Sons of Thunder

by Cotton Smith

No one in the small Texas town of Clark Springs knows that their minister’s real name is Rule Cordell, or that he used to be one of the most notorious outlaws the Confederacy had ever seen. He’s been trying very hard to put his days as a pistol-fighter behind him, but that’s getting harder to do lately. When his friends and neighbors are threatened with losing their family spreads to a cunning carpetbagger, Rule realizes it’s time for his preacher’s collar to be replaced by a pair of .44s. But he won’t be able to do it alone. If he’s going to rid the town of this ruthless evil, he’ll need to call on a very special group of warriors—the Sons of Thunder!

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Ebooks

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2003

About the author

Cotton Smith was born in Kansas City, Missouri; some would say a century later than he should have. He grew up enjoying both adjoining states, Kansas and Missouri, living mostly in Kansas. His ancestors fought in the Civil War, mostly for the South, as regulars and guerillas. As a young man, he learned to ride horses from a grizzled wrangler he remembers fondly. He also learned how to roll a cigarette then, too! "Looking back on it, he taught me the right ways around a horse -- and he taught me some other things too. Like swinging into the saddle with the horse loping. And springing up from the rear, like the movie stars did. Never occurred to me then that I could get hurt. Guess no young person ever does."

Early in life, he was also exposed to the ways of the Plains Indian, to their sacred ceremonies, customs and traditions. His appreciation for their spiritual connection to the land and all that occupied it was heightened by involvement with Indian friends and backed by extensive research. Both touched him deeply and can be readily seen in his caring -- and accurate--portrayal of Indians in his novels. Throughout his stories, one finds intriguing glimpses of this insight, giving readers a sense of what really was and why.

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 1 out of 5]

A band of former Union soldiers, tormenting Reconstruction-era Texas as lawkeeping Regulators, interrupt a church service on the range and carry out a hanging death sentence on a local former Confederate sympathizer as a traitor. The local preacher, one Rule Cordell, a former Confederate bandit and outlaw, does not appreciate this and tries to stop them before being beaten unconscious.

The Cordell character is our main protagonist and he is an initially-reluctant then later vengeful agent of resistance, trying to scare these bullies by creating an illusion of a larger bandit gang on their trail. His Mexican wife tells him to become like thunder or something, and so this phantom gang are the "Sons of Thunder" (2003).

The Regulators' Captain Padgett is a caricature as well, a wheelchair-bound old crank who has a special-made wagon with steel walls and a gatling gun on top.

A main plot thread is whether or not freed slaves should be treated as human beings. It makes sense that a book set right after the Civil War would have racist characters, but it is a strawman argument to have serious discourse where folks will argue about whether or not free black children should receive education.

Verdict: Tropey exposition, racial drama, and odd plot sequences (they have a weepy funeral for spoiler-removed) leave this one more boring and silly than interesting or moving.

Jeff's Rating: 1 / 5 (Bad)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

[Steve Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sons of Thunder

I am reading Cotton Smith’s books basically in order and this one is my favorite so far. What a powerful story!! Gripping and what an ending!!

[Samyuktha Ell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish this book was more gripping than what it is. The story line could have been made better for sure. It was obvious from Chapter 1 how the story would proceed and end. Where are the punches?

[Bill Hooten · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really good read!

I have been a fan of westerns for a really long time, and I haven’t taken the time to read as many as I wanted. I hate to admit that this was the first Cotton Smith that I had read, but it will not be the last. Rule Cordell is an interesting lead character, conflicted by most everything that has happened to him in life. Now he struggles with the vows he has made, and the things that need to be done (and he may be the only one that can do them). You will be fascinated by the cast of characters, and the burdens they carry — particularly my favorite, “The Russian.” If you are looking for a good read, one that you can lose yourself in the story; try “Sons of Thunder”. You won’t be disappointed!

[Charles W Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Rule Cordell western

Each book in the Rule Cordell series is more interesting and exciting than the last! Make sure you read the entire series!,

[Garth Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on Garth's Blog: http://garthhamilton.blogspot.com/201...
Cotton Smith’s 1865 post-Civil War western novel, Sons of Thunder, juggles themes of faith, racial reform, redemption, self-sacrifice, racial bigotry, greed, child abuse, domestic abuse, and religious hypocrisy. The plot involves Rule Cordell, a former Confederate soldier/outlaw (with a revisionist sense of racial tolerance, of course) who takes on a new identity as the peaceful Reverend James Rule Langford, a part-time, small town preacher. An unscrupulous mayor, the captain of the Texas police force, and a large gang of baddies set out to intimidate and defraud the town members/churchgoers, and, you guessed it… Cordell steps up to put an end to their reign of violence and terror.

Besides being a free book, I was mainly drawn to this story by the internal religious conflicts of the protagonist. There is a tension between Cordell’s call to be a peaceful Christ follower/preacher and his firebrand wife’s conviction that “turning the other cheek [isn’t] very effective in these turbulent times.” His abusive father, a hypocritical former reverend himself, provides another contrast to Cordell’s struggles with faith. And a wise, influential Comanche shaman named Moon of the self-named Noomah people adds yet ANOTHER layer to Cordell’s spiritual journey, although in a more vaguely religious sense.

“Sons of Thunder” is front loaded with both characterization and religious pondering, which are both later dispensed with as Cordell rounds up his old gang and goes after the bad guys. The action is exciting, racism as personified by the KKK antagonists is adequately vilified, and there are a couple of surprising twists as the conclusion approaches. With the exception of some annoyingly exaggerated Tex-Mex dialect and a hilariously ludicrous 11th hour cameo during the climax, the story is engaging and seems to historically credible. Overall, it’s a quick, fun read.

Disclosure: The novel reviewed below was a free selection from Amazon Kindle for Samsung’s monthly book deals. That’s why I read it.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

CD has penned a western action adventure about a Civil War gunman who had found a profession, as A man of God, to get away from the stigmas he had acquired during the war. He picked a small western town, settled with fine people, who were prospering slowly but surely. Then came a carpenter who, they crookedness, theivery and theft was slowly but surely destroying the community. If was time for the Civil War gunman to put on his guns and stop the problems before the people were stole bkind. This is an excellent read for the genrem.....DEHS

[Carol and Gary Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. The stiff and slow start was saved by the intense ending. I really enjoy Westerns and this was a well done one. There were a number of twists and turns in this effort. I found the preacher/gunfighter's wife to be hard to believe but she brought a lot to balance the preacher's problems.

[Keith D Hauber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story line

It was an easy read. The story line kept you interested and progressed quickly enough to keep you entertained all the way to the of the story.