Chancers

Name: Chancers
Price: 12.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780806133881

✍️ Gerald Vizenor

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$12.95

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A supernatural tale about students resurrecting native remains through a demonic ritual.

In this narrative, universities face consequences for their treatment of indigenous artifacts. Solar Dancers use the wiindigoo spirit to reverse power dynamics by exchanging skulls with academics. This act forces a reckoning with figures like Alfred Kroeber and Phoebe Hearst. Ishi’s appearance at the final ceremony underscores the reality behind academic myths about Native Americans. The story asks readers to reflect on the ethics of museum collections without providing simple answers.

Key Themes

Native American repatriation demonic wiindigoo possession trickster figures

Literary Context

The book engages with the history of the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley. It references real figures like Ishi and Alfred Kroeber, grounding its supernatural elements in specific anthropological contexts and the ongoing debate over Native American skeletal remains.

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Poppy Z. Brite · Sherman Alexie · Clive Barker · H.P. Lovecraft

🕯️

Supernatural

🏛 University of Oklahoma Press 📅 2001 📖 159 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9780806133881

📝 Description: Chancers

Gerald Vizenor’s novel Chancers tells a darkly funny tale about bringing back Native American bones. The plot centers on students known as Solar Dancers who try to revive skeletons kept at the Phoebe Hearst Museum at UC Berkeley. Under the influence of a spirit called wiindigigoo, these students carry out a violent ritual that kills faculty and staff connected to the bone collection. They swap the indigenous skulls with those of the dead academics, allowing the revived spirits to emerge as the Chancers. These characters clash with the Round Dancers, who are portrayed as erotic tricksters. The story ends at a graduation ceremony featuring historical figures like Pocahontas, Phoebe Hearst, Alfred Kroeber, and Ishi, noting that Ishi actually worked in the museum. This supernatural fiction explores ethical issues around cultural heritage and academic practices. It uses Native American myths to critique how institutions treat indigenous remains. Readers who enjoy complex social commentary through a trickster lens will likely appreciate this work, while those seeking straightforward history or avoiding graphic violence may find it less appealing.

💎 Our verdict on Chancers

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Vizenor crafts a darkly funny supernatural tale that uses horror tropes to examine real-world ethical issues regarding museum collections. The narrative effectively employs Native American myths, particularly the wiindigoo spirit, to force a reckoning with historical figures and academic institutions. By reversing power dynamics through a violent ritual, the story critiques how institutions treat indigenous artifacts. While the approach is provocative and intellectually stimulating, it demands readers engage with graphic violence and complex social commentary. It suits those who enjoy challenging fiction that blurs the line between myth and reality.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers interested in the intersection of horror fiction and cultural ethics will find this novel compelling. It offers a unique perspective on the treatment of indigenous remains by universities, using supernatural elements to critique academic practices. Those who appreciate complex social commentary delivered through a trickster lens will enjoy the dark humor and ironic reversal of power dynamics. The book is ideal for readers willing to engage with difficult themes without expecting simple moral answers or straightforward historical accounts.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Vizenor crafts a darkly funny supernatural tale that uses horror tropes to examine real-world ethical issues regarding museum collections. The narrative effectively employs Native American myths, particularly the wiindigoo spirit, to force a reckoning with historical figures and academic institutions. By reversing power dynamics through a violent ritual, the story critiques how institutions treat indigenous artifacts. While the approach is provocative and intellectually stimulating, it demands readers engage with graphic violence and complex social commentary. It suits those who enjoy challenging fiction that blurs the line between myth and reality.