Customer Reviews

Shoshone Mike (Western Literature)

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

 

 

This book is probably the best Western novel that I have ever read. Its only competitor in my experience is the "Ox-Bow Incident." However, Bergon's novel, which is based upon a real event, is still better.

The action, which is set around the Nevada town of Winnemucca in the year 1911, revolves around the pursuit of a Shoshone Indian family from Idaho accused of killing some white men. Told from the perspective of several major characters, including the Winnemucca Sheriff, a Basque immigrant, and the Shoshone Indians, this novel really shows the ugly underside of the West that never appears on the movie screen or in Louis L'amour's novels.

This is novel is not a celebration of the old West, but it is a page-turner and well worth adding to your library.

I usually avoid Westerns because its hard to find any that don't follow the Louis L'Amour/Zane Grey formula tripe.

This one is an exception. It is truly original and captivating from start to finish. You won't go wrong with this one.

I love western literature, but I would never recommend this book. There is nothing worse than investing time in a book only to find out you have been had. The prose and style of this book are ok. However, I should have read the other reviews of this book before I read it. This is one of those "Oh poor Indians" books. I found another book on the "Last Indian Massacre" by Dr. Effie Mack, and learned the truth about the underlying story of Shoshone Mike. Bergon's book is liberal sludge, which attempts to sell a liberal agenda through twisting historical facts. As it turns out, this author is a professor at a liberal university. Go figure. Don't waste your time with this book.

The only problem with this book, is that it isn't true. Some research into the story shows how much the facts were twisted to suit a liberal agenda or some other twisted revisionist ploy at the expense to history. Although the author claims it is a "novel," he also implies that it is well founded in the facts, which it is not in many regards. DON'T READ THIS BOOK!!!!!

Bergon has put together a lousy book. Although it reads well, it does not comport with history. Bergon twists the facts, which are available with a little research, to suit his agenda. If I want propoganda, I will read propoganda. I don't need it in a Western historical novel.