"One heartbeat there was nothing; the next, he'd walked from a place without form or smell and now stood, alone, on the plains. The grassland extended forever and was everything, had no beginning or--the seasons of life taught him--end. He was part of it and it owned him. Held him prisoner." The mesmerizing opening paragraph to Cheyenne Summer is my introduction to veteran author, Vella Munn. It literally captured me and drew me into the harsh existence of the Cheyenne. In the midst of drought, the buffalo won't return without rain. And without the buffalo, the Cheyenne will perish. Grey Bear is a brave warrior and prolific hunter with an all too human flaw of a hot temper. He obsesses over fighting the Cheyenne's enemy--the Pawnee, leading him and his people along a perilous path. Lone Hawk has a greater vision and feels there are other ways to save his people. He believes that the Pawnee suffer equally from the drought. While a rampant grassfire destroys half the village, the maidens, Touches the Wind and Seeks Fire search for children feared lost in the blaze. The two young women are inadvertently drawn into the warriors' conflicts. From beginning to end, Cheyenne Summer has perfect symmetry. As a reader, I never guessed what was about to happen next, yet after doing so, I felt I should have known the plot all along. The fire and battles provide plenty of action, and the vivid setting chokes with dust, swelters from summer's heat, and billows smoke from the fire. The characters are wonderfully drawn, three-dimensional people who have touched my heart and will stay with me for a very long time. Ms. Munn raises storytelling to an art form rarely seen. Not only did I share the Cheyenne's laughter and tears, but I shared their spirit as well. Kim Murphy Back to Bygone Days E-mail: bygone@chien-noir.com Graphics Copyright 2001, 2003-2004 Kim & Pat Murphy Initial Markup Design by Pat Murphy