From Publishers Weekly
Actual historical events form the basis of this engaging western. Daha-den, the eponymous "Man Without Medicine," had eschewed his calling of holy man and instead become one of the great warriors of his Kiowa tribe. That, however, was long ago. Now his people have been confined to a reservation in Oklahoma, and Daha-den tries to cling to as many of the old ways as possible under these drastically changed circumstances. When a shifty gambler sets up Daha-den and his fellow Natives and steals their horses, the old warrior sets out to recover his property and defend his rights. At his side is Thomas Young Man, a "dapom" or outcast adopted by Daha-den. As the pair pursue the thieves and as the story spirals toward its inevitably violent resolution, the old one will teach the youth what it means to be a Kiowa warrior, to fight for their people and a fading glory. In this brisk, if not necessarily uplifting, read, Haseloff (The Chains of Sarai Stone) leavens her poignant tale with factual information about the Kiowas, their beliefs and their reduced life in the late 19th century. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Daha-hen is considered old for a Kiowa warrior, but at 53 he's still a fierce opponent unafraid to die. Part of his youthfulness is attributed to his love of horses and the herd he raises on the edge of the reservation. When his herd is stolen by a band of Texans, Daha-hen receives permission to leave the reservation to get it back. Accompanying him is Thomas Young Man, a Kiowa outcast who has been raised by whites. Their journey becomes more than a simple act of revenge. Through long hours on the trail, Daha-hen imparts the wisdom passed on to him by the previous generation: that the acceptance of death allows one to live well. Thomas has been taught the white man's way: cheat death at every opportunity and live long. It's a fundamentally different worldview, and Haseloff portrays it poignantly in this coming-of-age western novel. There is an inherent depth here that one doesn't often encounter in genre fiction. Wes Lukowsky

FROM THE PUBLISHER

One of the great Plains warriors, Daha-hen is now fifty-three and raising horses on the edge of the Kiowan reservation. When his cherished herd is run off by unscrupulous Texans, Daha-hen rides 75 miles in the wrong direction to get permission from the Indian Agency to leave the reservation. Accompanied by a young Indian outcast, Daha-hen is about to make his last raid.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly