I wanted to love this book. It had all the makings of stories that I love but.... it just didn't get there for me. I felt the stories were contrived and they didn't compel me to want to finish them. The promise of stories about medicine men and the ways of spirit spoke to me but the book didn't deliver. I did love the cover of this book however. ( )

Based on the title and cover of this collection of short stories, I expected to find a collection of short stories written by North American Indigenous authors. However, in reading the biographies of the authors, none appear to be Indigenous. Yet, many of the stories make reference to specific Indigenous communities, languages, and cultures. Thus, I have concerns that some of the stories in this book contain cultural appropriation.

While all of the stories in the book deal with a spiritual aspect of Indigenous people or Indigenous beliefs, the genres of the stories are quite varied. Examples of genres include mysteries, adventures, historical fiction, and supernatural thrillers.

The quality of the writing of the stories varies quite a bit. Overall, the writing was relatively poor. One exception was the story "Jackrabbit" by Max Carrey. I found this story to be relatively well-written. In this story, the main character had become disenchanted with his traditional culture. He became a charlatan who sells crystals to non-Indigenous travelers at a rest area. One day the character encounters a woman with supernatural qualities. She is able to show the huckster the error of his ways and helps him find his way back to the true ways of his people.

While those who are looking to read some stories that take place in Indigenous settings may enjoy this book, I don't recommend the book for most readers. ( )