An outstanding work of narrative history. Fehrenbach occasionally refers to works he has cited but most often presses forward with the story uninterrupted by footnotes. A bibliography is included following the text.
This is a wide-ranging look at the Comanche spanning their first known origins and their ethnic, cultural, and environmental evolution into the ultimate horse Indians. The tribe's history is set in the context of the history of the land they occupied. First, Fehrenbach lays out the Spanish conquest of northern Mexico, and the imperial policies that governed their frontier, and delineates how those policies and practices fostered the advance of Comanches as a horse culture built on raiding and marauding. Then with the demise of the Spanish as a power, he juxtaposes the Comanche against the advancing Anglo-Texan population. Not only does this paint a complete picture of the Comanche, it provides an overview of the history of the region and great insight into the differing approaches to empire among the Spanish, French, and Anglos and the results those policies produced on the ground. Not dull stuff at all the way he tells it.
Fehrenbach's writing style is fluid and transparent, designed to tell the story not to draw undue attention to himself as a writer. He has a novelitst's sense of pace and drama that never allows the story to bog down. He also has an eye for character and detail that deftly draws together the telling elements that make his vignettes poignant and memorable. Most of all, however, he formulates deductive historical insights that pinpoint the causative factors shaping the direction of history. And all this in a text as readable as a finely crafted novel.

If it's possible to write five hundred pages of historical non-fiction without bias, Fehrenbach has done it in Comanches. The book is devoid of rhetoric, overstatement, or preaching. He is a man absolutely committed to fact. What he presents in Comanches is a sweeping tome on the origins and ultimate destruction of a fascinating culture.

Vast in scope, Comanches begins with an anthropological study of the warring tribe's development and domination of rival Indians. They were nomadic people, living in harmony with the plains, sustained by the seemingly-infinite buffalo herds. More than anyone else, the Comanches are responsible for America's English-from-the-East-coast heritage rather than what would have been domination by the Spaniards coming north out of Mexico. The Comanches' fierce resistance delayed European domination of the West by several centuries.

Fehrenbach's treatment of the Comanche's adoption of the horse, introduced to North America by the Spaniards, is brilliant. Anyone who has ever ridden a horse bareback knows how difficult it is to stay aboard, and can't help but be in awe of the "horse people's" ability to ride at full gallop and accurate shoot arrows or, later, rifles.

The book finishes with the sad destruction of the Comanche culture by the relentless and overwhelming advance of European "civilization" from the East.

In a word, Fehrenbach's scholar-level book leaves you with a deep respect for the Comanches. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

Well researched, interestingly written. I could not put this book down. Mr. Fehrenbach provides a balanced perspective many books do not.

I recently started to read this book after many years and am amazed at how wonderfully descriptive the writer is. She makes one see so clearly what she is writing that you feel like you are there with the characters. She makes you see that no matter what race or color, we are all the same. We feel love, hate, happiness, sadness and all other emotions of the human spirit. She lets us see what everyday Indian life was like. I have some favorite books in my library that I read over and over and I am sure I'll read this one again.

This story of Cynthia Ann Parker, is an imposible book to put down. I read it 3 times in one month! I'm reading it again for the fourth time and I am enjoying it just as much as I did the 1,2,and 3 time I read it. Once you start reading it you fall so deep into the book that you feel like you are Cynthia Ann,and are looking into Wanderer's deep black eyes. You will laugh,and be scared, and weep with Cynthia Ann as Lucia St. Clair Robson, tells us the dramatic life of Cynthia Ann. You can picture what each character looks like and you can feel what each feels like. I'm going to read this book probily more than one thousand times more.

I found this book years ago and fell in love with it! I have since read it hundreds of times and am currently reading it again This is a book you can get lost in. It takes you into how her world might have been and settles her and her family into your heart forever. This is a MUST read book that you will want to reread over and over and over again

I am very excited about this book and the history,This story is about my family ,, Frances Short Smith is my Great- Great Aunt ,, I recall the stories from my Grandfather ,, and looking at the origanal book was so exciting ,, this is a must for history buffs ,,,,

By pure luck, I ran across this excellent first hand account of the Smith brothers captivity by Comanches in Texas. Written before a revisionist philosophy dominated history writing, their accounts of Indian raids and murders in Texas in the 1870s are the opposite of what is usually written or shown on screen today. My sympathies are with the Texas pioneers who suffered so much. Outstanding reading from such a little book.

Amazing story of a boy who was captured and lived with the Comanche Indians for five years. He actually became a Comanche and identified as an Indian while he was with them. Fought with them against other tribes and the US army, etc. Told in an absolutely matter of fact manner. Written in 1927 so not "politically correct" but gives an amazing view of frontier life and life with the Indians. It is in print.

