Book Title: The Year the Cloud Fell Reviewed By: K.A. Corlett Written By: Kurt R.A. Giambastiani Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy Publisher: ROC Books ISBN: 0-451-45821-4 Date: March 2001 Price: $6.99 Author's Web Site: Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

The Year the Cloud Fell is an outstanding book. Why, you ask? First and foremost, says I, because Kurt R.A.Giambastiani is a compelling storyteller. One might be led to wonder how a writer could bring off a plot with elements like this. It is 1886. Captain George Custer, Jr., son of U.S. President (yes, that's right) George Armstrong Custer, crashes a dirigible deep in Cheyenne territory. Lizard-riding native warriors take him prisoner, and he is plunged into a culture he finds utterly incomprehensible. A young Cheyenne woman believes George is the fulfillment of a vision. Is he really a leader come from the clouds to aid the Cheyenne Alliance against his own nation?      Giambastiani weaves it all into an engaging tale of historical adventure. He is a meticulous researcher with an eye for fine detail, from the procedure at a council meeting of Cheyenne chiefs to the fabric of the First Lady's dress. I even suspect him of extensive research on reptile behaviour. There's a fascinating sequence where native hunters ride their lizard mounts ('whistlers' and 'walkers') on a buffalo hunt, and another where a female character 'breaks' a whistler to ride. But never are the historical fine points intrusive. Everything is part of the tapestry. The prose is clean and straightforward, the elucidation of Cheyenne ritual reverent. Particularly evocative is a burial ceremony in which the carrion creatures hasten the journey of the dead woman's spirit to the afterlife.      Cloud's characters are complex, well-drawn individuals who command our affection and sympathy. Even Custer the Elder--love him or hate him--is portrayed with intelligent ambiguity. He is human. That's another thing about the author: he knows people. His protagonist, George, is no knight in shining armour. Instead, he's an intellectual and reluctant soldier who is very often afraid, cold, confused, and isolated. Through George's eyes we see the breakdown of an American white man's prejudices. He gains exposure to a native culture that he never imagined was so rich and in many ways so much more mature in its outlook than his own. As we see from warrior Storm Arriving's perspective, the white man's ways are themselves barbaric. While the spin of the book is decidedly pro-Cheyenne, the author handles this with sensitivity. It's most interesting to step back and look at the culture of 'the other' from the standpoints of both the native peoples and the, uh, Vé' ho'e (you'll have to read the book to absorb that one, kids). And it's refreshing to experience a powerful female character in Speaks While Leaving: visionary, wise woman, healer, and warrior in her own right.      The writing is a skilful balance of action and character development. The devastation of a Cheyenne camp by U.S. troops is heart pounding and heart rending. Yet Giambastiani doesn't segue into melodrama. His metaphors and his characters' emotions are effective because he is adept at telling a tale simply--the story shines through. He catches us up in an American frontier world that both was and wasn't. More significantly, he holds us there. The next installment in the Cloud trilogy, The Spirit of Thunder, is due from ROC Books in March 2002. I, for one,will be there with bells on. Yours, K.A. Corlett

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