Once Upon the River Platte

Once Upon the River Platte - Paperback

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$26.93
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Once Upon the River Platte
  • Once Upon the River Platte
Once Upon the River Platte - Paperback

Once Upon the River Platte - Paperback

by Timothy J. Kloberdanz
$26.93
$26.93

Book Overview

IT IS HOT - so hot that folks in the American heartland no longer scoff at government warnings about "lethal heat" and "climatic crisis." Something is very wrong and everyone knows it.

This is a full-length novel about an environmental crisis in the Platte River Valley of eastern Nebraska. The crisis takes place in the not-too-distant future, possibly in the 2020s. In addition to scorching temperatures, prairie fires, and water shortages, there is yet another problem: "heat-crazy" wild animals are attacking humans in many parts of the Platte River Valley. Within only a few weeks, the death toll begins to soar.

Zephaniah Pike, a federal agent, is sent to Nebraska to investigate. He and his team of experts soon find themselves in a bizarre and ever-worsening predicament, one that pits armed locals against angry environmentalists. Amidst the turmoil, Agent Pike must find some answers-and a way to avoid mob violence and bloodshed.

The members of Agent Pike's "crisis team" include Jake Vogel, a Nebraska-based federal agent; Dr. Susan Hotaru, a wildlife biologist, and Old Man Elk, a Pawnee Indian artist and activist who is intimately familiar with Nebraska wildlife. The four members of the team struggle to solve the crisis and to work together as a truly united team. Observing them all the while is Ahwa, a female coyote, who does not trust the ways of the intrusive "Two-Leggeds."

An integral part of the story is the very important role played by the Platte River (the "Great Flat Water"). Many of the cultural groups who once lived in the Platte River Valley country had a mystical or reverential relationship with the river. Early Spanish explorers, for example, christened the Platte as the "Rio de Jesus Maria" (River of Jesus Mary). The Omaha and Otoe tribal name for the Platte River, "Ni-Braska," inspired the name of the state of Nebraska. Throughout the book, there are references to the mystical and symbolic importance of the Platte. One of the book's main characters even asserts: "If God were a river, God would be the Platte."

An early reviewer has described Once Upon the River Platte as "a real gem. It shines and sparkles in every way." Another reviewer commented: "This book is a futuristic Western-complete with buffalo, coyotes, prairie fires, Indians, shape-shifters, drones, biometric scannings, and gun-toting lawmen. If this is the American West of the future, we all need to saddle up. And we're sure to enjoy one wild, unforgettable ride."
ISBN9780999371206
Author Timothy J. Kloberdanz
PublisherClovis House
GenreLiterature
FormatPaperback
PublishedAugust 2019
LanguageENG- English
Pages336
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

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More by Timothy J. Kloberdanz

Once Upon the River Platte

Once Upon the River Platte - Paperback

Once Upon the River Platte - Paperback

By Timothy J. Kloberdanz

About Timothy J. Kloberdanz

Timothy J. Kloberdanz is a retired professor who is fascinated by the legendary rivers of the American West. One of the many rivers he has come to know is the historic Red River of the North. (Yes, this river actually flows north!) Some of Kloberdanz's friends refer to him as "The River Writer." "I'm not sure about that nickname," says Kloberdanz. "It sounds too much like 'The River Rider.' But if it means I like writing about rivers, then I'm okay with it." Kloberdanz's first book about a river is a novella. It is entitled One Day on the River Red. Although the author is a native of Colorado, he has lived in the Red River Valley of North Dakota for more than forty years. He has traveled the entire length of the Red River of the North-from Wahpeton, North Dakota, and Breckenridge, Minnesota, to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The author earned academic degrees at the University of Colorado (Boulder), Colorado State University (Fort Collins), and Indiana University (Bloomington). Although he is "retired," Dr. Kloberdanz continues to do ethnographic and literary research in the Great Plains region and in other parts of the American West. A professor emeritus at North Dakota State University, he taught more than eight thousand students and received many awards during his academic career. He is the author or co-author of several books and has written numerous articles and other pieces, including a script for a prize-winning public television documentary. Along with his wife Rosalinda, Kloberdanz currently makes his home in Fargo, North Dakota. "Fargo is renowned for its wicked winds and bone-numbing winters," the author writes. "But these realities are balanced by occasional gentle breezes and brilliant displays of the great northern lights." Kloberdanz's next book will deal with the Platte River of the Central Great Plains. He also is doing background research on two other books that deal with the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. "I never get tired of writing about rivers," says Kloberdanz. "No matter what, those rivers just keep flowing and flowing. I'll try to follow their example for as long as I can. So I just look ahead and hope for the best. And I let the words flow."

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