Wow! I could not put this book down! Thirteen cowboys are joined by eighteen cossacks as they set out to cross Siberia to deliver 500 head of longhorn cattle. Reluctant companions, they face adventure after blood-curdling adventure on their months long journey. Their two leaders embody the cowboy code and the cossack code, different in many ways, yet based on courage, intellect, insight, and above all honor. The narrator is a young man likely to be a leader in his own right someday. This page-turner is highly reminiscent of "Lonesome Dove", although with next to no romance. If you love adventure, edge of your seat drama, and poignant relationships, this is the perfect book for you. I loved it. ( )

A hilarious adventure. ( )

A group of 15 cowboys in the 1880's are delivering 500 head of cattle to Russia, into Siberia, and run into all kinds of trials and tribulations: terrible weather, wild animals, and enemy soldiers trying to stop the cattle delivery. The two main characters are the leaders of the two groups: Shad, leader of the cowboys, and Rostov, leader of the cossacks. It is a serious book, but it is entertaining to see how each man reacts to the other in the different situations, how they lead their men to work together, and how they come to respect each other and come to understand how much alike they are. The whole story is exciting, but also written in a humorous way that keeps it fairly light. I was not really looking forward to reading it, but since it was for my Library Book Club I felt like I had to read it. And it turned out to be very good! I would recommend it as an entertaining and exciting read! ( )

This is a roller coaster story set in the late 1800's. There is plenty of action and a lot of philosophy. Some of the language, both profanity and racial comments, will be offensive, but its probably very accurate for the time period.

If you like westerns with a realistic feel, this is a good one. ( )

A fine western, written in 1973, about longhorns from Montana being delivered to Russia in the 1880's. Narrated by the young cowboy raised by the two older hands who are delivering the cows, the story is classic hero material. I enjoyed the comic crosstalk between the hands. The author handles the male bonding scenes well. There is a classic heroic conflict between the narrator's hero and the Cossack of the title who is just as heroic. Not a deep story, but one delivered with gusto. ( )