which adds to the feel of observing a great people's struggle to survive. Ms. Bittner shows she is one of the genre's best as her audience will seek the previous two novels (MYSTIC DREAMERS and MYSTIC VISIONS).

Harriet Klausner