Raven Mocker [Hardcover]

Don Coldsmith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

Misunderstood by her peers and unloved by her stepmother, the young Cherokee, Corn Flower, finds acceptance with Snakewater, the medicine woman of Old Town. Soon, Corn Flower moves into Snakewater's isolated house and begins learning the art of healing--what ceremonies to perform, which plants to harvest, how to preserve them. When Snakewater dies, Corn Flower inherits the role and the power of the medicine woman as well as her name, Snakewater.

This latest novel in Don Coldsmith's beloved Spanish Bit Saga is told through Snakewater, the oldest Cherokee in her village. She provides potions and curative rituals for those who seek her help. In Old Town, she is respected for her skill and knowledge--until a grieving young woman blames Snakewater for her infant's death. "Raven Mocker!" she accuses, invoking the feared creature of Cherokee legend, who cheats the carrion bird by stealing the life-years of those who die young to ensure his own immortality. The case against Snakewater is strengthened when a warrior dies by his own knife in Snakewater's vacant hut and again when the warrior's brother mysteriously drowns.

Fleeing from the suspicion, jealousies, and hatred of Old Town--and from her own fear that she may in fact be the dreaded Raven Mocker--Snakewater joins a band traveling west. On her odyssey, she regains confidence as she discovers her talent for storytelling and learns what it means to be part of a family.

Snakewater's path takes her across the Mississippi, on perilous trails with a trader and his wife, and to the winter camp of the Elk-dog People, a nomadic nation of buffalo hunters, where she begins to put her past behind her. This gripping story concludes with a surprising confrontation at the Elk-dog People's annual Sun Dance when the mystery behind the unexplained deaths is finally revealed--or is it?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the latest installment of his Spanish Bit Saga, yeoman western writer Coldsmith tells the tale of Granny Snakewater, n?e Corn Flower, an orphaned Cherokee girl who falls under the tutelage of her adoptive namesake and gradually replaces her as the conjure woman for the Real People. Grown old and reclusive, Snakewater falls victim to rumors that she is the embodiment of the spiritual demon Raven Mocker, which gives her the power to steal years from others' lives and add them to her own. As the village's suspicions become more pointed, she flees west to Arkansas, where she takes up with the Elk Dog people and becomes a central player in their development of the Sun Dance. Although vague about setting and time, Coldsmith provides a kind of Classic Comic Book account of Indian civilization before it was destroyed by white encroachment. His Native Americans speak like Oxford dons, except when they drift into a casual 20th-century idiom, which happens with annoying frequency. Apart from a few "bad apples," most of his characters are kind in word and deed and wiser than any sage. The narrative flows well enough, although it is often slowed by intrusive folk tales and fairy stories. Still, this is a pleasant read, particularly for young readers. There is no particular conflict, save Snakewater's self-doubts about her potentially mystical abilities, and no sense of tension or suspense contributes to the development of character. In sum, this newest edition of the "saga" is a competently rendered but fairly banal fictional biography of an elderly woman based on a minor folk legend.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Snakewater, a medicine woman and the oldest person in Cherokee Old Town, suddenly finds herself accused of being a Raven Mocker. (In Cherokee mythology, a Raven Mocker is someone who can suck the life from a person and add the years not lived to his or her own mortality.) In disgrace, Snakewater leaves the tribe and joins a band heading west. In her new life, she discovers a gift for storytelling and regains her sense of self. Veteran western author Coldsmith is a master at portraying Native American culture. The mystic connection to the land and the strong sense of community are omnipresent here, but Coldsmith also folds in such universal human frailties as jealousy, fear of the unknown, and even, in this case, hysteria. Longtime Coldsmith readers will find this one of his better recent efforts, and those new to him will be exposed to a wondrous, vibrant culture and the fascinating people who created it. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 253 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Oklahoma Pr (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806133163
• ISBN-13: 978-0806133164
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable sequel, March 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Raven Mocker (Hardcover)

This book, although set in the same series as Trail of the Spanish Bit, also succeeds as an independent novel. Snakewater, a woman healer among the Cheyenne people, is forced to leave her village when she is accused of being a Raven Mocker by a disturbed woman whose daughter died despite Snakewaters efforts to cure her. A Raven Mocker adds years to his/her own life by stealing life from others. She travels from her village, and learns to become a better, more caring person. Eventually she settles with the Elk Dog people (familiar to readers of the Spanish Bit series). The climax of the story is a final conflict with her original accuser who has also traveled to the Elk Dog sun festival.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RAVEN MOCKER---REAL OR NOT?????????/, July 29, 2002

By 

Mac Blair "Mac Blair" (Huntingdon, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raven Mocker (Mass Market Paperback)

She grew up as Corn Flower but after the death of her Mother and Father she was taken in by Snakewater an old medicine women. She learned all about the healing and treatment of different things from her. After the death of the first Snakewater, Corn Flower became know as Snakewater, after the woman who had taught her all she knew. She is accused of being a Raven Mocker, one who takes the life of another and this give her a longer life. She is forced to leave her villege and travels west where she meets new friends and finally ends up with The People. The ending has a slight twist. I think you can feel like you are there. You will wonder about the little people, do they exist or not. If you think not don't tell Lumpy. You will meet him in the book and does he or does he not save Snakewater's life? If you like stories about the early tribes you will enjoy this.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but not his best story, April 28, 2011

By 

D. Mckinzie (Atoka, OK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Raven Mocker: Spanish Bit Saga, Book 27 (Kindle Edition)

I've read nearly all of Don Coldsmith's "Spanish Bit" books and like them all. This is not one of his best, in my opinion, but it's still good. I think it might be getting close to the time for him to bring the story of "The People" up to modern times, perhaps do a book or two about how they fare in today's world, and then close that saga out. This one concerns a woman who has been accused of being a Raven Mocker, which is someone who steals other people's lives, in order to continue living. She ends up moving to another area to get away from such accusations. It was definitely worth reading, but not one of my favorites.