Climb the Wind: A Novel of Another America (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A rousing tale." -- -- Jack McDevitt, author of Moonfall

"Pamela Sargent is a clever and talented author, and Climb the Wind is highly creative, fascinating, and enjoyable." -- -- Janelle Taylor, author of By Candlelight

"Pamela Sargent is an explorer, an innovator . . . she's always a few years ahead of the pack." -- -- David Brin, author of Foundation's Triumph

Product Description

The Civil War is finally over and a weakened America is struggling to rebuild. The white man is sweeping across the continent, driving native peoples on the prairies and plains from their lands. But time is about to stand still, the map of history rewritten . . .

Something is wrong out West. The Buffalo Soldiers sent to subdue the Cheyenne are deserting and joining their former enemy. The Sioux are leaving their reservations in hordes. And armed bands of Apaches have been sighted riding east of the Mississippi!

Lemuel Rowland, formerly Poyeshao, a son of the Seneca, has spent his life learning the white man's ways. A Washington bureaucrat, he must now choose between his successful career and his ancient heritage, for the dreams of his native people are about to come true. An obscure Lakota chief, inspired by visions of a female soothsayer and armed by a foreign spy, is uniting the Indian nations into an awesome fighting force that will thunder eastward and try to reclaim all of America for its peoples.

As a loyal employee of the United States government, it is Rowland's job to stop these renegade warriors--but he wants them to win! And what will it mean for America--and her future history--if they do?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 497 pages
• Publisher: Eos; Reprint edition (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061058084
• ISBN-13: 978-0061058080
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,263,409 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #15 in

  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Sargent, Pamela

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting history, weak character, January 12, 2004

By	booksforabuck "BooksForABuck.com" (Dallas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

With the American Civil War over, the Union turns its attentions toward the west, toward the territory of the Lakota and the gold of the badlands. In our history, the result was the genocidal attacks on the Sioux and the horrors of Wounded Knee. But what if the Native Americans of the plains had united--if the Crow had fought with the Sioux and Cheyenne rather than scouting for Custer? And what if the Sioux had been able to secure more modern weapons--Chinese rockets and better rifles? In CLIMB THE WIND, author Pamela Sargent addresses these questions.

The real hero of the novel is Russian Grigor Rubalev. He knows of American betrayal having suffered it when the U.S. bought Alaska and promptly ignored their promises to the Russian inhabitants. And he's read of the Mongol victories over the far more numerous and better armed Chinese. Could the Lakota chief Touch-The-Clouds be a later-day Gengis Khan? Touch-The-Clouds' mystic visions of Indian warriors in the streets of Eastern cities seems to indicate this possibility, and Rubalev is willing to do anything to make this victory possible.

From the reader perspective, it is unfortunate that Sargent choses Seneca Lemuel Rowland as her protagonist. Rowland, an ex-soldier, is disenchanted with his life and wants to help the Sioux against the never-ending string of treaty violations that they have suffered. But he sees no alternative. If the Sioux fight, they will lose. If they fail to fight, they will lose. Rowland doesn't believe Rubalev's vision. Even when the plains Indians slaughter Custer and his entire force, Rowland knows that the result can only be more suffering.

Sargent's selection of the genocide of the Native Americans as her setting for an alternate history is a good choice--the result in our own world was so horrible that almost anyone would want an alternative. The history is also familiar to most Americans, increasing its marketability (try selling an alternate history of Bactria after Alexander's death and see how important this is). Best of all, Sargent's story-telling and descriptions of Lakota customs is compelling. Although I found the first half of CLIMB THE WIND to be slow going and Rowland far too passive for a good protagonist, the novel still makes interesting reading.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bad history - but a good story, September 1, 2005

By	David W. Johnson (Pasadena, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most "Indians Win" AH's are at best house-of-cards constructions and this one - while better than most - is no different. So if I told you I had problems galore with the history in this book, you'd probably not be surprised. But If I told you it doesn't make a darn bit of difference to the story, you might be.

Pamela Sargent is an excellent writer. I found the characters all to be believable, their actions all made sense, given the circumstances, and the book is just a darn good read.

But the AH - Oy!

To begin with, the actual POD is at best diffuse. It seems to be set back a few years prior to the events of the story (Crazy Horse, for example, seems to have a different wife on this ATL, which led to Touch-the-Clouds not having to save his life because of his OTL wife's ex). But other events change as well, most notably Grant steps out in front of a carriage and dies in the middle of his term (Schuyler Colfax becomes President).

But the _actual_ difference seems to be that visions are real, and can convey useful information.

Sargent realizes that in order to have any chance of winning, the Indians have to face a much reduced enemy. And she arranges things so that rebellion breaks out in the South again (Colfax is a lot more heavy handed with them than Hayes would have been), Texas and California break away as "autonomous republics," and eventually much of the U.S. is in some form of rebellion. So, much of the army is busy putting down those rebellions - and much of the rest is unsure just whose orders they should be obeying.

I just can't bring myself to believe this, though. The U.S. falls apart entirely too easily (I especially can't see California just breaking off like it does. The vast majority of its population was very pro-Union). Rebellions just seem to break out here and there for no real reason (though it is the time of the great Railroad Strike, I admit).

OTOH, while the Indians win their territorial integrity by the end of the book (and the United States has become more of a NATO-style alliance than anything else) I do admire that she's left the future more or less undecided. That the Indians will keep their freedom is not a given and many of the Indians are upset with all the changes they had to make - all the things they had to lose - to win this war. It's pretty much going to be such that if the Indians do keep their freedom, their culture(s) are going to change at least as much as if they don't.

But anywho, it's a great story. So put your disbelief-suspenders on "high" and read the book.

6 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed this book!, January 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Climb the Wind: a Novel of Another America (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! As much alternate histroy as there is these days (some great and some garbage), it is nice to fid someone that isn't doing the same old "what if the south won the Civil War" or "What if the Nazis won the second world war" stuff that we see too much of these days.

Ms. Sargent did a fine job of developing characters and making the story seem real. Kind of makes you stop and think about "might have beens" like good allo-history is supposed to do.

I recommend it to everyone.