Customer Reviews

Marching to Valhalla: A Novel of Custer's Last Days

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

 

 

Thoroughly enjoyed a story about a memorable American icon that didn't need Little Big Horn in order to have closure. A personal look at a VERY personal character. His love for his wife is almost beyond poetic.

_

Don't expect a nice guy who dances with wolves. This one kills with "Wolverines."

Penned by the best-selling author/Academy Award-winning screenwriter of DANCES WITH WOLVES, in Michael Blake's MARCHING TO VALHALLA we again journey West to the savage frontier of post-Civil War days. Only this time our guide's no Indian lover -- he's an Indian fighter. And an immortal legend. George Armstrong Custer.

But as we accompany him on this journey through uncharted territory, we discover -- soul-wrenchingly -- he's as mortal as the rest of us.

It is 1876. On a long march to what Custer hopes will be his most glorious campaign, he decides to record his daily thoughts and observations, as well as the events that led him here, in his Journal. It is through this Journal that we enter the secret catacombs of his "true heart."

The skeletons of fallen Confederate soldiers unearthed by rain. The dark entombment of Custer's dreams during his court martial and suspension from military duty. The taste of blood-lust, more satisfying than the finest wine, when he commands the brigade known as "Wolverines" on the battlefield. And piercing the mists as magically as the rainbow-colored suns he glimpsed during the Washita Campaign, the love Custer shared with his wife, Libbie.

Through Custer's eyes we see the beauty of the prairie flowers, the way light "dances" through the cottonwood leaves. And through his eyes we see the horrors of war. Battlefield carnage. Three mutilated bodies found at a stage station. The senseless burning of a Cheyenne village.

Michael Blake's a master, and his imagery flows like warm, golden honey. His words ambush us and hold us captive. But secretly we hope he'll never let us go.

When Blake sends us riding across the plains to that final destination, Custer's thoughts whisper tragically through our own hearts. And for that brief, flickering moment we know the name of the horse we ride -- Fate.

As the noble Lt. Col. of the U.S. 7th Cavalry approaches his destiny, he meditates on his life as a warrior, a husband,a leader of men in war,a "boyish cavalier"; a man still evolving, maturing even as his life and death merge in the last 39 days of his meteoric life on earth. Custer understands the value of his 'union' with his beloved wife, Libbie; his dedication to honor and the desire for greatness;his fullfillment of his destiny; and his desire to be allowed the honor of entering 'warrior's heaven' (Valhalla) as his reward for valour, commitment, and noble courage, here on earth. Blake searches for the "spiritual' GAC as he himself evolves from Lt. Dunbar (Dances With Woves) to the 'Boy General' of the CW and the scapegoat for 'Manifest Destiny'. One can see the realization Michael Blake has in his true understanding of the greatness of the boy who fought like a 'god' and died like a hero among men! Each moment as the hero of the Civil War approaches his destiny; his past 'glory' and life with his 'soul-mate' (Libbie) merge upon the alter of "Valhalla"! Blake honors himself, his country, and the soul of Custer/Libbie and the true courage of every great known and unknown warrior who approaches death with fearless and devoted passion for life! As in the final scene, Custer sends Dandy,( his favorite mount)to the rear, and rides "Vic"(Victory) with his bugler, and guidon bearer and each side charging at the head of the his men. As he had done from Aldie, Gettysburg, and the Washita to the plains of Montana into the halls of 'Valhalla' and the hearts of men and women who will echo his name into infinity! Michael Blake blends history accurately with myth, romance,tragedy,and intelligence into a story that brings tears to the eyes and opens the heart. His story elevates the pages of our past to a level of honor for all who face death on the 'battlefield' with royal courage! The angels of the 'warrior heaven' have written the story through Blake as he channels the last days of the man 'America Forgot!'-George Armstrong Custer, the blazing fire of our memories past!

