A nice to surprise to find this book in a thrift store with zero prior knowledge of the author and end up with a great reading experience. Too many 'westerns' or at least books set in the west of the frontier are the Louis L'amour or Ralph Compton variety, they may be ok but are a little one-dimensional. I won't throw Elmer Kelton under that bus, too good! But A Distant Trumpet on the other hand is a long book with a fully developed set of interesting and complex characters and is a portrait of a slice of America at that time not likely to be bested. I'm surprised this is not on a list of the best books about the American West, at least the few I checked out. I've read a few that are on such lists and this surpasses most entirely. Will definitely be looking for something else by Paul Horgan, as I learned he was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History (and it shows in this book!). Interestingly, he was also friends with J. Robert Oppenheimer. Those must have been some interesting conversations! ( )

This sweeping tale of a post-Civil War American West will either get you addicted or bored. I seem to have landed in the middle spot, seesawing between interest one day and apathy the next day. There is no denying that this is a book of epic proportions, I just never thought the American Southwest was all that intriguing.

This is a trade paper edition, and due to the large size, you might wear down your thumb and pages as you read. All in all, a decent read, but not a book I would peruse again.


Book Season = Summer ( )

This is a long, interesting, but sometimes boring read. The lengthy description of each character makes clear the mid-20th c fiction author did not feel bound by the "show, don't tell" theory that's drilled into today's fiction writers. Having said that, I must also stress that the research and background that went into this novel is exceedingly impressive. The relationship Mr. Horgan establishes between our hero Matthew Hazard and the Indian scout White Horn (Joe Dummy) is outstanding, and its significance carries right through to the last page. The Arizona outpost, Fort Delivery, with its small contingent of troops stationed in an incredibly desolate location where they are forced to be aware of each other every single day, comes magnificently alive to the reader. I could have done with less of Major General Quait but he stayed true to his colorful character throughout. For anyone wishing to understand more of what it was like during the period following the Civil War when the United States accomplished the "taming" of the last of the Apache tribes, I highly recommend A Distant Trumpet. ( )

I shuffled this book to the bottom of the pile twice before I caved in and read it. It is touted, currently, as a Western, and on the cover of the older editions, it is said to be a love story. Turns out what it is, is a book that I plan to add to my keeper shelf, that shelf of books that ought to get 6 stars minimum, once I get a copy that stays in one piece. The glue on the spine of the 1962 paperback from Crest/Fawcett seems determined to dry out and let go of the pages.

When Abraham Lincoln rolls through town, Matthew Hazard is one very, very determined boy: he’s going to meet Lincoln! He does, of course, and their meeting sets Matthew’s life on a path to the Arizona Territory, via West Point. Hazard’s determination is one of his greatest characteristics. It brings him everything he has in his life, including his wife Laura, whose mother was none too keen on her daughter marrying a man who would drag her to the end of civilization and beyond. Their life is full of the sort of adventure that makes up the best and bravest, and the worst and saddest, in our history.

The first surprise for me was that this really is a love story. And the second was that it isn’t. There are several stories of couples here, and most of them are love stories, but they’re more than that. Who the characters are in their relationships – romantic and otherwise – defines who they are when the chips are down, and the chips are down often out west at that time. Many, many books weave sub-stories in and out, some successfully, some predictably. A Distant Trumpet is far more successful than others. What a wonderful surprise this book turned out to be!

- AnnaLovesBooks ( )

3532. A Distant Trumpet, by Paul Horgan (read 28 Jan 2002) This is a 1960 novel, and is on the Judd Brothers' list of the "best books of the century". It is mostly laid in 1880s Arizona, involving Army men fighting the Apaches. I have read five other books by Horgan, 4 of them non-fiction and all of them much appreciated. This was not as good as those, but still worth reading: it is kind of nice to read fiction where the characters have a conscience. ( )