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The Long Season
In 1884, there was a war being waged in Oldham County, Texas. On one side were wealthy ranchers who knew how to use laws to suit their purposes. Their common goal was to grab as much for themselves as they possibly could. Fighting these rich ranchers were the disgruntled cowboys who resented being squeezed out of a future. And playing both sides against each other was J. W. Cain -- mastermind of an enormous cattle-rustling operation.
Into this maelstrom rides Jesse Coldiron, who, through hard work and frugal living, had saved enough to buy 100 heifers and secure a temporary home for them in Colorado. Everything was going well for him until a blizzard drifted his herd into Texas -- and trouble!
And nature wasn't the only thing standing between Coldiron and his cattle . . .
Into this maelstrom rides Jesse Coldiron, who, through hard work and frugal living, had saved enough to buy 100 heifers and secure a temporary home for them in Colorado. Everything was going well for him until a blizzard drifted his herd into Texas -- and trouble!
And nature wasn't the only thing standing between Coldiron and his cattle . . .
209 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 13, 2018
Westerns are a genre with many sub-categories. Do you like a Zane Grey pot-boiler or a Larry McMurtry epic? Do you like action or romance ? You may find all or none to your taste. So here’s Sam Brown’s hero described by another character in this yarn:
“…she had never known a man as open and straightforward as Jesse; a man who could talk to little about love, yet by his mere presence and quiet glances, make her feel so loved and wanted. In town he had seemed a little smaller than he was, a little out of place; but out here he seemed as big as the stunning expanse of hills and dark-shadowed canyons that stretched away in all directions like an endless grass-covered ocean. Out here he and his horse moved in unison, and Jesse seemed as much a part of the rugged landscape as the dry creeks and the flowing springs…If he said there should be a spring along a certain draw, there was, as surely as if he had been there when it bubbled to life long ago. If he said he figured there should be a trail in a certain place, there was, as if he had been there when each of the tens of thousands of long horn and buffalo hoofs hewed it out of the earth over hundreds of past seasons. He was in complete command, yet he commanded nothing---rather as the earth exercised her will, he gracefully molded himself to fit her contour.”
This is Jesse Caldiron. He’s just a cowboy hoping for a better life. His future is all tied up in a herd of cattle that he has lost during a freak blizzard while he was driving them through Oldham County, Texas. That’s in the “panhandle” just south of Oklahoma and east of New Mexico. A lot happens to Jesse as he searches and he comes across some historical figures who actually spent time in that area: Jim East, Pat Garrett, W.M.D. Lee and Scotty Wilson. This is all taking place in December 1884 when the West was starting to “button up” with fences and range wars and cowboys (being the labor) were thinking of organizing to counter the increasingly large ranches that set the price for work (and the rules for getting a job).
Sam Brown knows a lot about cowboying and the history of this area. He has a gift for conveying his love of this part of the world. His attention to the details of housing, equipment, horses, and life styles adds a lot to the plot. This book didn’t quite grab me the way The Long Drift did. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But 3.5* isn’t shabby.
“…she had never known a man as open and straightforward as Jesse; a man who could talk to little about love, yet by his mere presence and quiet glances, make her feel so loved and wanted. In town he had seemed a little smaller than he was, a little out of place; but out here he seemed as big as the stunning expanse of hills and dark-shadowed canyons that stretched away in all directions like an endless grass-covered ocean. Out here he and his horse moved in unison, and Jesse seemed as much a part of the rugged landscape as the dry creeks and the flowing springs…If he said there should be a spring along a certain draw, there was, as surely as if he had been there when it bubbled to life long ago. If he said he figured there should be a trail in a certain place, there was, as if he had been there when each of the tens of thousands of long horn and buffalo hoofs hewed it out of the earth over hundreds of past seasons. He was in complete command, yet he commanded nothing---rather as the earth exercised her will, he gracefully molded himself to fit her contour.”
This is Jesse Caldiron. He’s just a cowboy hoping for a better life. His future is all tied up in a herd of cattle that he has lost during a freak blizzard while he was driving them through Oldham County, Texas. That’s in the “panhandle” just south of Oklahoma and east of New Mexico. A lot happens to Jesse as he searches and he comes across some historical figures who actually spent time in that area: Jim East, Pat Garrett, W.M.D. Lee and Scotty Wilson. This is all taking place in December 1884 when the West was starting to “button up” with fences and range wars and cowboys (being the labor) were thinking of organizing to counter the increasingly large ranches that set the price for work (and the rules for getting a job).
Sam Brown knows a lot about cowboying and the history of this area. He has a gift for conveying his love of this part of the world. His attention to the details of housing, equipment, horses, and life styles adds a lot to the plot. This book didn’t quite grab me the way The Long Drift did. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But 3.5* isn’t shabby.
May 19, 2019
Sam Brown is my favourite western author. His books are an irresistible mix of tragedy, romance, drama, humor and mystery. And all this against a background of authentic cowboy life. What a shame he only wrote 6 novels!
February 4, 2022
A real good western read. My second book from this author and I just read them back to back. I love when I find these little gems. The western books seems simple but this author knows how to write them. Looking forward to the next one.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews