Customer Reviews

Last Frontier

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"The Last Frontier" was Howard Fast's first bestseller, and rightfully belongs on any short-list of best books. In some of the most beautiful and moving language used by any American writer, Fast tells the story of how 300 Cheyenne Indians -- starving on their Oklahoma reservation -- packed up in 1878 and started a 1,000-mile trek back to the happy hunting grounds of their beloved Wyoming. Hounded by the U.S. cavalry, outnumbered and outgunned, they fought their way north inch by bloody inch.

Although "novelized," the characters and events Fast portrays are real. He reportedly conducted extensive research before the writing process began, and then crafted one of the most heartwrenching stories to come out of the American West.

As a side note, the 1964 John Ford western "Cheyenne Autumn" was based on this book.

Highly recommended reading, but be warned: this was not a pleasant chapter in American history, and the outcome of this story may be upsetting. But I hope so. It is good that we do not forget.

This was the breakthrough novel for prolific historical novelist Fast back in the 1940s. It tells the story of the 1878 Cheyenne Outbreak, in which 300 Cheyennes made a desperate escape from their reservation in Oklahoma and struck out for their ancestral home in the Powder River country. Their story captivated the nation still reeling from the aftermath of the Custer disaster and the Nez Perce flight for freedom. Thousands of Army troops pursued the band, which had no more than 80 able-bodied warriors.

About half the Indians were run to ground and captured. They were taken to Fort Robinson, Nebraska, where their refusal to go back to Oklahoma resulted in an attempt to starve them into submission. When they attempted an escape in the dead of winter, only about 50 Indians survived the shootout that followed. The nation was outraged when they learned of the inhumanity shown to the Indians. As a result, the surviving Cheyenne were allowed to remain in the north and eventually they settled on a reservation in Montana.

This is a passionately written account of a shabby and little-known incident. It is also extraordinarily depressing, which makes it a difficult read. In addition, Fast chose not to follow any particular protagonist, instead dropping us in to various scenes in a "you are there" style. While effective, it made the story lack the drive it would have had if we were following a particular set of characters.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis & Clark"

Written in 1941, Howard Fast's novel of the plight of the Cheyenne Indian remains timeless. This book will go down in my top ten list. The book can stand alone on the strength of its story, a story about freedom and its value to a once proud Indian nation reduced to the poverty of a reservation. The Cheyenne refuse to give up their dignity in their quest to return to the land that has always been theirs by birthright, indeed, God-given. The reaction of the post Civil War government is painful to read, even more than a century later.

Fast tells the tale at a fast pace. His chartacter development is strong and he elicits hate for some, empathy for others. The book is a real page-turner.

In the final analysis, the book is about freedom, much like Fast's later work with Spartacus. As much as I enjoyed Spartacus, I say without reservation that The Last Frontier is a better book.

Here he is a man who has lived through everything and is still a star! This book is one of his best....a must read!