Shortgrass Song [Mass Market Paperback]

Mike Blakely (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1995

Shortgrass Song is the saga of young Caleb Holcomb as he makes his way through life in an epic as big as Texas itself. Caleb's adventures take him through Civil War battles, buffalo hunts, Indian wars and barroom shoot-outs. On his way he meets:

Snake Woman--the Comanche slave woman who kidnaps him as a child in an attempt to regain her rightful place in the tribe.

Kicking Dog--the renegade Arapaho who rampages through the West scalping victims from Texas to Montana.

Marisol--the Mexican beauty who bears Caleb's children and wins his love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Country music singer Blakely (Vendetta Gold) tells a sweeping saga of a family's struggles on the Western frontier. Ab Holcomb, a hero in the Mexican War, settles in the Pike's Peak region of Colorado, where he and his family must be on guard against the elements and potentially hostile Indians. Soon they're joined by Buster, a runaway slave, and Snake Woman, a Comanche captive who was given to the slave in exchange for his harmonica. Buster, a versatile musician, quickly becomes a favorite of the Holcombs' asthmatic son Caleb, whose dreams of becoming a musician are opposed by Ab. Trouble ensues when Snake Woman kidnaps Caleb in an attempt to win back the respect of her people. With a good ear for dialogue and a keen eye for period detail, Blakeley tells of Caleb's rise as a country musician, of Ab's changing fortunes and his struggles to prevent changes in his beloved West. Song lyrics from the times, 1860 to the 1880s, enliven the narrative as actual historical events, such as the Sand Creek Massacre, hover in the background.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Shortly before the Civil War, would-be cattle rancher Ab Holcomb; his wife, Ella; and sons Matthew, Pete, and Caleb cross the Great Plains to Colorado's sprawling Front Range country. In their first years there, Ella dies; Buster, a freed black man, becomes the glue that holds the family together; and Ab, Unionist and Texan-hater, loses a leg fighting the Confederates in New Mexico. In the 1870s and 1880s, the Holcombs become powerful ranchers until land-hungry homesteaders subdivide the open range. Blakely (The Snowy Range Gang, Evans, 1992) delivers an oft-told tale of the Old West, but this particular family saga proves more than ordinary due to strong, vivid writing. At tale's end, Ab and Buster are rich men, Matthew and Pete are dead, and Caleb has become a trou-badour and drifter. A good buy for most public libraries.
James B. Hemesath, Adams State Coll. Lib., Alamosa, Col.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books (June 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812530292
• ISBN-13: 978-0812530292
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #734,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great writing, January 18, 2000

By 

Dan Huff <[e-mail]> (San Angelo, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shortgrass Song (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm going to add my five stars to the list, because Mike Blakely deserves it. This book delves into the life of young Caleb Holcomb, and we get to watch him grow up. It, like Kirby Jonas books I'm always touting, is not your standard western, but it is a good homespun tale all the same. Caleb is heroic without being super human, and you will fall in love with his affable, musical character who is always finding almost too much trouble for him to handle. Read Mike Blakely and anything by Kirby Jonas, and you won't need to turn anywhere else. If these two authors ever got together they would have a lot in common and a lot to talk about. You can bet they would be friends!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Born a sickly child Caleb Holcomb fights his way to manhood., December 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Shortgrass Song (Mass Market Paperback)

The youngest son of two american pioneers, Caleb Holcomb tries desperately to show his manhood. The plot is well developed as Caleb picks and chooses the adventures in his life. Blakely uses accurate historical insight as well as first hand knowledge of the cowboy way to show his readers what growing up in the 1800's was like. A true american storyteller Blakely has turned out another timeless classic with "Shortgrass Song"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caleb Holcomb, March 2, 2003

By 

Max Inman (holland, mi. U.S.A) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shortgrass Song (Mass Market Paperback)

Caleb's adventures take him through the Civil War, buffalo hunts, Indian Wars, and barroom shoot outs. During these times he meets a Comanche slave woman who kidnaps him, and a renegade Arapaho who likes scalping people, and finally meets Marisol a Mexican beauty who gives him his children and wins his love. Some times the story slows down quite a bit and other times you won't want to put it down.