SOURCE: "Coyote Goes Slapstick," in Books in Canada, Vol. XXII, No. 3, April, 1993, pp. 40-1.

In the review below, McCormack provides a stylistic and thematic examination of Green Grass, Running Water, praising King's use of humor.

Thomas King is a writer of varied talents. His first novel, Medicine River (1990), was widely praised, and has since been made into a TV movie. His children's book, A Coyote Columbus Story, was short-listed for last year's Governor General's Award. He's a notable scholar—chair of Native American studies at the University of Minnesota. He also happens to be Cherokee through his father and lays claim to Greek-German connections through his mother.

Among the many striking features of Green Grass, Running Water are the complexity of its plot and the pervasive good humour. This matter of plot—so many narrative strands on the go at once—will undoubtedly create problems for impatient readers...