“Win Blevins, that master yarn-spinner, has done it again with ‘The Rock Child.’ A wonderfully wild one which you don’t want to miss.” — Tony Hillerman. Packed with drama, adventure, humor, the lore of American Indians and Tibetan Buddhists, plus unforgettable historical characters, this book is a dazzling tour de force and a deeply moving story.“A wild mythic novel of the American West. The … West. The climax would satisfy the Buddha himself!”— Library Journal
An unlikely trio comprised of the Shoshone Indian Asie, a Tibetan nun, and Sir Richard Burton—the famous soldier and explorer—flees from the Utah Territory to California in 1862. The Destroying Angel of the Mormon Church, Porter Rockwell, pursues them relentlessly.
The journey is jam-packed with unforgettable incidents and colorful characters, including a fledgling journalist named Mark Twain. In the end Asie discovers why he was named the Rock Child, what it means to be a man of color in America, what spiritual path will nurture him, who his people are, and the strength of love.
Reviews
“Blevins, whose book Stone Song fictionalized the life of the legendary Crazy Horse, has stated his aim is to write ‘mythic novels of the American West.’ He meets that goal in The Rock Child. The voices shift between an Indian-Anglo musical savant; Sun Moon, a virginal Tibetan nun shanghaied into American prostitution; and Sir Richard Burton, real-life explorer, linguist, and Arabian Nights translator.
“Joining Burton in rescuing Asie and Sun Moon from a dreadful fate is Mark Twain, a comedic catalyst that surprisingly few historical novelists have thought to exploit. Like Twain, Burton is well drawn. He’s a cultivated, Sean Connery-type sinner who feels badly about his appetites, and the picaresque passages told from his perspective enliven this ambitious narrative.” — Library Journal
“A colorful novel set among the Mormons in 1862, featuring such real folks as Sam Clemens, Sir Richard Burton, Brigham Young, and Porter Rockwell, by the author of Stone Song, Win Blevins. Half-Indian Asie Taylor, a musical prodigy who has been accepted into the Church of the Latter-day Saints, drowns when his delivery wagon is overturned in a flash flood. He experiences an out-of-body experience, returns to life, and is amazed to see the scarred but beautiful face of Sun Moon above him. Sun is a Tibetan Buddhist nun who was kidnapped in Asia and shipped to America to be sold into prostitution. Tarim, the tavernkeeper who bought her, expects to resell her for a hefty sum.
“When Porter Rockwell, a Mormon known as the Destroying Angel (he seeks out and kills enemies of the church) buys Sun Moon, he attempts to satisfy his lust. Frustrated by his inability to do so, he disfigures her face. Sun Moon flees and falls in with Asie, who has decided to go in search of his origins and the meaning of his Shoshone name, Rock Child. Meanwhile, Rockwell is in pursuit of Sun Moon, determined to kill her—and anyone who gets in his way.
“Tibetan-speaking Sir Richard Burton, a brilliant opium addict, is in Salt Lake City to persuade Brigham Young to form a separate Western Confederacy. Burton saves Asie and Sun Moon from Rockwell and joins their quest. For a while, Brigham Young gives them sanctuary from Rockwell, though Rockwell later follows the trio to San Francisco.
“‘Life is a flabbergaster,’ says Asie Taylor, hero of Win Blevins’s The Rock Child, a story that will flabbergast every reader who opens it. This is a rich, funny, fascinating, meaningful, and memorable novel from the author of that incredible masterpiece about Crazy Horse, Stone Song.” —Rocky Mountain News
“Win Blevins displays an antic imagination, not only in mingling actual and invented characters, but in melding gritty action-adventure with metaphysical musings.” — Dale Wasserman, author of Man of La Mancha
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The Rock Child is a beautifully written story of the old west. There are no two-dimensional outlaws or cowboys here. But there are fictionalized portraits of historical figures like Sir Richard Burton, Brigham Young, Porter Rockwell, and Samuel Clemens. The most engaging characters are the fictional Asie and Sun Moon. Asked is a half Native American, raised in a Mormon family, suffering an identity crisis. Sun Moon, a Tibetan nun, kidnapped, powerless, sold into prostitution, is totally determined to not cooperate in the fate imposed by others.
Love anything Win Blevins writes!
I REALLY LIKE THIS AUTHOR, BUT I HAD TROUBLE WITH THIS BOOK. MAYBE IT WAS JUST ME AT THE TIME. I WILL TRY AGAIN LATER.
OK, I checked “romantic, whimsical, and scary” – how’s that for a combination? Interesting story, well told. Has some characters we do know from other works of fact and/or fiction, but mainly an original and good story.
Enjoyed this read
This book is well written. It’s a bit unusual, with many twists and turns and juxtapositions of different characters. I would NOT recommend it to young teens because of the sex, drugs and and violence. Each character has a unique philosophy about the world, and they’re revealed gradually throughout the book.
Refreshingly imaginative! Characters draw you into plot. Extremely well written. Enjoyable combination of philosophy and pathos. A true “must read”.
Truly interesting in that it was an old western – historical, multicultural, and showed various aspects of cultures and religions including misogyny and xenophobic treatment of different types of people in early America.
The Rock Child is not so much an adventure tale–although it is that, too–as a story about man’s quest for identity and Home. While Blevins has wrapped his musings on race and identity in a page-turning adventure, the reader will gain much food for thought. Here in 1862 Utah and California are historical figures that come to life–Richard Burton, Brigham Young, Samuel Clemens, Porter Rockwell all become three-dimensional people rather than the cardboard cutouts of history. While some readers may find the constant change of POV a nuisance, it was the overlong diatribes on race that stalled the story for me. Still, it was a rollicking ride and one I recommend.
The story was well written with good characters. The story did not speak to me and it was hard for me to get thorough it.
Win Blevins only hits home runs and grand slams. He is an excellent storyteller who weaves fiction and real historical knowledge exceptionally.
Got to be incredibly long. Didn’t think I would ever finish it.
I forced myself to complete this book as I could not review the book otherwise. I would not recommend this book. It would have been better as a short story…and even then, the content is boring. A total waste of time!
What a unique story! I loved the variety of colorful and well-developed characters. Also, that it read much like a historical novel mixed with Native American metaphysics. It climaxed in a crescendo of emotions, character development and secrets revealed; without ever taking itself too seriously. A joy to read.
A well written, engaging story, weaving the lives of unusual characters together in a grand adventure. The backdrop of the old West is nicely portrayed, and there is a depth and spiritual nature to the journey of Asie and Sun Moon. Very glad I read The Rock Child.
Loved this book,
So many wild and wonderful characters in this thrilling novel set in the Old West. A half-Shoshone raised by Mormons befriends a Tibetan nun in a daring escape from a “destroying angel” set on their destruction. Even Mark Twain is in on the rescue. The author loves the West, and brings the reader along the rugged trail.
Just a fun read with great characters lots of action and interesting look at the West during the gold rush time. I really enjoyed this one.
LOVED THE STORY TELLING…REALLY ENJOYED IT…
This is a long book, with several actual historic characters included in the narrative of early West Coast times. The tales of Utah and Nevada in the 1860’s are realistic, and the portrayal of the plight of the Asian immigrants is heart-breaking. I really enjoyed this book, and learned a lot about the life and times of rich and poor in that time period