“Beautifully told . . . Ray’s poetic sensibility shows in his careful prose; its spare style may recall Jim Harrison’s Legends of the Fall, while the range of history covered is similar to that of Shannon Burke’s Into the Savage Country. A Western epic with appeal for literary readers, this seems likely to become a classic Montana read.” —Library Journal

“The train . . . is the defining symbol of industry and expansionism, and the sentences in Shann Ray’s debut novel, American Copper, race across the page like the hammering of spikes, the clatter of ties, the banshee wail of the steam engines that signal the violent seizure of the West . . . You might expect this saga—which chronicles the white and Cheyenne experience—to clock in at a doorstopping 5,000 pages, but Ray balances his scenes with lyrical summary so that time expands swiftly. This stylistic move—along with the wild landscape and wilder characters—makes American Copper read like the offspring of Jim Harrison’s Legends of the Fall.” --Esquire

The prose is elegant, precise and observant, as when Zion notes there are “only two races of men… decent and unprincipled.” -Kirkus starred review

“Brings to mind Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx . . . lyrical, prophetic, brutal yet ultimately hopeful.” — Dave Eggers

“Tough, poetic, and beautiful.”—Sherman Alexie

“In American Copper, Shann Ray harnesses his formidable sensibilities as both poet and short-form fiction writer to create a balance between the intimate and the epic. Contrasting Montana’s early-day rodeo riders with the rise of a dictatorial copper baron, the entire state becomes not only a backdrop but a mirror for complicated clashes of race and class, family and tribe, gender and society. Ray’s range of characterizations reminds us that despite its mythic tropes, the West has been a place of mind-boggling identities and all-too-human tragedies for a very long time. I was reminded as much of the tribal folklore of James Willard Schultz as the fearless genre-bending of Dorothy M. Johnson, and the pitch-perfect naturalism of James Welch. No small feat.” – Malcolm Brooks

“Some books devour their readers; other books are written to be devoured. With an emotional heart as enormous as the Montana mountains, Shann Ray’s American Copper is that rare book that does both. In one breath you’ll marvel at Ray’s poetic lyricism, with the next you’ll grunt at his toughness. And in between you’ll turn the pages impulsively. With American Copper, Ray announces himself as one of the finest writers working today.” – Peter Geye

“It’s a stunning work of fiction which begs the reader to sit quietly, block the loud static of everyday living, and slip into the gulfstream of an author’s sure-handed prose which is at once muscular and gentle.” –David Abrams, The Quivering Pen

“A new addition to the canon of the American West, American Copper is a truly captivating novel intertwining three lives in early 20th century Montana. Ray’s writing is lyrical yet concise and perfectly captures the hardness of humanity–violence, racism, control, greed–but is driven by a silver thread of love and chosen resilience of spirit. The characters are flawed and sometimes dark in thought and action, but the novel maintains a light that can only be accomplished by a thorough understanding of love and forgiveness.  American Copper is tough, real, and beautiful. It’s a must-read for booksellers and literature-lovers, and will surely become a favorite not just in the west but across the states.”  - Jess Lucht, Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane, Washington

“American Copper is a spacious and stirring book that arcs itself across the dark skies of the West.  Centered on Evelynne Lowry, privileged daughter of an insatiable copper king, the novel divines the deepest sources of American tragedy—the implacability of wealth, the heartlessness of colonialism, the rage of racial injustice.  Shann Ray’s beautiful prose blends the lyrical yearning of James Welch with the historic sweep of Philipp Meyer to create an epic tale anchored in bitter loss and annealed by powerful love.”—Alyson Hagy

“This grave, unusual novel unfolds with a beautiful evenhandedness, balancing the outer world and the inner life, Cheyenne and white experiences of early 20th-century Montana. Ray’s feel for the heart and soul of Montana and its people—all its people—graces every page. - Andrea Barrett, author of Archangel and The Air We Breathe.

“In the rough country of the last wild days of Montana, a group of fascinating, original characters unearth the human cost of prosperity and Westward expansion. AMERICAN COPPER moves seamlessly from multiple points-of-view, revealing a gleaming industrial empire surrounded by a desperate wilderness. Evelynne Lowry is the rising daughter of a copper baron obsessed with the expansion and legacy of his fortune. Sliding downward is William Black Kettle, a direct descendant of Native American legends all but forgotten now in the early 20th century. Tangled in the landscape with them is Zion, a horseman whose talents at steer wrestling are moments of sheer domination as fleeting as his place in the world. Through these three minds the rawness of life is melded by heat and tension into something beautiful. Shann Ray’s narrative style reflects many great writing talents of the past, too numerous to name. His uniquely compassionate view of the Montana land, its heritage, and its people is all his own to claim. AMERICAN COPPER left me with the rarest of feelings: grateful to have read it.” –Geoffrey Jennings, Rainy Day Books, Fairway KS“In the rough country of the last wild days of Montana, a group of fascinating, original characters unearth the human cost of prosperity and Westward expansion. AMERICAN COPPER moves seamlessly from multiple points-of-view, revealing a gleaming industrial empire surrounded by a desperate wilderness. Evelynne Lowry is the rising daughter of a copper baron obsessed with the expansion and legacy of his fortune. Sliding downward is William Black Kettle, a direct descendant of Native American legends all but forgotten now in the early 20th century. Tangled in the landscape with them is Zion, a horseman whose talents at steer wrestling are moments of sheer domination as fleeting as his place in the world. Through these three minds the rawness of life is melded by heat and tension into something beautiful. Shann Ray’s narrative style reflects many great writing talents of the past, too numerous to name. His uniquely compassionate view of the Montana land, its heritage, and its people is all his own to claim. AMERICAN COPPER left me with the rarest of feelings: grateful to have read it.” –Geoffrey Jennings, Rainy Day Books, Fairway KS