Moon of Bitter Cold (Hardcover)

~ Frederick J. Chiaventone Jr. (Author) "He is called Waziya and every year he comes from beyond the Grandmother's country, out of the land of spirits..." (more)
Key Phrases: wood train, killing place, coughing sickness, Red Cloud, Ten Eyck, Crazy Horse (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With this follow-up to his award-winning first novel, A Road We Do Not Know, about Custer's fight at Little Bighorn, Chiaventone delivers a stirring tale of the only frontier war the Native Americans actually won. Red Cloud's War (1866-1868) in Montana and Wyoming saw the U.S. government sue for peace, yielding to every Indian demand in the treaty. With the same skill and style he put to good use in his first novel, Chiaventone tells the violent and bloody story of a war that could not be avoided no matter how honorable the intentions of those involved. By 1866, with the Civil War over, settlers and gold miners swept into the Western plains and mountains. The Indians fiercely resisted, but it took Chief Red Cloud of the Lakota Sioux to unite the tribes and drive the whites from Indian land. Army Col. Henry Carrington, who did not want war with the Indians, commanded an infantry regiment sent up the Bozeman Trail to build Fort Phil Kearney in the middle of Sioux country. The Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho combined forces and Colonel Carrington soon found himself struggling with hostile Indians, harsh winter weather and poorly equipped, inexperienced troops. Chiaventone gives himself enough fictional license to bring the soldiers, Indians and their families to life, a talent he exercises well. The clash of cultures, rivalries among the Indians and grandstanding among the soldiers, as well as the vivid portrayal of the inhospitable environment, make this novel stand out.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Frontier novelist Chiaventone turns his attention to a largely overlooked conflict between the U.S. Army and the Plains Indians. Fought between 1866 and 1868, Red Cloud's War was precipitated by the construction of three military forts along the Bozeman Trail in the Wyoming Territory. Though abrasive and controversial, Red Cloud, a Lakota chief, manages to forge an unlikely alliance among the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Crow nations. Banding together under the leadership of Red Cloud, the tribes handed the U.S. Army a stunning defeat at Fort Phil Kearney. Dubbed the Fetterman Massacre after the foolish captain who fell into Red Cloud's trap, leading his men to certain slaughter, this initial battle ushered in one of the bloodiest eras in the annals of westward expansion. In 1868, peace talks resulted in a series of startling concessions by the U.S. government to the Plains tribes. The author's realistic representation of the major historical players results in a balanced account of a savage cultural clash. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (April 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765300931
• ISBN-13: 978-0765300935
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,786,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!, March 10, 2003

By	James McKnight (Garden Valley, ID United States) - See all my reviews

Having served with Frederick J. Chiaventone in a previous life, I was curious about his book. I have not read his first book, but I'm going to now. Moon of Bitter Cold is a tremendous work. His attention to detail and storytelling ability kept me from putting it down. This is a book that both a recreational reader and the historian will appreciate. Free of bravado, historically accurate, and characters fleshed out without bias, it's the best historical novel I've read. Congratulations Fred.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy successor to the late Terry C. Johnston, June 23, 2002

By	Bob Johnson (Seabeck,WA) - See all my reviews

Western historical fiction is in good hands in the wake of the passing of the late, great Terry C. Johnston. Frederick Chiaventone has written the absolute best novel on the so-called "Red Cloud War." This book is a crackling good read that does not sacrifice historical accuracy one iota. Most books on this period of time put Red Cloud in the background and concentrate on the better-known(to the average Joe and Josephine) Crazy Horse. But Chiaventone digs into the personality of Red Cloud and gives us much more than a two-dimensional character, warts and all he gives us a vivid portrayal of the Lakota leader. He also goes into the internal tribal politics, and also the cliques and politics of the military of the times. Even minor characters come to life. There is no political correctness infecting this novel in order to cater to the sensibilities of today's reading public. You get the idea that this was how it happened, and the author's extensive research shows. And the fact that it reads like a crackling good yarn, not a bit dry, is a testimony to his skills as a writer. In all I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves great fiction of any genre. It is that good. Frederick Chiaventone has elevated himself to the forefront of western novelists, and one can only hope he gets better and better.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New King Is Crowned, June 21, 2002

By	Bob Johnson (Seabeck,WA) - See all my reviews

When Terry C. Johnston passed away, I was wondering who would inherit the crown he wore as the best western historical novelist. Look no further than Frederick Chiaventone. This novel is the best in the genre since the heyday of Will Henry, thoroughly researched, historically accurate, and immensely readable. Chiaventone delves into the personalties of the characters yet never sacrifices the historical foundations of the story he is telling. His action scenes are well written and really crackle with force, and unlike some ponderous writers he does not bog down into dullness when the action in the story winds down into everyday life. Chiaventone keeps the readers interest throughout the novel. In all the books I have read that used the Sioux War of 1866 as a background, none have delved into the character of Oglala Lakota chief Red Cloud in such detail as this book. Usually he comes across as a cardboard figure, in the background with the young Crazy Horse front and center. Chiaventone gives us a very real Red Cloud, with all his flaws as well as his great traits in splendid detail. This book and C.J Box's novel "Open Season" were the only two recent novels I have read straight through without pause. I intend to read Mr. Chiaventone's first novel as soon as I can obtain it. Saddened by the passing of a master such as Terry c. Johnston, I am heartened to see the rise of the genius that is Frederick Chiaventone.