Empire of the Summer Moon

This was a really good book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. While it was billed as a story of Quannah Parker of the Comanche, it took in quite a bit of history of all the Plains Indians. Very detailed sotries if living conditions for these native Americans and the changes they experienced at the hands of the white man. I wouldl endorse it for anyone who wishes to study the culture of the Plains Indians. Quannah's story occupied maybe the last quarter of the book. It was easily supported by other resources I have read about Quannah. A fascinating story!

An audible book will beat the written book...most of the time...in my book...

Quanah Parker? Never heard of him till this book. Shame on American history books...and American public schools...by far the most interesting and heavy duty of ALL the native Americans I've heard about from the Wild West...and the book and reader tell a story you can't put down...that is to say can't put down your headset.

The second best (after "Wolf Hall") reading I've heard...out of several hundred. Knocked me out.

I'm usually a patient audience. I must say though that I started to get a bit bored with the narrative here. Great information, well-presented, etc. but after a while I started glazing over with "this group attacked that group, scalping 20 warriors/soldiers, etc. etc. It just got a bit repetitive and I lost some patience with it. A very good book---maybe should be a 4.0 rating, but when I purchased it, I think it was a 4.4 or something like that. Enjoyable, but I expected more based on the rating.

I listened to this wonderful book by Gwynne and then I bought a three copies of the book. One for me to read after listening and two to give away. Gwynne lets the reader into the Comanche culture--the violent nomadic horse culture. After two readings I really appreciate the loss of a way of life that ended as the primitive horse plains Indians were forced onto reservations.

Other reviewers have said most of what needs to be said about this often fascinating book. The era of the plains Indian and the American incursion which brought it to an end is incredibly rich material, and Gwynne has brought it to life with a wealth of telling detail.

I would like to add that one of the great strengths of the book is that it brings the landscape itself to life as a character in the narrative. This sense of place as a central character adds tremendously to our understanding of both the extraordinary prowess and resilience of the Comanche and the daunting obstacles which faced settlers during their gradual but inexorable occupation of the mid-section of the country. Having spent a year in Amarillo and traveled on horseback in Palo Duro Canyon, I was deeply impressed by how well the author captured the almost malevolent expanse and elemental grandeur of the plains. Beautifully done.

I assume that the print version of the book includes maps, and I strongly suggest that listeners would best enjoy the listen if they find some on the internet keep them close at hand.

great history of the commanchee and texas during the 1800's. terrific narration. If you are interested in all about early Indian rise and fall read this book. also a good look at the history of texas, the army, calvary and the rangers.

Great history, great story. I recommend this book to any interested in the give and take of the real history of North America

A great tale well told. Even-handed depiction of the inherent conflict in the clash of two cultures radically different from one another. The author depicted the Comanches in all their cruelty and brutality but with a sympathy for their plight. There are no heroes nor villains here, but there is plenty of heroic and villainous activity. Superb reader. I couldn't stop listening.

I have stood before many museum exhibits about the Indians and seen a zillion artifacts, but until I read this book I never really had much of a sense of what life was like for either the Indians, the settlers, or the soldiers. One cannot help but admire the Plains Indians for their bravery and skill while at the same time being repelled by their savagery. Although we may now feel some guilt and remorse about the expulsion of the Indians and their subsequent settlement onto reservations, it is now apparent to me that there was probably no other way. The Indians credo was kill, or be killed and they were not the least bit interested in assuming a law-abiding and agrarian lifestyle. Probably there was no other way to settle the west except by forcible means. All in all, this was a terrific book about an historic period that we all have heard in cursory bits and pieces and, for me at least, never heard a comprehensive story of the old Indian West to learn of its horror, torture and struggle. A great book that I would I would heartily recommend. Anyone who pines for the "good old days" just doesn't know their history!

Texas is an undiscovered country for most of the rest of the country. I remember visiting Texas, from California, and being amazed at the culture, different from any I was used to. I have lived in many states in my life, but Texas stands out. The music was all about Texas. The stories they told were all about the glories of Texas. I wondered how this state came to be so different from others. Now it makes a bit more sense.
This book is about the birth of Texas. It is about the Indians of the prairies, about the early Texas Rangers, and about the pioneers. It is about the violence that permeated the area and its people. It is the mythology of the current Texans.
The reader makes the story come alive. Through massacre after massacre, he helped keep the killers straight in my mind.