Amazon.com: The Borderland (9781402534881): Edwin Shrake, George Guidall: Books

Book Description

Publication Date: 2001

Sweeping, action packed saga of the great Texas republic

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Customer Reviews

28 Reviews

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BORDERLAND, March 21, 2000

By

Michael Rudman (london, england) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Borderland: A Novel of Texas (Hardcover)

this superb book is so big that it entices one to match its size in praising it. There are dozens of literally, fabulous, characters. texas rangers, europeans, actresses, generals, and, of course, native americans. i can't imagine that these warriors, sages, half-breeds, captives, politicians and womenfolk have ever been better drawn.the scenes of their meetings read like shrake was taking minutes as do the pow wows of the white invaders. in short, it is the entire mix that created the republic of texas from president lamar down to the boatman who takes them across their stygian river. this book has a heart as big as the state of texas and as much wisdom as i have ever encoutered on the page. and the story is told with vigour and humour , laced with a fair amount of blood, sweat and lust.it could easily be called "jacobean." and probably will be. certainly its last line will be quoted for a long, long time.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new classic, March 27, 2000

By

T. Pipkin (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Borderland: A Novel of Texas (Hardcover)

This is one great novel; the very best from the underappreciated author of two other classic works of fiction: "Blessed McGill" (the story of the first Saint of North America) and "Strange Peaches" (the first Kennedy conspiracy theory book). Shrake has reached his peak with the Borderland which gets at the real heart of the founding of the nation of Texas, the period after the Alamo and before admission to the Union during which Sam Houston moved the Capitol west to the middle of a Comanche paradise (oh, how we wish Austin was still a paradise), setting off a 40 year war with the Comanches and ethnic cleansing of the Cherokees. Imagine Austin with a Capitol Building surrounded by a stockade fence and a moat and protected by cannons against attack. It's bigger than life because these people were bigger than life. The climax of the book comes with the biggest Comanche raid in history which ended with the Texas Rangers triumph and slaughter of the Indians at Plum Creek south of Austin. I could give you a dozen other great scenes, but skip to the chase and simply read this book; it's a winner!

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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for All Texans, March 24, 2000

By

Michael R. Levy, publisher, TEXAS MONTHLY (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Borderland: A Novel of Texas (Hardcover)

There is an article on Bud Shrake by senior editor Gary Cartwright that appears in the April 2000 issue of TEXAS MONTHLY. See it on texasmonthly.com.

Bud's new book, Borderland, is a truly great novel about Austin, carefully researched and set during the frontier era of the republic of Texas. If you love Austin, you need to read this book. You'll be surprised at what you'll learn about the town. And you'll probably wind up writing me a thank you note for this suggestion. (signed) Mike Levy, publisher, TEXAS MONTHLY

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good read
I was looking for a good work of historical fiction about Texas, and I found that in this book. The first few chapters didn't grab me right away, but I stuck with it and I'm glad... Read more

Published on March 7, 2009 by Amy Weierman

5.0 out of 5 stars Bud Shrake Knows Texas Fiction
The Borderland is the 3rd Texas Historical fictional book (around the settler days of early Texas) I've read by Shrake, and it deserves high praise. Read more

Published on February 8, 2009 by William J. Mcguire

4.0 out of 5 stars An Epic of the Republic of Texas
In `The Borderland', Edwin Shrake has given readers a highly entertaining, if at times fanciful tale of the old Texas Republic. Read more

Published on March 3, 2008 by Douglas S. Wood

4.0 out of 5 stars GOOD ENTERTAINMENT AND WRITING
THE BORDERLAND is a kind of modern-day dime Western with exaggerated characters and predictable conflicts. Read more

Published on September 4, 2007 by Michael W. Kennedy

4.0 out of 5 stars Nearly Mythical Tale With Great Characters
Edwin Shrake's "The Borderland" is an entertaining blend of myth and historical fiction. Set in the early days of the Republic of Texas, "Borderland" tells a... Read more

Published on May 17, 2004 by Scott Schiefelbein

5.0 out of 5 stars Among the best
Other readers' reviews (well, most of them) have accurately acounted for the attributes of The Borderland. I will address several very specific points. Read more

Published on July 24, 2002 by John H. Pendley

1.0 out of 5 stars Unnecessarily Vulgar
Shrake's story is interesting, but to compare this to Lonesome Dove is a serious mistake. While I think his portrayal of a a brutal time in a dangerous land is probably right on,... Read more

Published on July 21, 2001 by Montgomery Green

5.0 out of 5 stars a compelling page-turner with well-drawn characters
The Borderland is a compelling work of historical fiction which works well because of its plotting, richly drawn characters and historical accuracy. Read more

Published on July 10, 2001 by Stephen Sather

5.0 out of 5 stars Hidden gem. Great action and character development
I've never heard of Edwin Sharke before but I was blowen away by The Borderland. The main characters are fascinating on both the Texans and Indian side as well as those who... Read more

Published on May 23, 2001 by Gil Tenzer

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointing; not a bad book though
This book came highly-recommended by fellow native Texans and I had read the reviews placing it among Texas classics. Read more

Published on January 31, 2001 by miked99

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
Henry Longfellow was thinking about women, how wicked they are. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Big Foot, San Antonio, Captain Caldwell, New York, Talking Man, Henry Longfellow, Doctor Swift, Old Paint, Matthew Caldwell, Chief Bowl, Dutch John, Sam Houston, Houston City, Sweet Lips, Republic of Texas, Doc Swift, Knows All Charlie, Fritz Gruber, Red Beans, President Lamar, Council House, Santa Anna, Father Dominius, John Negro Legs, Felix Huston

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