Magic Lance: Mystery & Adventure in the New West

By Hal Simmons

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157416094X
• ISBN13: 9781574160949
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Clear Light Publishing
• Length: 319 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Great read, American Indian tie..

This is a great read, the story is well developed with fascinating characters. After just a few pages the reader has a real feeling for each of the individuals. You really get concerned about what happens to them. When American Indian businessmen tangle with locals interesting developments occur. This story will appeal to guys and girls. I found the book difficult to put down and then I really anxious to get back to the story.

excellent regional thriller

The tribe has made a fortune with its Magic Lance casino. Now the tribal war concerned with having all their eggs in one basket directs Lucky Joe to purchase ranch land with the goal to establish a Native American state. As the pattern begins to surface, those in Washington and in the surrounding western states become concerned with the Indian power grab. Especially upset are local politicians who fear losing power and white ranchers who are disturbed by being archipelagoes in a red sea. Other strange bedfellows from environmentalists to hunters to organized crime mobsters to even some tribal members join the anti tribal land grab. In the midst of all this posturing while Lucky Joe legally continues his purchases and the casino brings in money by the truckload, small rancher Lance Burnett tries to run his spread even as his inner city teacher wife Jan leaves him to escape the lonely existence and he is attracted to the ranch manager next door Lighting McClain, whose owner wants his land at discount sales rate in order to compete with the Indian purchases. This excellent regional thriller rotates perspective predominantly between what is happening to Lance and Lucky Joe until their subplots deftly converge; plausible but unexpected twists keep readers wondering where the two scenarios are going. Fans will enjoy this modern take of Old West "economic politics" in the twenty-first century especially the unintended consequences of the casinos as devastating a way of life while also becoming an equalizer. Insightful throughout with consistent characters behaving according to their moral code, MAGIC LANCE is a complex character driven tale that readers will appreciate as Hal Simmons shines a clear light on the New West. Harriet Klausner

Traditions vs. Ambitions in the new west

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (10/08) When I was a child, nothing fascinated me more than reading about Indians. It did not matter to me whether the stories were true or fiction, and even less if they were based in North, South or Central America. My fascination with the proud Indians was boundless, and I was immensely disappointed to have learned how few of them survived and what appalling conditions most of them are living in nowadays. In a true serendipity moment I made my first visit to an Indian reservation just this past week, seeing some of the Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, and talking to one of them about the current "state of affairs," including the casinos, land ownership and more. Therefore I found "Magic Lance" by Hal Simmons even more interesting. "Magic Lance" is both a fun adventure story and a very insightful story about what happens if the "old ways" get forgotten or simply ignored. The main frame of the story is the planned land acquisition by several Indian tribes trying to get enough land to form an independent Native American state. The casinos provided them with enough money to do so, but they will have to be crafty enough so that their plan will not be discovered too soon and the acquisitions questioned and stopped. One of the ranches that they desire to buy is owned by Lance Burnett's family. Lance is a typical small rancher, struggling with the economic issues he's facing on a daily basis, but determined to keep the ranch and stay true to the way of life that is slowly becoming extinct. In addition to the economic troubles he's facing, Lance is also torn between two fetching females: his wife Jan, who is deeply troubled by the isolation of the ranch life, and the gorgeous and very warm blooded manager of the neighboring ranch, Lightning. Making the whole story even more interesting is Lance's discovery of what could potentially be the long-lost silver mine of significant importance and the possible curse linked to it. What made the story especially appealing to me were author's insights into the way casinos changed the life of the Native American tribes and descriptions of some of the traditions they used to observe. Some of my favorite pages were actually those describing Lucky Joe and his family setting camp on Lance Burnett's land, as well as those talking about the selection of the new cacique. I felt that the author did a lot of research, and he certainly approached sensitive subjects with compassion. I would highly recommend "Magic Lance" by Hal Simmons to anybody who enjoys a good adventure story, and even more to those readers who are keen to learn more about the intricate matters involving tribal affairs.