Robert Olmstead

Savage Country by Robert Olmstead is a hard-hitting, at times brutal story that I found hard to put down. Although I loved this story, I would hesitate to recommend it to everyone because of the very graphic violence it contains. By the 1870s the millions of buffalo had been wiped out, yet there were still enough that money could be made by the slaughter of these beasts.

It’s Kansas in 1873 and Michael Coughlin has arrived in time for his brother’s funeral. Elizabeth Coughlin is burying her husband and even as she is adjusting to the loss of her mate, she realizes that her home, her land and her cattle are going to be taken from her by the hard men that got their hooks into her husband. She and Michael decide to raise money by travelling to Texas on a large scale, highly dangerous buffalo hunt. They plan to hunt over the winter when the Comanche are settled into their winter quarters, but nevertheless, the land offers up many dangers. Through prairie fires and flash floods, rattlesnakes, rabid animals, and human betrayals and treachery the cruel and back breaking work of the buffalo hunt goes on.

I have read a number of Robert Olmstead books and have loved each and every one. Here he is delivering a gripping narrative as he depicts a small corner of American history. But of course, Savage Country delivers much more than history, this is also an intimate human story that is both powerful and realistic.… (més)

Bizarre combination of syrupy romance and brutal war story. The first half follows Henry Childs as he falls in “love” (lust) with Mercy, a wealthy girl whose father does not approve of their relationship. The second half finds Henry in Korea. He has enlisted in the Marines and his company fights at the battle of Chosin Reservoir. He returns home in despondency and attempts to rejoin society.

I could barely stand reading the romance part of this book. Mercy is not a believable character. The entire first half seems an excuse to write lots of sex scenes. They are cringeworthy, repetitive, and ultimately boring. The second half contains a decent storyline, with its emphasis on bringing to light a real historic battle in Korea.

I read this book after hearing of it in Hampton Sides’ excellent non-fiction, On Desperate Ground, that culminates in the battle at Chosin Reservoir. I thought I would follow it up by reading fiction about the same topic. Sometimes I get an idea that sounds good initially but goes awry in the execution.… (més)