The Far Canyon

Slaughter #2

by Elmer Kelton

A sequel to the Spur Award-winning Slaughter finds hunter Jeff Layne returning to Texas to find himself caught up in a border war, and his old enemy Comanche Crow Feather trying to escape with his family from reservation life.

Genres: Fiction, Westerns, Historical Fiction

323 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men’s Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years. He served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/elmerk...

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread

[Chrisl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently re-read ... Another of Kelton's Spur awards, voted best book of year by Western Writers ... Second half of story reminded me of Lonesome Dove. Story had a 5-star ending, but first half more like one of Kelton's 3-star westerns. Kelton wrote both Westerns and Historical Fiction.
(Caveat - I'm not a fan of most westerns, but do appreciate historical fiction set in West USA.)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
***
Book is listed as a sequel to Slaughter. But I'd also recommend it as a stand-alone.
Slaughter
***
Copy I read this time published by Texas Christian University Press, part of TCU's Texas Tradition series. TCU committed to keeping Texas oriented 'literature' in print. The series contains about 4 dozen titles, including a dozen by Kelton.
https://www.librarything.com/series/T...
Some of the books I hope to read soon for the first time will be selected from the series.
Aside from Kelton, my favorite Texas Tradition book is Ben Capp's Comanche tale, Woman of the People
A Woman of the People
***
Review copied and pasted from "
KIRKUS REVIEW
In this sequel to the award-winning Slaughter (1992), Kelton again proves himself to be a resonant voice of the American West. In 1874 Jeff Layne, a Confederate veteran and reformed hide hunter sick of killing both men and buffalo, is on his way back to Texas to revive the family ranch, which fell into carpetbagger hands. With him are good-hearted -- and big-bellied -- Cap Dolittle, sophisticated Englishman Nigel Smithwick, and independent Ohio woman Arletta (now Mrs. Nigel Smithwick). When they reach Jeff's hometown, however, they discover that what's left of the Layne property is now owned by Jeff's Iongtime nemesis, Vesper Freed. Vesper also stole Jeff's girl, Eva, while Jeff was away. Rather than fight Vesper for an admittedly worthless piece of land, Jeff decides to build up a herd of cattle and then set out for a canyon he knows in Northern Texas to start a ranch. During the winter, however, Jeff becomes entangled in a vendetta involving Vesper, Mexican bandits, and his own hired hands. When Jeff's party moves out in the spring, they are accompanied by Eva (who plans to go as far as San Antonio) and the newest Smithwick, baby Becky. They eventually reach Jeff's distant canyon, although not without losses, and begin to build a new life. Interwoven with the story of Jeff and his friends is that of Crow Feather, a Comanche warrior. Rather than submit to the indignity of reservation life, Crow Feather and his family go to live in the relative safety of a sheltered canyon. They manage well until Crow Feather is captured and taken to the reservation. He attempts to escape repeatedly and suffers terribly at the hands of the soldiers before he finally is reunited with his family, who are living peacefully with the newly arrived ranchers. Finely crafted western fare. Wonderfully satisfying.
Pub Date: Aug. 1st, 1994
ISBN: 0875654118
Page count: 336pp
Publisher: Doubleday

[Charles Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been on a Western jag for a while, reading two of Larry McMurtry's books in particular Streets of Laredo. Before that was McCarty's highly recommended All The Pretty Horses. I tried Elmer Kelton's Year it Never Rained but couldn't quite get going with it. I found Far Canyon in our Friends book sale and I am glad it leapt off the table into my fist.
How the west really was is used so much that I don't believe it as a way to describe a novel of the old West. However, the phrase seems applicable for Kelton. At times, however, I think Kelton stumbles just a bit trying hard not to be romantic but gladly failing, at the end. The rest of this novel is not just accurate (as if that is the only criteria) but also good story told with some heart and soul.

[DocHolidavid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contrary to what some reviews say, i.e. the book is unjust to the American Indian, it is not. This is one author telling the course of human events. Humans are always seeking something new and better be it far off lands, space, technology. They are confronted with a challenge in their endeavors to seek, and they deal with it. That is what this book depicts. It's not good or bad. It's just what happened under the circumstances.

Good book.

[Candace Simar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like books by Elmer Kelton, and this one did not disappoint. The audible version made a long road trip bearable.

[TJ Pool · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. Same short story repeated.

[Jennifer Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Far Canyon is typical of other books that I have read by Elmer Kelton. Mr. Kelton utilizes locations in West Texas with which I am familiar and references events of the era. He definitely did his homework while writing this historical fiction. I enjoyed the storyline and felt that the characters were believable. The characters’ use of the language makes the story more enjoyable and believable. I understand that this is a sequel to another book, which I have not read, but it stands well on its own.

[Sequoyah Branham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story from Slaughter continues! I appreciate that Elmer Kelton kept the characters on the journey. I would not have been mad if he wrote one more book to the series either.

This book continues on a line of our history- the passing of the Buffalo and a way of life for the Indians as well as the ushering in of cattle in the Texas plains.

The characters all stay true to who they were in the first book while still growing as they should.

[Michael Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an epic story told in dual stories. Some parts of the story need completion. My only gripe is Kelton still spinning the horrors of the Texas State Police during Reconstruction. Many such a Leander McInnely became Texas Rangers. They weren’t Gestapo. Real good story!

[Paulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in the series, this novel tied up a lot of loose ends and left openings for new adventures.

[Phil Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. When you can feel the saddle, taste the dust and hear the cows, you are there.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book! I really enjoyed this one!

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual with Kelton's books, it is well written and fast paced. Once again, he surpasses his previous novels, recalling with vivid simplicity the glories and hardships of life on the American frontier.
It seems that you are actually there. I have seen some of these canyons and can relate well to most of the locations mentioned in this book.

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Kelton is one of my favorites, along with a couple of other western writers that I really, really, like ... Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour. This is a another great story about young men and women in the settling of the west around the time that banditos raided on both sides of the Rio Grande and Indians were being rounded up by the Army.

[Pa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A western sequel to Kelton's earlier book "Slaughter". Not quite as good as the latter, but not a bad story.

[Sherrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

ya'll know I like western/indian types, and Mr. Kelton is a good story teller for this type of book. Jack and I both like him.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Master of the Western genre.