Customer Reviews

Comanche Dawn: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Howdy folks, I'm James Drury. I used to play the Virginian on NBC television, and most recently I've taken to reading books on audio. I had to chuckle with surprise when I read the review below by Dan Huff, who compares Blakely's writing to Kirby Jonas'. I know both of these men, and both are great writers, although their work is highly varied from each other. In this book, Comanche Dawn, Blakely does write differently than some of his books I've seen in the past. It's more of a literary novel, and a good one in its own realm. Blakely plays a mean guitar and has one of the best singing voices in America, in my opinion, so his talent should take him far. Read this book to see what it was like for the Comanches and their best friend, the horse. It is a deeper book than Blakely's earlier stuff, but just as enjoyable. And if you want to compare him to Kirby Jonas yourself I would suggest you try out Jonas' Legend of the Tumbleweed, also available on Amazon.

If you love Horses, you've got to read "Comanche Dawn"! MIke Blakely has done a tremendous job researching and developing and "causing to come to life" Comanche History. I normaly don't care for western novels. However, as a horselover, Blakely had me totally mesmarized. First, because he has accurately portrayed the appearance of the Spanish Horse in America. Second, because he masterfully developed and integrated history and characters so well that I just couldn't put the book down. Finally, as a natural horseman he has me wanting to ride like the Comanche, with war bridle, Comanche loops, et al. I can hardly wait for his sequel to see how the Comanche and the Spanish Horse continue to write early American History!

I just finished this book and think it is one of the best. This is a good insight into the evolution of the Indian from ground fighter to mounted light cavalry. Mr. Blakely obviously did some thorough research into how the Comanche came to be feared and respected as horse warriors. It is written in a style that garners your attention early in the book and keeps you interested to the end. This book is written from the Comanche's point of view which is the antilog of most western works. This side of the story needs more exposure and I for one, am glad that Mr. Blakely wrote this book. Read it and you will enjoy the story while being introduced to an untold facet of history. Rex Fields

This novel focuses on the moment in time when what were then Shoshone came across the horse. Very quickly, these two different spirits combined to form one soul, and a new race--the horse Indian--was born. Author Blakely focuses on this unique and magnificent relationship between man and animal that forged one of the most powerful American Indian nations in history. COMANCHE DAWN is a novel of a horse culture by a horseman, who possesses an uncanny understanding of the Comanche mind and experience. This novel is a remarkable achievement by a writer who knows his craft. I highly recommend it.

Mr. Blakeley's obvious love of the horse and horse people shines on every page of Comanche Dawn. His clearly exhaustive research on the roots of the Comanche Nation is obvious, and yet his writing is never dryly academic - he manages to embed explanations of early Native American daily life in the always-advancing plot without ever "teaching" the reader anything.

Comanche Dawn is vaguely reminiscent (though not derivative) of Larry McMurtry's western novels, in the way that the sheer brutality and hardship of life on the plains is presented matter-of-factly, with small hints of the dryest humor.

I loved this book - as a kind of "horse person" myself, I was amused by the way that the horse-whispering techniques so in vogue today were standard practice 300 years ago. And I live in Central Texas, so the roots of the Comanche nation that had such significant impact on the settling of this area were fascinating to me. Can't wait for the sequel, and meanwhile, Mr. Blakely has me wandering the ranch, looking for bent-over "Comanche trees", and breathing into the nostrils of my favorite horse.

This book is long at 560 pages. That can be hell if the book is not well-written. Luckily this book was well-written. There are some minor errors, one being on p. 197 when the author mistakenly confuses the Indian tribes he is talking about. He meant to write Inday but wrote Wolf people. I emailed the author through his website with some questions about this book, but he never answered, and as of this writing, it's been several weeks. So for that I am removing 1 star. I can't vouch for the authenticity of everything in this book, which takes place in the late 1600s to early 1700s. But as a novel, it is damned good.

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.

Mike Blakely's Comanche Dawn is one of the best fictional novels that center around the early history of what is now America's southwest. A person that wants to read about the most powerful American Indian tribe in history should read this book. Of course, the characters are fictional but the author has done an excellent job in understanding the Comanche life and nation and has put it into a great novel!

After having read A Tale Out of Luck by both Mike Blakely and Willie Nelson I was entertained by Mr. Blakely's writing. Loving westerns that I do both in print and on the big screen, I know the talent Mr. Blakely possesses is true and authentic. Comanche Dawn is a big story with big characters. I got lost in there and loved it. If you are looking for a well written piece of work in a genre overlooked by most, try this novel. I believe you'll be just as entertained as I was.

A sometimes ponderous tale of the first Commanche, an offshoot of the more northerly based Shoshone people, this book recounts the birth and adventures of the war chief who would one day lead his people to a better way of life by discovering the advantages of horsemanship on the open plains ahead of other Indian groups and tribes. The young warrior, Horseback, grows to manhood in the shadow of the mythic story of his birth, heralded by a horse who circled the birthing lodge at the moment of his emergence into the world. His early youth a constant struggle in the harsh terrain to which his people have long ago been banished by their enemies, including the Utes (Yutas in this book) and Apache (Nah-vonuh), Horseback through a series of spirit visions sees a better future for his people and embarks on a quest south to find more ponies and learn about the lands and peoples that lie beyond the range of the "True Humans" or Noomah as Horseback's people call themselves.

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

WHAT A REMARKABLE WAY TO BEGIN A BOOK. MIKE BLAKELY HAS A UNBELIEVEABLE SENSE OF THE HISTORY OF THE COMANCHE PEOPLE. I REALLY ENJOY THE DETAIL HE PUTS INTO HIS DESCRIPTIONS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY PASSIONATE MAN THAT PUTS EVERYTHING HE HAS INTO HIS WORK. I ADMIRE THE ENERGY PUT INTO THIS WORK. I CAN PICTURE MYSELF IN AMONGST THESE PEOPLE, RIDING WITH THEM, AND WATCHING THIS "BIG DOG" RUN THROUGH CAMP. HIS ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS PHENOMENAL. WELL DONE. THIS BOOK IS REALLY SWEET AS HONEY.