I like the west, and I like reading about the history of the west. Who settled it, why, what they saw/found, and why they wanted to protect it from the other side. This book takes you through a period in the development of the west on horseback, on foot, on a wagon, and paints a vivid, realistic picture of the land and the opposing people who wanted to keep it or claim it.
Rarely is the reader allowed to determine who is right/wrong or who wins/loses in the struggle for ownership of the west by two opposing sides, both committed to their cause and belief in the rightousness of their convictions. The characters are well developed and you can almost see the dust on their clothes, the sweat on their brow, and identify with the motives of each of them. I enjoyed this well researched story and it is obvious that Mr. Chappell has put some boot leather on the ground in the west as evidenced by his very vivid descriptions of the plant and geological aspects of the region.
Highly recommended.

"The Callings" is a great read!!! I couldn't put it down. I recommend it to anyone that loves a well written story, westerns, or historical fiction. This is a compelling story that plunges the reader into timeless personal struggles between main characters while capturing the real struggles between two cultures on the Great Plains in 1873.

It gave me a historical perspective from both the Comanche and the buffalo hunters that is realistic and truthful. I wasn't sure which side should prevail at the end of the story which is a fresh viewpoint in our politically correct world of today.

This is a great story told without ethnic bias. The author helps us understand the cultural differences that led to the near extinction of the bison as well as the native peoples that depended upon them. The author does not take sides but presents the differences through the eyes of his characters via a well told tale that will keep you reading past bed time.

This book ranks among my top five personal favorite novels of all time. Mr. Kelton weaves a tapestry of West Texas culture and history and storytelling that will envelop a reader. The story of two men, Gideon Ledbetter, a former slave who becomes a US Cavalry soldier (or Buffalo soldier, as they were historically known), and Gray Horse Running, an American Indian fighting for his way of life, is an absolute must-read. His description of weary solidiers travelling through the West Texas desert will have you reaching for a glass of water!! I first read this book as a college assignment and have happily recommended it to friends and family for years. I consider it to be Mr. Kelton's masterpiece, even better than "The Good Old Boys" or "The Time It Never Rained" which are also outstanding. Some smart person is going to make a great movie out of this book one day.

Luther Butler THE WOLF AND THE BUFFALO BY ELMER KELTON Elmer Kelton skillfully takes the rugged geography of West Texas, accounts of the Texas Comanche wars, mixes in the Buffalo soldiers with their hair the Indians thought looked like the curly buffalo, and adds white officers, Comanches, buffalo hunters, and makes an epic struggle of two cultures that will be enjoyed by many generations of readers. And to add spice to the story, he stirs in the women of San Angelo, Texas who washes not only clothes but who provide sexual relief for the men who chase dusty savages into a world unknown to them. The story centers around two strong characters. The Buffalo is Private Gideon Ledbetter, a recently released Louisiana slave who is now a member of the Tenth U.S. Calvary stationed at Fort Concho, Texas. Hated by most of the white settlers, Ledbetter has two jobs. When he is not chasing Comanches, he spends his time building adobe buildings and shoveling horse manure at the fort, but. he prefers to be on patrol trying to make the savage Comanches go to a reservation in Oklahoma Territory. He goes out with Lieutenant Hollander under Black Sergeant Nettles. Ledbetter grows stronger in his position until he eventually takes over Nettles job. The wolf is Gray Horse, a young Comanche warrior who tries to keep the invading settlers after the Civil War from killing his people's source of food, the buffalo. In constant visions, the wolf and the raven seek to lead the developing warrior to new buffalo herds. Symbolically, Gray Horse sees visions of a red buffalo calf. Unlike Ledbetter, Gray Horse declines in prestige until he is forced to make a suicidal attack before his people go into servitude on the Oklahoma reservation. Ledbetter almost loses his focus because of the beautiful mulatto, Hannah York, who gives a purpose for him to not only live, but to advance so he can earn enough money to marry and start a family. The old woman who controls the desirable young maiden saves her charge so she can sell sexual favors to the white officers. After the young soldier has enjoyed Hannah's body numerous times, he finds her with his commanding officer, Lieutenant Hollander. Hannah is forced to leave. Sergeant Nettles saves Ledbetter's career by talking sense to the betrayed young man who planned to marry his beloved. Hollander's subsequent marriage to a proper young lady and his attempt to repair the damaged relation with Ledbetter forms a hinge that much of the latter action pivots on. Gray Horse leads Ledbetter's unit on a wild chase into a land where there is no water. The chief thinks he has destroyed the enemy only to find the new enemy is invincible Even after the white government turns white hunters loose to slaughter the buffalo for their hides, does Gray Horse fail to acknowledge that the only hope for his people lies in going to Oklahoma Reservation where the Quakers will rule them. At Adobe Walls, the Comanche leader begins to glimpse the truth when a few buffalo hunters with their rifles that can kill at over a mile, turns back a gathering of the Indian nation. General Mackenzie's rout of Comanches at their winter quarters in Palo Duro Canyon makes Gray Horse realize the end is near. Gray Horse goes to the hated reservation a wounded and beaten warrior to shed his buffalo robes and become a cattle raiser. He realizes he must make one last try to find the red buffalo calf after he finds his wife with their son who is dying because of poor living conditions. Taking a band of warriors, he goes in search of the mystical calf. After he and his men brutally slaughter a group of buffalo killers, Gray Horse realizes his dreams of being free are over. After finding the red buffalo calf, the warriors kill it and eat it! To him, a way of life ends. Out numbered by the buffalo soldiers who come to punish the Comanche band for slaughtering the buffalo hunters, Gray Horse makes a suicidal attack on Sergeant Ledbetter's unit. Even though the Indian's arrow goes through Ledbetter's shoulder, he is able to fire the final shot that brings an end to his enemy. Like the end of a Greek epic, the defeated Indian is carried off on a symbolic shield to be given a hero's funeral. Ledbetter recovers from his wound so he can fight a new enemy, the Apaches. And I hope he eventually finds Hannah, nurses her back to health, and goes into retirement to live on a small farm and raise a family. END

