Shaman Winter

by Rudolfo Anaya

Book Overview

This third installment of Rudolfo Anaya's Sonny Baca mystery series has the private detective confined to a wheelchair. Brutal battles with his nemesis Raven have taken their toll and Baca is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446523747
• ISBN13: 9780446523745
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Anaya a Great Writer!

I have read all of Anaya's books. I loved this one as I loved them all. I read them all in order of their writing and found doing that the most interesting way to follow Anaya's thoughts and the development of his writing. This book is the last of a trilogy - hopefully there will be many more. His writing is such a wonderful way to discover the history and essence of New Mexico and to get a real feeling for the soul of the area. Anaya writes using many analogies and metaphors and with very deep meaning. Rudolfo Anaya is a joy to read and his writings have enriched my life profoundly.

Dream World Mystery

This is the third book in the series by Anaya involving his heros Sonny Baca and Rita Lopez and their battles with Sonny's opponent Raven. To appreciate this book, you really need to start at the beginning and follow the story through the various phases. The first book "Zia Summer" sets the stage with the principal characters in the context of the New Mexico Pueblo Indian culture. The second book "Rio Grande Fall" takes you through the battles of Sonny and Raven in the context of the multiple layers of culture (Native American, Hispanic and Anglo) in the Rio Grande Valley. You get a wonderful tour of the cultures in each of these books. This third book "Shaman Winter" is the height of the mystical battle and the Pueblo Indian cultures interpretation of dreams. In this book there also is more of a direct message to the Nuevo Mexicano people that your existence is destroyed by those who rob you of your dreams and who rob you of your historical context. "History belongs to those who write it." Certainly this is a powerful message to the Hispanic people who must feel acutely the loss of their heritage in the Anglo culture and the denial of their dreams of a homeland and a peaceful existance. One of the most powerful moments in the book is the depiction of the Long Walk of the Navaho people and the impact on their women. This is conscience-raising but not distracting from the story line. The story is fascinating in the mystical interpretation of dreams. You have to be willing to suspend disbelief and go along for the ride to enjoy this story. If your are able to do so, the journey is a wonderful one, full of twists, and goes off like the finale of a July 4th fireworks display in all the plots and subplots at the dramatic ending. Note that the ending leaves room to look forward to another book in the series.

Readers will dream of the ultimate Baca vs Raven war

Still physically healing from his last encounter with the Bringer of Curses, the evil Raven, New Mexico private investigator Sonny Baca is confined to a wheelchair. Sonny begins to suffer from weird dreams. The first dreams stars his late sixteenth century ancestor, Owl Woman, who is abducted by his enemy Raven. The malevolent one has learned how to enter Sonny's dreams. Raven's plan is diabolically simple. He plans to eradicate one by one every one of Sonny's antecedents until none remains, leaving his only righteous foe to vanish since he will never have been born. Sonny turns to his mentor to teach and guide him on how to combat Raven on the dream plane. However, the fight with his foe is also taking place in the mundane physical world as Raven has kidnapped several girls. Not fully recovered from their last bitter battle and with limited experience on that other plane, Sonny's chances of thwarting evil again echoes nevermore. The great Rudolfo Anaya (see BLESS ME, ULTIMA) returns with his most endearing yet weirdest character, Sonny Baca (see RIO GRANDE FALL). The fast-paced story line of SHAMAN WINTER is fascinating and absolutely eerie as the master paints a vivid picture of the spirituality of another culture. Sonny and his support cast, especially the evil Raven (not the wrestler), are a fabulous crew that maintains their freshness even as they renew their battle. Sonny's relatives add a historical touch to the thriller. Anyone who enjoys a brilliant tale that is a bit different needs to try the Baca novels or for that matter any of the works of Mr. Anaya.Harriet Klausner