I found the book to be well written with enough historical references to give the reader a sense of that period in history. However, I found it to be slightly laborious in some of the descriptions around events that, I found, not important in defining Custer or his family. An example is when the author went into lengthy details on the practical jokes he and his family participated in on a regular basis. Overall, I would highly recommend this book and intend to read more in the future about this fascinating and definitely misunderstood person.

Although a fair attempt to get inside the mindset of G.A.C., this book ultimately fails to deliver the thrills or tension it should have. The biggest downer is that this was written by the author of the excellent 'Dances with Wolves'. As a fictional account of Custer's diary, the book is tied by the fact that there is no reference to the Battle of the Little Big Horn and this also leaves the reader with a sense of unfinished business. Rumours are that the screen rights for this book have been bought by Oliver Stone. I would recommend Oliver and any other interested reader to acquire 'A road we do not know'. It's a far more exciting read.

Marching To Valhalla, Michael Blake

This novel is based on the known facts about the last weeks of George Armstrong Custer, the youngest man to be promoted to Brigadier General at age 23, and who died leading his troops into combat at age 36. Custer won every battle he was in except his last fight. Hollywood movies in the 1930s and 1940s show him as an admired hero. At the Battle of Gettysburg his cavalry defeated the hitherto "Invincibles" of J. E. B. Stuart and insured a Union victory. Writing fiction allows filling in the blanks of sparse historical knowledge.

Defeating the Indian tribes on the Great Plains allowed giving their lands to railroads and homesteaders. This produced the agricultural and mineral wealth to make America great in the late 19th century. The railroads transported materials to the cities and returned products to the country. The failure to nationalize the railroads during WW One resulted in many going bankrupt in the 1930s to 1950s. Replacing them with a national highway system worked for a while, but it had a hidden defect: imported oil. The movement to the suburbs eliminated local farms and created higher costs from a dispersed population.

Blake uses known history as part of the story of Custer's last months. If Custer survived the battle he might have been as little remembered as the other two Captains who were also promoted to Brigadier General in June 1863. The Union Army created a cavalry to attack, as in the Napoleonic Wars, instead of scouting and escort. Rapid firing cannon and machine guns would soon make the Cavalry obsolete (as bayonet charges). The US Army mechanized in 1943, tanks replaced horses. There are two recent biographies about Custer, the longer one goes into more detail about his life.

There were political explanations for this defeat. Democrats said the war was caused by the Republican's Indian policies. One general said there were no Indian wars in Canada because their Indian agents were honest. Republicans said the defeat was caused by Custer's lust for glory and combat (as if Custer started this war). Many others besides Custer suffered from underestimating their opponents. Two weeks earlier the combined Indian tribes were able to defeat a large US Army, but word of this never reached Custer.

"They Died With Their Boot On" is probably the best Hollywood history of this exceptional military leader, but no movie can be as good as a book. Some say Custer should have held off his attack until the next day as planned for the other military forces. But the other forces arrived a day later than scheduled. The greatest defeat of the US at the hands of the Native Americans was in the 1790s when far more soldiers and militiamen were killed, but this is only a small item in the history books.

Custer drove his men hard, and himself harder. He shared their moldy bacon, wormy hardtack, and foul water. If there was any danger Custer was first in line. He was never defeated before. "Luck favors the well-prepared." If you know little about this famous American this novel is a good start. "Cavalier in Buckskin" is the shorter history book.

I was very disappointed after reading this book; I expected more from the Oscar winner for the screenplay, based from his book, DANCES WITH WOLVES. Frankly, the book is rather boring. There are rare moments where you can't wait to find what happens.

It's ironic that Blake originally despised Custer while writing DANCES WITH WOLVES then, later, found he liked Custer after all. If only he could have written about Custer's last days with more passion and ambition, yet, he did not.

I do NOT think this is a good book to start one's discovery of Custer. For that, I'd strongly recommend Louise Barnett's TOUCHED BY FIRE.