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Comanche Dawn: A Novel Hardcover – September 15, 1998
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In Comanche Dawn Mike Blakely does for the Comanche nation what Ruth Bebe Hills did for the Sioux in Hanta Yo. This landmark novel is the first time the story has been told from the point of view of the Comanches themselves. We witness the rise of one of the most powerful mounted nations in history through the eyes of a young warrior named Horseback.
Born on the very day that the first horse comes to his people, Horseback matures into a leader of unquestionable courage and vision. He assumes powerful medicine granted to him by spirits encountered on a grueling vision quest, and he takes Teal, the most beautiful young woman of his tribe, as his wife and lifelong love. Guided by forces more powerful and dangerous then even he can control or explain, Horseback will face death time and time again with only his medicine and Teal to stand beside him.
Failure will mean destruction not only for himself, but for his people. Success will mean unimaginable wealth for his new nation. Ancient enemies will seek to destroy him. Strange newcomers with pale skin and treacherous ways will attempt to enslave him. Even his own inner spirit powers threaten always to consume him, should he fail to respect them. Only the bravest of True Humans dare to follow Horseback on his great adventure down a trail that can lead only to glory or annihilation.
- Print length416 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherForge Books
- Publication dateSeptember 15, 1998
- Dimensions6.46 x 1.34 x 9.44 inches
- ISBN-100312865759
- ISBN-13978-0312865757
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Review
"Mike Blakely's unflinching story, steeped in Indian mysticism, shows how the long-abused Comanches mastered horsemanship and in a single generation became the fiercest warriors of the plains."--Elmer Kelton
"Michael Blakely writes with authority and empathy about a people superbly suited to the land they roamed. He re-creates the Comanche's everyday life and their momentous encounter with the horses that would carry them to greatness and the strangers who would take it from them."--Lucia St. Clair Robson, author of Ride the Wind
"As an elderly Arapaho once told us: 'If a man has never heard the thunder of horses running in his soul, his life will be forever hollow.' With Comanche Dawn Mike Blakely turns the horses loose in all our souls. This is historical fiction at its best." --W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O' Neal Gear
"A well made novel can sometimes inform a reader far better than documents of history. Comanche Dawn is such a novel."--Dee Brown, author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
About the Author
A native of Texas, Mike Blakely grew up working on the family ranch. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force and holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He is the former president of Western Writers of America and has taught fiction writing at numerous workshops nationwide. He is a winner of the Spur Award for Best Western Novel. Also a singer/songwriter, Blakely tours all over the U.S. and in Europe with his band and records his original songs on his own independent record label. He currently lives on his horse ranch near Marble Falls, Texas.
Product details
- Publisher : Forge Books; First Edition (September 15, 1998)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 416 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0312865759
- ISBN-13 : 978-0312865757
- Item Weight : 1.64 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.46 x 1.34 x 9.44 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,283,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #23,416 in Westerns (Books)
- #26,126 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #103,370 in American Literature (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author
Author Mike Blakely has published 18 books released by major New York City publishers. His most recent release "A Song to Die For," is receiving great reviews. Two of his latest books were co-writes, one with Willie Nelson, the other with Kenny Rogers.
As a singer/songwriter, Mike has released 11 CDs, performed all over the U.S., and has made 16 tours to Europe. His songs have been recorded by Gary P. Nunn, Red Steagall, Flaco Jimenez and Raul Malo, john Arthur martinez, Randy Brown, Geronimo Trevino III and Johnny Rodriguez, Johnny Bush, Pauline Reese, and others. He is currently at work on his next CD with planned release for Fall 2015.
View Mike's schedule of appearances and learn more about him by visiting www.mikeblakely.com or 'like' Mike Blakely's Official Fan Page on Facebook.
A native Texan, Mike served in the U.S. Air Force and later earned a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. He released his first novel 1988 and his first CD in 1995. One of his co-written tunes landed on a Grammy Award-winning album by Flaco Jimenez in 1995. Another was played on the orbiting International Space Station in 2007.
Mike is a two-time winner of Western Writers of America's Spur Award - once for best western novel of the year, and once for best western song of the year.
Mike spent many years touring with his dancehall band, but now plays more shows as a solo artist, or in a duo or trio configuration at listening rooms, house concerts, festivals, and private parties. His career as a novelist leads to many non-traditional concerts at book stores, libraries, writers conferences, and book clubs.
"Having celebrated our house concert anniversary with the seventh show by Mike, we can only attest that it just keeps getting better and better! I'll personally guarantee it to be one of the musical highlights of your life!" ~ Paula Reynolds, Hilltop House Concerts, Kerrville, TX.
"Blakely is a consummate artist whose superb ability to capture an audience only serves to highlight his songwriting skills... which approach brilliance." - Buddy Case, "The Loft," Enola, AK
"Mike helped us establish our restaurant as a major music venue in the Hill Country of Texas. He has produced a weekly concert series for us for over eight years, consistently packing the house show after show. We have been named "Best Live Music Venue" four years in a row thanks to his efforts. He is an established talent, a huge asset to our business and a real pro." Paul Brady, owner/mgr. River City Grille, Marble Falls, TX.
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Oh, the story... Well, it's about the Shoshones who discover horses and eventually split into two different tribes, the new one being the Comanche nation (by the way, historically the Comanches did break away from the Shoshones...the who, how and why being the author's invention). There is intertribal fighting, some religious overtones (presented in the con) as the Spanish try to convert the "savages" and lots of adventure. Also, the author obviously knows a thing or two about horses. So if you are looking for a good book to read and think you can handle 560 pages, go for it.
Named Komantcia (or Our Enemies) by the Yutas, they soon become "Comanche" to the Spanish who, typically, decide to betray and enslave Horseback while he is paying them a visit. The young warrior soon learns to culivate a new hatred as he faces Spanish perfidy and cruelty while continuing to grow his renegade Shoshone bands into a new Comanche nation and rekindle an ancient blood feud with the Apache.
There's a lot of spirit stuff here and we even get a horse's eye view of the world for a couple of chapters. The book, overall, is chock full of good information about the Plains tribes and the era of the early 1700's when these peoples were formed into the tribes America would ultimately remember from its Western expansion in the mid to late 1800's. But the story itself is uneven in parts, frequently slows down and, in the end, does not achieve much more than the traditional image of the noble Plains Indian that has become a part of the enduring American mythos. It was an enjoyable tale but the narrative wasn't overly tight and the characterizations were fairly routine, from the hypocritical and sadistic Spanish friar, to the noble and ignoble frontiersmen, to the shortsighted, arrogant Spanish military leaders, to the spiritual Indian warriors, etc., etc.
Still I liked the book enough to finish it and would recommend it to anyone interested in the beginnings of the Comanche nation and the early days of European contact with native Americans west of the Mississippi.
Stuart W. Mirsky
author of The King of Vinland's Saga
Love his stories.
Excited to learn more!