The Nameless Breed

by Will C. Brown

Texan Brazos McCloud faces political intrigue, hostile Indians, and harsh desert country as he seeks to rescue his father from the Comanches on the eve of Texan statehood

Genres: Westerns

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[William Richardson]

A very enjoyable western dealing with the last days of Texas as the republic of Texas before becoming a state.

[Laurence]

I loved the atmosphere, characters and dialogue but unfortunately it had a tendency to drag on a little. A quick, entertaining read, is probably give it 2.5 stars if I could.

[Randy]

Brazos McCloud watched in helpless fury as the Mexican army dragged his father off in chains. They had raided the samll town od the Republic of Texas and Seale McCloud had gone out to talk to them.

That had been three years ago. Word had come that the Mexicans had given his father, along with a number of white captives, to the Comanche Indians. It was common practice to buy captives back, but the McCloud family had no money.

Brazos's brother were minding the home while he had taken a job by two men working for the English. Captain Spide, nicknamed The Spider, had offered him a thousand in gold to steal a pouch of Union papers concerning the future of the republic from a courier who was transporting them North.

Brazos had done so and, while fleeing, had taken a Cherokee arrow in the shoulder from a roving buck.

His next conscious memory was at a doctor's home in San Antonio being attended by his daughter.

He slips out to visit The Spider and confirm the deal. While gone, agents for the Lone Star government had visited the Doctor's home looking for him and in the ruckus, a fire was set.

The pouch of papers were not where he'd left them, but he had ideas.

Everyone is after him. Agents from England, Mexico, the Union, and even the Rangers were hunting him. He has to get the papers while avoiding a double cross and make the long trek north to find and buy is father's freedom.

Winner of the 1960 Spur award for best novel.

[Tim Deforest]

I can see why this one was the Spur award winner in 1960. Set in Texas in 1844, when Texas was an independent nation with the possibility of annexation into the United States bringing political tension, the main plot involves the efforts of Brazos McCloud and his brothers to rescue their father from Comanches. But this leads to an increasingly convoluted situation that involves stolen diplomatic documents, spies, double-crosses, ambushes and an epic journey across a broiling desert. The characterizations are vivid and the action scenes are incredibly tense, with a theme of remaining loyal and honest even in the most trying circumstances running through the story.