Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West

New
Paperback
2008
$14.04

Hampton Sides's extraordinary book brings the history of the American conquest of the West to ringing life. It is a tale with many heroes and villains, but at the centre of it all stands the remarkable figure of Kit Carson - the legendary trapper, scout and soldier. Carson was an illiterate mountain man who twice married Indian women and understood the tribes better than any other American alive; yet he was also a cold-blooded killer and an unquestioning patriot who willingly followed orders tantamount to massacre. BLOOD AND THUNDER is a chronicle of one of a pivotal era in American history: grand in scope, immediate in detail, impeccably researched and historically revelatory.
'Hampton Sides' outstanding narrative history has all the virtues: stirring set pieces, deft character studies, colourful descriptions of battles and of nature . . . a riveting tale where, for once, the word epic is not hyperbole'
Frank McLynn, Independent on Sunday

Synopsis

Hampton Sides's extraordinary book brings the history of the American conquest of the West to ringing life. It is a tale with many heroes and villains, but at the centre of it all stands the remarkable figure of Kit Carson - the legendary trapper, scout and soldier. Carson was an illiterate mountain man who twice married Indian women and understood the tribes better than any other American alive; yet he was also a cold-blooded killer and an unquestioning patriot who willingly followed orders tantamount to massacre. BLOOD AND THUNDER is a chronicle of one of a pivotal era in American history: grand in scope, immediate in detail, impeccably researched and historically revelatory.

'Hampton Sides' outstanding narrative history has all the virtues: stirring set pieces, deft character studies, colourful descriptions of battles and of nature . . . a riveting tale where, for once, the word epic is not hyperbole'
Frank McLynn, Independent on Sunday

$14.04

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 576
Publisher: Abacus
Published: 06 Mar 2008
ISBN 10: 0349120315
ISBN 13: 9780349120317
Book Overview: * Review coverage * Reading copies available

Media Reviews

Absorbing and well written . . . Anyone who has read Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian or grew up on John Ford westerns will be enlightened. Those yet to read that novel or see the movies will find that this book adds deep resonances to their pleasure' Michael Moorcock Guardian (10/3/07) * ** `This history of Carson encapsulates themes of American mythology that seem otherworldly but remain endlessly fascinating.' *
SUNDAY BUSINESS POST * `Hampton Side s' outstanding narrative history has all the virtues: stirring set pieces, deft character studies, colourful descriptions of battles and of nature... a riveting tale where, for once, the word epic is not hyperbole' Frank McLynn, Independen *
A familiar story [told] with compelling narrative zest' Robert McCrum, Observer * 'Sides eloquently paints the landscape and history of the 19th century Southwest, combinIng Larry McMurtry's lyricism with the historian's attachments to facts' *
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * 'The type of sweeping history that was written by the likes of Bernard DeVoto and David Lavender . . . [but] he populates his story not just with white Americans but also with diverse Indian peoples and Mexicans. And he does so with balance and sensitivit *

Author Bio

Hampton Sides is a newspaper correspondent and columnist. He is the author of the international bestseller GHOST SOLDIERS. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, New Republic and the Washington Post, among others. He lives in Santa Fe.