Overview
Barnaby Skye’s mixed-blood son, Dirk, teaches at the Indian Bureau’s school on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Dirk, or North Star, as he is known among his mother’s people, dreams of helping the Shoshones to live in the new world of the white men.
When a total eclipse causes panic among the tribe, a young schoolboy has a breathtaking vision that may crush Dirk’s hopes for peace. The boy renames himself Owl, the most dreaded of all totemic birds, and spreads this message: The white men will leave, and the old ways will return.
Owl’s prophecy inspires the Shoshones and the Indian Bureau sees insurrection on the horizon. The army sets out to capture Owl, hang him, and imprison his followers. Dirk must struggle with his own divided allegiances and act as a mediator before it is too late.
The reservation is in grave danger… and only Dirk Skye can prevent a massacre.
Editorials
From the Publisher
“One of the best Western writers around today.”—Publishers Weekly“Wheeler, a multiple Spur Award winner, explores the issues surrounding the tensions between the two sides…. He also instills the story with his usual vividly drawn characters and crisply written action scenes. Another winner from a genre stalwart.”—Booklist
“Wheeler is a master storyteller.” —Library Journal
“Wheeler has dished up another powerful story of cultures in conflict, misunderstandings, ignorance, and arrogance.”—Publishers Weekly on The Owl Hunt
“A haunting novel about hubris and its consequence.”—Larry McMurtry, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lonesome Dove on Snowbound