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Cherokee Joe
When he learns that his father is dying, Cherokee Joe, a rebellious part-Native American wanted for several crimes in the Indian territory, journeys back into the Cherokee Nation to see him. Original.
- GenresWesterns
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1992
About the author
Cameron Judd
70 books32 followersCameron Judd (AKA: Tobias Cole) is a bestselling author of over forty historical and Western novels, including The Canebrake Men and Crockett of Tennessee. A former award-winning journalist, he continues to write his acclaimed column “Clips to Keep” and lives with his family in Greene County, Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 5, 2025
"When Joe woke up, the old man was sitting alone in the dawn light looking into his hands again, but this time he wasn't consulting his divining stone. He was reading from a book covered with a homemade binder of fringed leather. When he looked up and saw Joe blearily watching him, the old man smiled. 'A quest is a wonderful thing,' he said. 'I have told you of mine. What is yours, that put the riders onto your trail?'"
With homages to Homer's Odyssey and Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, our central character in "Cherokee Joe" (1992) is a half-breed outlaw named Joe Wolfkiller who has a reputation as a thief and bandit. An old acquaintance brings news that his aging father is dying and wants to see Joe. Joe is wary, first because he is an outlaw in the territory and a return there would lead to his arrest, but also wary of the news-bringer's untrustworthiness.
Westerns written in the 70's-90's lean bleaker than in the classic era by design, trying to blaze new paths with antiheroes or unsettling backdrops that contrasted with earlier westerns. "Cherokee Joe" manages to straddle the fence and accomplishes both. Joe is relatable and human, a tragic figure, beaten but undefeated, with regret but a lack of purpose that leaves him always debating what the *right* thing is. With feet in both white and Indian heritage, Joe's Cherokee and white roots both agree in a specific instance and put him in a murderous mind when it comes to revenging wrongs, but his path leads him to unforeseen answers in responsibility and forgiveness.
Verdict: A short and smart western journey, with good pacing and easy to read, a relatable and flawed hero that sets it above many of its western peers, and a smart ending, "Cherokee Joe" is a newer classic.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG
With homages to Homer's Odyssey and Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, our central character in "Cherokee Joe" (1992) is a half-breed outlaw named Joe Wolfkiller who has a reputation as a thief and bandit. An old acquaintance brings news that his aging father is dying and wants to see Joe. Joe is wary, first because he is an outlaw in the territory and a return there would lead to his arrest, but also wary of the news-bringer's untrustworthiness.
Westerns written in the 70's-90's lean bleaker than in the classic era by design, trying to blaze new paths with antiheroes or unsettling backdrops that contrasted with earlier westerns. "Cherokee Joe" manages to straddle the fence and accomplishes both. Joe is relatable and human, a tragic figure, beaten but undefeated, with regret but a lack of purpose that leaves him always debating what the *right* thing is. With feet in both white and Indian heritage, Joe's Cherokee and white roots both agree in a specific instance and put him in a murderous mind when it comes to revenging wrongs, but his path leads him to unforeseen answers in responsibility and forgiveness.
Verdict: A short and smart western journey, with good pacing and easy to read, a relatable and flawed hero that sets it above many of its western peers, and a smart ending, "Cherokee Joe" is a newer classic.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG
Displaying 1 of 1 review