As America leaves behind the battles on the Western frontier and turns to a new type of conflict in World War I, young Steven Cartwright leaves the mountains and ranches of Colorado to become a crack fighter pilot over the battlefields of Europe. But Steven returns from war a hardened young man, seeking strength from his old friend Brules who taught him about life, love and survival.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
It's difficult to believe that this artless novel comes from the author of Brules and The Scout, to which this is a kind of sequel. In the Rocky Mountain wilderness in 1950, Steven Cartwright, a 52-year-old Colorado rancher, sits by a campfire, hopelessly smitten by his beautiful 24-year-old companion. Hoping to charm the young woman, Cartwright, who was once the young protege of legendary frontiersman Cat Brules, launches into an apocryphal tale about how the painted horse came to America. This artifice is quickly abandoned, however, as Cartwright commences to render a big, gaudy portrait of himself as an aviation pioneer and authentic all-American hero. Beginning with his eastward migration to Yale at age 18, Cartwright recites a litany of feats in the classroom, social clubs and football fields?and of learning to fly in his off time. With the U.S. entry into WWI, he was commissioned by the Navy and, overnight, became a legendary pilot. Modestly confessing his successes with the ladies, he includes his role in the early formation of Pan Am Airways and his heroism in WWII. In a dime-novel denouement, Cartwright describes how he put the war on hold, speeding to the bedside of the dying Brules in under 40 hours?just in time to tell him he has proof that the old man is his grandfather. Finally, our hero grudgingly confesses he won the Medal of Honor. The wide-eyed heroine avows her lifelong adoration, and the history of painted horses goes a-glimmering. Readers may want to note that Combs himself, who is an octogenarian rancher, was an aviation pioneer. As a quaint history of early aviation, this is mildly amusing, but as the final chapter in the saga of heroic Cat Brules, this Walter Mitty-like tale is a big disappointment.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
By a mountain campfire's light in 1950, middle-aged Steven Cartwright tells his life story to 24-year-old Becky, who as a child was adopted by his mother. This storytelling technique is similar to the one Combs used much more effectively in his earlier novel, The Scout (LJ 5/15/95), in which an old mountain man, Cat Brules, narrates his own story to young Steven. The Legend of the Painted Horse comes off as a mishmash of the author's research (e.g., how the paint horse was introduced into North America by Norsemen), a reprise of Steven's relationship with Brules, and incidents engendered by Combs's own extraordinary experiences, most of which would interest the reader on their own merits. The stilted dialog and haphazard presentation of Steven's narrative soon squelch a promising opening scene. Not recommended.?Robert P. Jordan, Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating in its own right...,
By
This review is from: Legend of the Painted Horse-P460315/2B (Hardcover)
While "The Legend of The Painted Horse" is not on the lofty levels of "Brules" and "The Scout", I don't think it was ever intended to be. Nonetheless, I'll always remember exactly where I was (at rhe gym) and exactly what I was doing (riding a stationary bike) when Combs tied together all the elements of the Brules story. I was emotionally overwhelmed. A fabulously romantic ending to an incredible story. I thought the painted horse history was pretty cool, too. The entire Brules saga is one of the best reads in my well read life. Tolkein, Mary Stewart, Roger Zelazny, Edgar Rice Burroughs, for me, Combs belongs among them.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fitting ending to the Brules Saga,
By B. Burnett (Virginia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Legend of the Painted Horse (Paperback)
As a big fan of Harry Comb's works in the Brules and The Scout books, I have just finished "The Legend of the Painted Horse".And I still havent formed an opinion of it yet. It sounded kinda corny compared to the brutish scenes of the previous two novels , yet, it was innocent in an appealing way. Brules and The Scout are perhaps the most treasured of all the books I have ever read, and I find myself reading them again from time to time, since the first time I read both of them.."The Legend of the Painted Horse" tried to end mystique of Cat Brules in a modern way, and in Steven Cartwrights telling of his life with Brule and the interplay was a tribute. I am glad that Mr.Combs wrote about the West in the way he did. It reflects on how much our lives have changed from the simple raw times of a hundred years ago. Steven Cartwright in a way, was also a true individual, just set in a more recent era. As I am closing this review, I decided that the book was good....so I rated it high based upon my sentimentality...from now on when ever I see a Painted horse, this book will come to mind. R.I.P - Cat Brules, who made his own choices in life.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Comments by William Haskett,
By A Customer
This review is from: Legend of the Painted Horse-P460315/2B (Hardcover)
I think that the Painted Horse tied Combs two previous works together well. It answered alot of the situations in the earlier books. I found it to have a superb plot all the way through. I wonder if there is any connection between Harry Combs and the character he writes about.
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