Panther in the Sky

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

``What particularly distinguishes this splendidly vigorous and imaginative recreation of the life of the great Shawnee chief Tecumseh (1768-1813) is its bid to capture the spirit of Midwestern Indian culture from within,'' commented PW. (Mar.)

Library Journal

Thom's previous books, published in trade paperback, all dealt with Americans fighting for independence in the Ohio River area and their experiences with the Indians in the late 1700s. Now come the Indians themselves, with this hardcover novel of Tecumseh (1768-1813). Tecumseh was born under a shooting star, a portent of greatness. His father and older brothers died fighting white encroachment onto Indian lands, and he became the leader of younger and more dissident elements of many tribes in order to fight white seizure of their lands. The basic facts of this warrior's life are all here, but Thom states he ``was looking especially for insights into the culture, morality, ceremony, and psychic condition of the Shawnee people in the time of their greatest crisis.'' He seems to have found them, as the characters are alive and believable. Overlong but well done.-- Andrea Lee Shuey, Dallas P.L.