A buffalo soldier fresh out of slavery tries to enslave the free Indians of West Texas. While you read this book try to find out why. It doesn't make sense, but it makes a good story. Try my novel by searching butler, luthe

Buffalo Wagons had a grabbing attention getter in the first chapter. It had a GREAT plot and I felt involved with the characters quickly. The story had substance. I read the last four chapters by candlelight because our lights went out and I couldn't wait to read more! This is the first Elmer Kelton book I have read, but I guarantee, I will find more of his books.

I'm not normally a lover of Westerns, but I have Mr. Kelton's granddaughter in a class I teach and she talked a lot about her author grandfather, so I finally gave in and purchased a copy of one of his books. I guess I owe the granddaughter a big "Thank you," as "Buffalo Wagons" is terrific! Gage Jameson is an unusually well-rounded character for the genre. A veteran buffalo hunter, he has seen the northern herd wiped out. While he mourns the loss of the old ways, he also acknowledges his own role in that loss. Furthermore, even as he heads south into Comanche country, he agonizes that he is contributing to more destruction of the world he loves. This does not stop him, though, for buffalo hunting is all he knows. The antagonists include the Comanches desperate to save their way of life, although they are certainly not romanticized, and some of the white men Jameson trusts to travel south with him. Kelton's vivid descriptions of the llano estacado take the reader to that inhospitable land, with all of its beauty and danger. The plot contains enough twists--always credible and logical--to keep the most particular reader satisfied. I am eager to read more of Kelton's Westerns and am highly recommending them to my students and friends.

I couldn't believe when I opened this up that no one else had reviewed the book! You folks are missing out. This is the book that introduced me to Elmer Kelton, which is perhaps why it's my favorite. But everything about it is SO GOOD. The guns, the buffalo hunting, the Indians, the characters. Kelton is supreme. He is far better than Louis L'AMour in his authenticity and believablility, and everyone ought to see that in this book. The only writer I know of who is neck and neck with Kelton is Kirby Jonas, whom critics call the New Louis L'Amour. That's actually a disservice though, because he's far better. He rounds out his characters. Between Kelton and Jonas, the western field is filled!

Comanche Moon, was the first book I started reading, and because of this book, this woman, I am now an avid reader of historical romances. Catherine didn't have a problem making the scenes and creators as true to life as possible. You are made to feel like you are right there as the events are unfolding. I now want to read all of her books, and have gone on to read other historical romance authors' work. Thank you Mrs. Anderson.

This book is WONDERFUL anyone who reads it will definitly fall inlove with each and every character. It has a tale of strength, heartache, courage, and love. What I would love to know is, "When will C.A. write a book about her Character Amy, who plays the heroines sister?".

The fierce Commanche warrior Hunter Wolf is chosen by his people to cross the western wilderness in search of the elusive maiden who would fulfill thier sacred prophecy. He finds and captures Loretta Simpson, a proud golden-haired beauty who swears to defy her captor. What she doesn't realize is that she and Hunter are bound by destiny. When she is finally convinced of her love for Hunter she is given a wedding present by her lover's jealous enemy. It is a comb that belonged to her mother. Realizing that Hunter's tribe was responsible for killing her mother, she runs away. She can never stay with those that killed her family. Hunter goes after her.

