An Uncommon Enemy (Hardcover)

by Michelle Black (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Strong characters, smart narration and a fast-moving plot distinguish this latest historical novel by Black. On November 2, 1868, the Seventh Cavalry wiped out a Cheyenne village on the banks of the Washita River. Though it was referred to by the army as "the Battle of the Washita," Thomas Murphy, superintendent of Indian affairs, believes it was a massacre and resigns in protest. Lieutenant Colonel Custer, then at the beginning of his campaign against the Cheyenne, needs a witness to back his version of the event. As Black's novel begins, he thinks he has found one in a white woman who has survived four years of Indian captivity. Eden Murdoch served as a nurse in the Civil War, then married a handsome soldier, discovering too late that he was a brutal, narrow-minded man. While attempting to escape him, she was abducted by a band of renegade Indian warriors and, after much suffering, rescued by a Cheyenne tribal medicine man, Hanging Road, a young man she came to love. Custer is dismayed to find that she will not denounce her captors as "savages" and, in fact, seems to regard his men as not rescuers but aggressors. He appoints his young captain, Brad Randall, to see if he can learn the facts of Eden's captivity. Randall is a na‹ve but decent man who comes to understand Eden's respect for the Cheyenne. Black's take on Custer's cruel command is nuanced and well researched, her story of his encounter with Eden based on a cryptic remark Custer made in his field notes the day after Washita. Eden's forthrightness is not always believable waiting impatiently for a bath in the custody of soldiers, she strips naked in front of them but her plucky humor makes her an appealing protagonist.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
When a young, white woman named Eden is rescued from a savage Indian village, an aide-de-camp, Captain Brad Randall, is assigned the task of looking after her. When Eden begins to reveal her story, Brads future changes, and they unexpectedly set in motion events that will echo all the way to Little Bighorn.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765301032
• ISBN-13: 978-0765301031
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,969,105 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A piercing look at a woman's courage, November 2, 2001

By	Richard S. Wheeler (Livingston, MT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Michelle Black has written a fine novel about a woman caught between two worlds, Indian and white. The heroine refuses to compromise her humanity, her charity, or her love, and as a result finds herself in trouble with the cavalry, and especially General Custer. This is a marvelous depiction of military ambition so ruthless that it overrides all decency, and a good woman's response to it. I found myself caught up in a drama that throws light upon the Indian Wars, and the politics surrounding them. Michelle Black will win a wide readership.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A penetrating look at the Indian wars, November 2, 2001

By	Richard S. Wheeler (Livingston, MT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Michelle Black has penned an absorbing and rich novel of the Indian wars, focusing especially on General Custer's obsessive quest for glory, which soon trumps truth and decency. The heroine of this story is a woman of innate decency, who refuses to compromise herself, her ideals, or her fate, no matter what pressures are applied to her. This is an outstanding and deeply moving novel about courage, honesty, and a woman's charity toward others.