a different alternative history

[delux_vivens]

newspaper_rock discusses a book called The Indians Won, a novel written in 1970 by Martin Cruz Smith (who was apparently part Pueblo?). The basic premise is that after Custer's defeat,

the Lakota and Cheyenne had not broken up into traditional hunting bands that winter. Financed by a group of European investors, who were resentful of rising U.S. influence,

Comments

[badger2305]

The Indians Won by Martin Cruz Smith. Something of a review based on several re-readings over time.

This is a flawed book, mostly because Cruz Smith isn't sure what he really wanted to write, or so it seems to me. One half of it is an alternate history account, with a point of divergence that sets up an Indian Nation in the northern plains. The other half is an attempt at the potboiler thriller involving a Native protagonist attempting to reach the President of the United States. Both stories have a strong "but if this were only finished..." feel to them, and they don't mesh very well, even though Cruz Smith attempts his best to make them work together.

It can be critiqued from an AH perspective (e.g. so what happens to the shadowy Syndicate that is behind the Indian Nation?), and from a lit-crit perspective (the potboiler doesn't boil very well and perpetuates some stereotypes in the telling). All of this having been said, I have a soft spot for this book, flaws and all. It's an interesting read, and some parts feel kinda close to what I consider an Indian perspective. The Indians Won isn't great literature, but it is a relatively fun read. Just don't poke at it too hard.