Our classroom read a poignant short story about his mother, Cynthia Ann Parker. I was pleased to find this book on the life of her son in this carefully researched, well-presented biography. It is an interesting read of a man and also a chief showing how he is torn between two worlds of belief and behaviors. Informative read. It received the Oklahoma History Book of the Year award.
Evelyn Horan - teacher/counselor/author
Jeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl, Books One - Three

This past summer, I made a trip to the reconstruction of Old Fort Parker in Groesbeck, TX - and the actual massacre site - where Cynthia Ann Parker, age 9, was captured by Comanche warriors and raised as a Comanche woman for the next 25 years before a well-meaning Texas Ranger discovered her and returned her to her white relatives. Cynthia Ann never readjusted to white society and, in mourning for her Comanche husband and her children, eventually starved herself to death. Yet, out of this tragic story, her son Quanah - half white, half Comanche - rose to become the most influential representative of the Comanche tribe and the last Comanche Chief.

In this book, author William T. Hagan presents the meticulously researched story of Quanah's life and the politics of both the white and native worlds which he straddled, serving as an eloquent bridge between two societies struggling for survival on the Oklahoma and Texas plains. An astute businessman, Quanah recognized the futility of staving off white settlement and turned his warrior energies toward negotiating for the best "deals" he could get for the American Indians. Although he made many trips to Washington, DC and the White House to represent the needs of the Indians and often wore western Anglo dress, he refused to give up his braids, his "much married condition" (7 wives), and his dedication to the peyote cult.

This is a fascinating book which I highly recommend to any afficianado of the Old West and Native America.

Although I tend to be wary of any biographies that speak with an omnisient narrative voice, and don't cite their sources as they go, Hagan's book does well remaining mostly unbiased in discussing native-white relations, and stating facts. It has an excellent collection of pictures I haven't seen elsewhere, and gives a well-written account of Quanah Parker's life without 'juicing it up'. Being a descendent of Quanah Parker, I've read anything about him I can get my hands on, and this is definitely one of the better resources.

Kevin B. Isenberg takes a world long gone and brings it vividly to life. His characters exhibit a sense of honor, and humor hard to find in today's world; and a passion for life that makes you want to be a part of their world.
Kevin manages to combine traces of history with one of the best cast of characters (and I do mean characters) I have ever met.
When does the sequel come out?

I admit that the first time I picked up Comanche Creek I was not certain if I could keep straight all the personas jumping off the pages, but once those colorfully written characters came to life... and embedded themselves into my heart...I couldn't put the book down! I felt if I did I would miss something. You'll fall in love with the characters, the surroundings, and will want to live your life in Comanche Creek. This book takes you on a wonderful journey...through the days when life was open and honest and exciting... and you'll be crying and laughing all the way. As an avid reader the only problem I have with this book is not knowing what happens next. I anxiously await the sequel.

I do not often read westerns, however I thought I would give a book like Brules, touted to be more literature than genre, a try. I'm sorry I did.

Brules is too long, too wordy, and unnecessarily racist. Yes, the white men and the indians didn't love each other. We know that. But having that driven home without redemption for over 400 of the 500 pages is nauseating at best. Brules himself is mostly without redemption. There is little to love in a man who views his woman as a beautiful piece of flesh and shoots and kills people to get whatever he needs. Yes, I'm sure there were lots of cowboys like that out there, but do we really want to spend a whole 500 and some pages in the company of one?

That said, Brules is fairly well written, and Harry Combs did manage to create one character I really cared about--the young man we meet at the beginning of the book and to whom Brules tells his story, Steven Cartwright. I hear Combs wrote a whole book about him, The Legend of the Painted Horse, and perhaps I will go give that a try.

All told, Brules is probably a good read for Western readers. I think the rest of us, however, will find it a bit nauseating.

This is one of the best books that I have read about the old west. The detail that Mr. Combs puts into this book is just awsome. After you read this book you will want to go and saddle a horse, strap on you .38 Smith & Wesson, put your model 66 Winchester in its sheath and have your own adventures. If you like Louis L'amour's books then you will love Brules. He is the man that we all wish we could have been, in the time of history when survival of the fittest was the way of the land. This was a hard time that demanded hard men to tame the "wild west". What they got in Brules was one of the harderst and most dangerous men(when rialed) they could have imagined. Brules is one of the men that legends are made of. This IS the best western book that I have read and I highly recommend this book to any person who is fascinated about the time and people.

THIS BOOK BY HARRY COMBS IS FABULOUS. THE DETAILS OF THE AREA ARE SUPERB. AS WE LIVE VERY CLOSE BY AND HAVE BEEN TO THIS SPOT MANY TIMES, WE ARE VERY PLEASED WITH HIS PRECISE DETAIL. THE STORY IS SO EASY TO FOLLOW AND CAPTIVATING, WE COULD NOT WAIT TO OBTAIN THE NEXT 2 BOOKS. MANY OF OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IN NORWOOD HAVE ORDERED THIS ON OUR RECOMMENDATION. THANK YOU HARRY COMBS.