Red Thunder

It's been a while since I reviewed a book, but I had to review this one, because of how much I enjoyed it. That this is Matheson's first attempt at a novel is clear. At times the writing is unsophisticated, and there are a few errors that could have been caught by a good editor, but these are more than made up for by the wonderful story he tells.What makes this novel, or really history, so unusual is that, unlike most of what we read by and about American Indians, this tells a tale of life before white contact. It is a story of spirituality passed down from generation to generation.In telling this tale for Indians and non-Indians, Matheson takes care not to reveal sacred rituals, yet I defy anyone who reads it to feel that anything is missing. This is a moving story for all people. Whether or not you believe in the reality or significance of what he tells, you cannot help but feel the deep spirituality of his characters who spend much of their life in prayer and appreciation of thier surroundings.Matheson can add to his credits of MBA and former tribal chairman, the title of master story teller.

Red thunder is a rare phenomenon, a decisive sign from the Creator in the book that bears its name. Author David Matheson relates that it was a story within him, crying to be written-a story that had never before been told outside the Schee-tsu-umsh tribe. The full story of the times before first contact with Europeans, the times of the legendary Prophet Chief Circling Raven, was a precious secret. The elders guarded their stories because of deep feelings to protect what they had left after first contact when the tribe was renamed Coeur d'Alene. As an elder and former Tribal Chairman, Matheson decided that now was the time to share this remarkable, revered story that depicts actual accounts of the early 1700s when the tribal territory encompassed some four million acres of what are now Northern Idaho, Eastern Washington, and Western Montana. The story is told through the eyes of Sun Boy, whose family band camps near the Huckleberry Mountains. He is 11 years old when the book begins. Sun Boy, whose manhood name becomes Sun Bear because of his harrowing but brave encounter with a grizzly that had attacked his father, relates the story of his extended family and their tribe as he grows up, eventually becoming a respected warrior and a beloved husband and father. However, the main character of the book is his younger sister Rainbow Girl who symbolizes Mother Earth. The book's explicit theme is, "There really is no difference between our everyday life and religion; and no difference between religion and ceremony. So we pray to the Kolunsuten [Creator] to sanction all that we do religiously and ceremonially first, bringing ourselves near to nature that He would move to bless us and fulfill our prayers through nature" (p. 299). When Sun Bear is 21, the plot begins to unfold with the central character, Rainbow Girl, and the tragedy that sets in motion the plot that climaxes with the Creator's miracle for which Chief Circling Raven had beseechingly sought to save his people. Though Sun Bear and his family are fictional characters, the compassionate Chief Circling Raven-whose prophecies were divinely inspired-and the supernatural events (which parallel the biblical account of the parting of the Red Sea) that save them from both the enemy and Grandfather Winter, are actual accounts from the Schee-tsu-umsh people's oral history. Red Thunder is a strong and powerful book with an exciting plot that has both traditional religion and timeless wisdom intricately woven within. ...

From beginning to end this book is a wonderful experience for the reader. This book educates the reader about life as a Native American while telling a beautiful story. Impossible to put down, I could not wait to see were the author would take me next. Mr. Matheson's writing style is captivating. As the reader, I felt as though I was actually participating in many parts of this book. I eagerly anticipate more books from David Matheson.