The Peace Chief: A Novel of the Real People [Hardcover]

Robert J. Conley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1998

It is the early days of the European expansion into America, and a young Cherokee must be reborn in order to lead his people through this difficult time.

A sweeping novel of the sixteenth-century Cherokee, The Peace Chief is the story of Young Puppy, a young man who, during a fight with the enemy Ofos tribe, mistakenly kills his best friend, Asquani. That it happened by mistake makes no difference. Young Puppy, as a member of the Long Hair Clan, has killed a member of the Wolf Clan and now things are out of balance between the clans. The usual solution is for a Wolf to kill Young Puppy. But he has fled to Kituwah, a Mother town, wherein no one may be killed. If he should leave, he would be killed, but if remains within its borders until the new year, is offense will be forgotten.

Thus begins the journey of Young Puppy-a man who is spiritually reborn as "Comes Back to Life" and comes to lead his people as a ceremonial leader, the Peace Chief. During a time of uneasy relations with the French, and incursion for the Spanish, and trouble with the Senika (Seneca), Comes Back to Life must guide his people along a difficult path. The Peace Chief is a powerful evocation of a time and of a people.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in the 17th century, Conley's (War Woman, etc.) engaging new novel continues his exploration of Cherokee history. Having accidentally killed another Cherokee in battle, Young Puppy is forced to move to the sacred town of Kituwah lest the dead man's clan members kill him to restore balance to the tribe. If he can overcome his exuberance and stay in the sanctuary until the next new year's ceremony, Young Puppy will be forgiven?but that is almost a full year away. Time passes slowly for him, and he especially misses beautiful Guwisti, to whom he is pledged. Finally, the celebration of the New Moon marks him as the new apprentice to Ahulil, Kituwah's spiritual leader. But there are troubles in the town as a group of French visitors plot to overthrow their captain, who is friendly to the Cherokee, and the Shawnees invade Cherokee borders to the North. And when Young Puppy, spiritually reborn and renamed Comes Back to Life, is made the Peace Chief of a new defensive outpost, he and his people must confront more threats from the slave-catching allies of the Spaniards. Though Conley has a tendency to overexplain the feelings of his characters and fails to make it credible that not a single Cherokee dies during the book's many battles, his detailed descriptions of Cherokee ceremonies and rich use of myth make the novel a worthy addition to his large body of work.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Robert J. Conley is in the ranks of N.Scott Momaday, Louise Erdich, James Welch, and W.P. Kinsella as an interpreter of many facets of the Native American experience." --Joseph C. Porter, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Robert J. Conley's Mountain Windsong deserves to become an American classic. Conley takes the grim facts of our 'Manifest Destiny' and makes them come alive in a novel that is beautiful and heartwarming as well as tragic." --Tony Hillerman

"As the tragic tale unfolds, the novel acquires power and resonance and the reader cannot fail to be moved by Conley's insights into Cherokee history and culture." --Publishers Weekly on Mountain Windsong

"An unforgettable adventure of love, death, and nature that entices you with each page." --Max Evans, author of The Rounders, on War Woman

"The Cherokee Nation was never more vividly brought to life than in this outstanding novel." --Jory Sherman author of The South Platte, on Nickajack

"Conley has shaped a touching powerful vision of Indian life past and present, of abiding love, and and of a national disgrace." --Kirkus Reviews on Mountain Windsong

"A gripping, convincingly imagined historical...War Woman's life is told with page-turning verve, as Conley uses his extensive historical knowledge of Cherokee life and culture to spin a lively, informed piece of speculative history." --Publishers Weekly on War Woman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312193149
• ISBN-13: 978-0312193140
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,018,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historical fiction of the Cherokee Nation, November 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Peace Chief: A Novel of the Real People (Hardcover)

While fighting members of the Ofos tribe by himself, Young Puppy, of the Real People, thought a foe was coming up from his rear. He immediately killed the person behind him, which sadly turned out to be a close friend, Asquani also of the Real People. Though it was a friendly fire accident, the balance between the clans was now out of kilter. Asquani's Wolf clan had the right to restore the balance between them and Young Puppy's clan, The Long Hair, by killing any member of the latter group. Instead of retaliation, the Cherokee Nation sentences Young Puppy to spend the next year in the sacred town of Kituawh.

For the hyperactive Young Puppy, death might be a better alternative. He misses his intended and loathes not being able to go out on the hunt. As the year passes slowly, Young Puppy is spiritually reborn as the Peace Chief of a new Cherokee outpost town. Now his true journey begins as threats from the Europeans and the Shawnee arise.

Anyone who has read a Robert J. Conley "Real People" historical fiction will quickly understand why the Cherokee Nation commissioned the author to chronicle their history. The entire collection pays homage to an intricate, complex way of life that is must reading for fans of historical novels. THE PEACE CHIEF adds to the setting by providing colorful descriptions of a culture, rituals, and people already struggling to retain a lifestyle as the early intrusion of the European has begun. The award winning Conley will surely receive more accolades for this sweeping epic.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Conley books rock, December 18, 2007

By 

Anonymous (Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Peace Chief (Robert J. Conley's Real People Series) (Paperback)

All of the Real People series books are well researched and quite interesting, which great plot and character development. I have the books myself and recently purchased some for my brother.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More informative than entertaining, July 25, 2002

By 

Doug Hughes "RHughes995" (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Peace Chief (Robert J. Conley's Real People Series) (Paperback)

"The Peace Chief" is the ninth installment in Conley's 'Real People' series, and is a de-facto prequel to the previous novel, "War Woman". It is the story of Young Puppy, a young Cherokee who is disgraced and forced into hiding, and of his subsequent redemption.

The story is a compelling one, and Conley once again brings the everyday life of the Cherokee alive as no one else does. My only real complaint is that the various dances and religious ceremonies are described in excruciating detail, and the book consequently reads more like an anthropological text than a novel at times. That said, I suspect that this may have been a conscious descision on Conley's part. Obviously I'm speculating here, but it may well be that Conley did this as a means of preserving these various traditions. As I understand it, many of the old religious rites and observances were, as far back as 150 years ago, already being forgotten.

It's not the best book in the series, but it still offers the reader a good look at what life was like for the Cherokee before the Removal, a.k.a. the Trail of Tears.