And Now For Something Completely Different - Review: Bugles In The Afternoon

Bugles in the Afternoon by Ernest Haycox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let me start this review with a disclaimer. I do not read Westerns, ever. However, this was my father's favorite book, and I got curious as to why so I decided to give it a try. Believe it or not, I'm glad I did. Not that I've become a Western fan, in fact I will probably never read another one. Nothing against the genre, it's just not my thing. However, I did make a discovery.
Ernest Haycox was a very good writer.
The book relays a vivid picture of the reality of what it would have been like to live in the Old West. Really, you can almost feel the research that must have gone into this book. It begins with a description of a stagecoach ride where you can almost feel how uncomfortable it would have been. Think mountain bike ride without shock absorbers and being in constant fear of turning over. However, the point he really pulls you in is when a Sioux is seen in the distance. He looks at the stagecoach then pretends to shoot an arrow at them. However, the driver is not overly concerned. Winter is coming on, the Sioux are heading to the reservation so there won't be any trouble. Yet.
Bugles In The Afternoon consists of two plots, one fictional one factual intersecting and both are compelling. The fictional plot involves the conflict between Kern Shafter, a man of mystery who has enlisted in the 7th Calvary as a private, and Edward Garnett an officer of dubious reputation and uncertain character. These two have a past together and Haycox skillfully guides you through the events that turned what had been the best of friends into the bitterest of enemies without being cliche about it. This situation is only made worse when both men manage to fall in love with the same woman. I know it sounds cheesy, but Haycock manages to make you care about all people involved in this romantic triangle, even the bad guy.
The secondary plot, I just can't call it a sub-plot it's too good for that, relates the events that led up to The Battle of the Little Big Horn. Anyone who knows history knows what's going to happen, but the story of how they got there is fascinating and inevitable. Of course the central character has to be George Armstrong Custer. Without making judgments the author paints a picture of a man who peaked too soon in his career and spent the rest of his life trying to recover what he saw as his lost glory. This fatal focus causes him to inspire blind devotion by some under his command while others doubt his competency and anticipate the disaster that is to come.
Also I was impressed by the depiction of the Sioux in the story. Although not represented by a major character they are imperative to the plot, and the author treats them with respect. Surprising for a book that was written in 1943. In the book the military recognizes the Sioux have been wronged by the U.S. government, but there is a nation to be built and they are in the way. For their part the Sioux are determined to protect their sacred lands and are not backing down. Haycock does not tell this story as a battle between good and evil, but of two cultures with opposing viewpoints violently colliding with catastrophic results ultimately for both. The depiction of the battle, mostly from Major Reno's part in it, is not sugarcoated but not overly graphic, and the fictional plot is resolved in a logical manner, but with few surprises. If like me Westerns are not your genre think of Bugles in the Afternoon as a Historical novel. It is well researched and entertaining by a great writer who knew his stuff. What could be better than that?