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Soul Catcher | Introduction

Soul Catcher is a tragic, eye-opening novel about the mistreatment of Native Americans and one man’s vengeful attempt to even the cultural score. First published in New York in 1972 when the American Indian Movement (AIM) was just hitting its stride, the book has received surprisingly little critical or popular attention and, in fact, is currently out of print. This may have more to do with the author’s other books, however, than with the quality of Soul Catcher. Frank Herbert, known worldwide as the author of the immensely popular novel Dune and its sequels, is revered as one of science fiction’s greatest authors; Soul Catcher was his first and only non-science-fiction book that concerned Native Americans, a fact that might have turned off his readers and critics.

Still, the book warrants reading. In the story, Charles Hobuhet, a Native American university student who becomes possessed by the spirit, Soul Catcher, kidnaps David Marshall, the thirteen-year-old son of a powerful politician. Hobuhet has the intention of killing David in revenge for the wrongs that have been visited on Native Americans. He also faces an internal struggle between his tribal identity and the identity that he has acquired in the white—hoquat—world. At the same time, David learns more about his captor’s Native American beliefs and way of life, and the two develop a relationship. The powerful themes, which include Native-American religious beliefs, sacrifice, and the meaning of innocence, collectively help to underscore the centuries-old plight of the Native American.

Soul Catcher Summary

The Kidnapping
Soul Catcher begins after David Marshall, the thirteen-year-old son of newly appointed United States Undersecretary of State Howard Marshall, has already been kidnapped. This fact is revealed through public statements, news stories, and notes from the kidnapper, Charles Hobuhet, a university student who is now referring to himself as Katsuk. Hobuhet-Katsuk says that he has taken David as a sacrifice for all of the Native-American innocents who have been murdered by whites. After this choppy beginning, the story then jumps back to the events preceding the kidnapping, including David’s preparation for his trip to the Six Rivers Camp and Hobuhet-Katsuk’s possession by Soul Catcher. Interspersed with these descriptions, more news stories and statements comment on the kidnapping, a technique that Herbert uses throughout the novel.

A Midnight Journey into the Forest
When Katsuk kidnaps David, he does it by tricking him into thinking that David is taking part in a ritual to become Katsuk’s spirit brother. When they have journeyed far into the forest surrounding Six Rivers Camp, Katsuk ties David up and lets him know that he is going to be killed as a sacrifice. He also forces David to use the name “Hoquat,” the name that Katsuk says his ancestors had given to David’s ancestors when they first settled in North America. In his first attempt to be rescued, David drops his handkerchief on the ground out- side the cave where they shelter the first morning, and a helicopter sees it.

Raven
Katsuk realizes what David has done, but instead of being angry, he admires David’s resourcefulness. He tells David that Raven, a powerful bird spirit, has hidden them from the helicopter, a fact that is demonstrated for the reader when Katsuk remembers the incident. Katsuk, satisfied that Raven will keep an eye on David, unties the boy. The two set out walking again, and David prays for a helicopter. Meanwhile, Katsuk begins to notice the change in David as David follows Katsuk’s lead and adapts to wilderness life, learning the proper times to eat, drink, and rest. At one point, Katsuk proves that Raven will hide them from searchers, when a helicopter flies by and a flock of ravens hides David and Katsuk from sight.

Encounters
On the second day of walking, Katsuk notices that some hikers have passed through and commands David to go hide behind a log. From his position, David watches as Katsuk encounters a hiker (Debay) and kills him so... » Complete Soul Catcher Summary