Cheyenne Raiders.

Robert Jordan writing as Jackson O'Reilly. 1982/2001. Read by Michael Kramer. Books on Tape. 6--1.5 hour tapes. $48.00. 0-7366-7046-7. Vinyl binder; plot notes. A

When the Office of Indian Affairs seeks, in 1837, to learn about the culture and numbers of the Cheyenne Indians, Yale graduate Thomas McCabe volunteers to make contact and report back. He cuts his ties to his fiancee and heads west, entering "Unorganized Territory," the area between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains. He gains peaceful entry to a village by rescuing Spotted Fox, an injured warrior. Called "Mack Cabe" by the Indians, he gradually becomes acculturated, earning the name Horse Runner during a horse-stealing raid. He gets to know the Cheyenne and their ways, hunting, taking part in more raids and bloody battles, and participating in the Sun Dance ritual. He fulfills a heavy bride price for the desirable Night Bird Woman. He tries, with limited success, to serve as peacemaker between warring tribes.

The picture of traditional Cheyenne culture depicted in the story appears to be true to the stereotypes and information available in the mid-1800s. The Indians speak English but distrust the ever-encroaching whites, with good reason The author has created an adventure story with lots of fighting and a fair dose of sex, which rates 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-10. Scene of torture near the end. Expertly read in a deep, masculine voice. Edna M. Boardman, Minot, ND