Sagebrush was probably one of the first free books I took on my kindle, and probably in response to social media contact. I needed to expand my understanding of different genres. So it’s taken me over ten years to read it! I apologise to the author. But Sagebrush has taken me to the top of my TBR Mountain Reading Challenge this year. That’s all this year’s challenges achieved.
Apologies to anyone offended by ‘cowboys and Indians’ language. I’m just reviewing the book.
Sagebrush
by William Wayne Dicksion
Still half asleep, Michael looked up at his parents sitting on the buckboard of their covered wagon and saw an arrow penetrate his father’s chest. Then he saw his mother being dragged from the wagon by two Indians. His mother fell from the wagon and disappeared from his sight and from his life forever. Now he was all alone. (Goodreads)
My Review
Sagebrush follows the adventures of Michael McBraid after his parents and all the rest of the people in their wagon train are killed in an Indian attack. His father was a sea-captain before they decided to up sticks and go west, and taught 12 year-old Michael all sorts of useful things, like carpentry, metalwork and cooking. Well he found his mother’s cookbook for pioneers, which helped. Actually, I can imagine he would have been taught all that by 12. Kids were treated as intelligent beings in those days.
It was just as well though, as he had to hide from the Indians tracking him, and survive. He not only survived, but thrived, for six years, when he stumbled across some native women in a fix, and helped out.
That led into the coming-of-age type tale, how to handle local customs, yet also how to fulfil a promise his father had made to another man, to protect his daughter. It’s an interesting set-up, and leads to many twists before all is resolved.
The impression I gained was that the author is well skilled in bushcraft, and could look after himself if needs must. He writes a good tale, with due deference to the different cultures of the various Native American groups involved, and also to their plight in the fight for their own lands. But history wins, and Mr Dicksion spins a good yarn to show a side of it, mixing in the Mexican wars into the bargain.
I can’t imagine reading any more in this genre, but stranger things are happening in this world, so who knows. A good read if it’s your thing.
Might be worth a look. I sometimes like to dip into that genre :). I was crazy about Westerns when I was a young teen. I think they were what I read when the other girls were reading Harlequin Romances, and the difference between them was often smaller than I would have credited.
I can see that!
It’s been a long time since I read a true Western (Longmire doesn’t count) and I’ve always enjoyed the genre. It’s one you don’t see much anymore unless it is about our indigenous peoples.