Buffalo Gordon [Hardcover]

J. P. Sinclair Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Buffalo Gordon | Publication Date: February 3, 2001

The first novel in an ambitious new series, Buffalo Gordon is a fictional history of the West as seen through the eyes of runaway slave Nate Gordon. He has returned to Louisiana as Sergeant Major Nate Gordon of the Tenth United States Cavalry. His task is to recruit for the second U.S. colored cavalry, the Ninth Negro. Three years have passed since Nate left Louisiana and his life as a slave. The war is now over, and it is clear that the South has paid a heavy toll. Nate's former home is in ruins.

Where opulence and order once ruled, poverty, corruption, and crime now thrive. Resentful and disgruntled white Southerners want nothing to do with Nate and his stripes. Racist Union officers and noncoms only make his task more difficult. Nate struggles to quell dissent from the ranks and keep outside forces at bay as the Ninth Cavalry moves from the docks of Louisiana to the wide open West.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Western writers have long acknowledged the need for a first-class historical novel about the heroic exploits of the all-black Ninth Cavalry Regiment. Unfortunately, Lewis's unwieldy, overwritten attempt fails to do the job. Pockmarked by hackneyed types rather than characters, this account of the all-African-American frontier force that took on the Cheyenne and Comanche on the sparsely settled high plains opens with the formation of the regiment in Louisiana immediately following the Civil War. The story staggers and stumbles from the first page. Sgt. Maj. Nate Gordon, a manumitted slave who served in the Union Army, has been ordered to recruit other freed slaves for military service. Predictably, he runs into racial prejudice on almost every level and from almost everyone. Struggling to maintain military and personal dignity when confronted by corrupt white officers and surrounded by bitter and defeated Southerners, NateAthe perfect soldierAdeals with insubordination and incompetence as he whips the unit into shape, then leads it into battle on the wild frontier. What follows is a series of historically grounded adventures through a clumsy, obvious narrative. The novel is burdened by inconsistencies in plot and a use of dialect that provokes squirming discomfort. Drifting points of view, narrative intrusions and plot contrivances are additional problems. Although there is evidence of cogent historical research, the book desperately needs editorial attention on almost every page and is ultimately patronizing in tone and characterization. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Lewis' western epic depicts the life of a runaway Louisiana slave, Nate Gordon, who became a fearless buffalo soldier. It is unclear exactly how or why Nate joined the Union army, but he earned the rank of Sergeant Major in the Negro Cavalry. As a noncommissioned officer, he was charged with recruiting and training men of color in the Ninth and Tenth Calvary. He faced many challenges in building up his African American force; there were mutinies and unhealthy conditions, including uninhabitable housing, inedible food, and pitiful wages. In spite of such obstacles, the soldiers of Gordon's two regiments were charged with keeping the western frontier safe for travelers, railroad employees, and mail carriers. Accordingly, their primary duty was to keep the frontier safe from Indian attacks. Lewis provides many opportunities for Gordon to overcome obstacles. And Gordon not only succeeds in gaining the respect of his fellow military comrades but also the Indian warriors. Lewis' debut displays a strong sense of people, places, and time that yields a convincing and compelling historical novel. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 526 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (February 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031287376X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312873769
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,833,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of Buffalo Gordon, March 21, 2001

By 

Celia DuBose (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buffalo Gordon (Hardcover)

J.P. Sinclair Lewis offers his readers a kaleidoscopic peak into post-Civil War social relations as experienced by runaway slave Nate Gordon, who stays in the U.S. Army to fight in the Indian Wars as a Buffalo Soldier.

At turns grisly, moving, and altogether unexpected, the story never fails to entertain with bodaciously colorful bits of history both real and imagined. Characters like General Custer, Wild Bill Hickock, Cougar Eyes, and Roman Nose come so vividly into view that the reader might scratch her nose at the tickle of feathers or reach out to touch those dandy duds.

Nate, from the beginning, is such an appealing character that the reader just sighs to learn how elegantly he handles the contradictions of his alliance with the white man against the indigenous population-then smiles to read that in the end, whether he knows it or not, Nate has found love, and we will be treated to a sequel.

This reader hopes that in the next adventure the author tames some of his awkward action sentences and that we get to meet a woman who hasn't either been raped or forced to work as a prostitute (i.e. raped). And next time Nate and Cara make love I want to know less about what's happening with Nate's pelvis and more about what's happening with his heart.

Can't wait to find out.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Historic Adventure, January 14, 2001

By 

"gavera" (DENTON, TEXAS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buffalo Gordon (Hardcover)

The author knows his history and tells a good story around it. This is a must read for all who want western adventure, and it is a perfect choice for black history month. Good characterization, thrilling action and surperb accuracy in the details of the period.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fresh Perspective about the American Frontier, July 21, 2001

By 

Susan W. Foulds (Cabin John, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buffalo Gordon (Hardcover)

For readers who enjoy fast-paced, historical fiction, I highly recommend Buffalo Gordon. Even though the post-Civil War, American frontier does not rank high on my list of interesting historical eras, I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about it through the exciting adventures of Nate Gordon. Mr. Lewis has provided a well-researched account of this period with a fresh and dramatic fictional perspective. The book also is timely and in step with recent publications about African American military history, including Gail Buckley's AMERICAN PATRIOT. I recommend an earlier review of Buffalo Gordon by Celia DuBose on this site. She succinctly summarizes the book and provides an excellent critique of the book that is "spot on" in my opinion. I look forward to reading Mr. Lewis' sequel to Buffalo Gordon.