The English Horses [Large Print]

This book is set in the "last frontier" of western New Mexico, which to a large extent remains the last frontier to this day. As always, Luckey's characters jump out from the book and into your heart and soul. The story brings up some life changing events in the American West - the introduction of barb wire which forever changed the open range and the vast range holdings previously in existence. Burn English, the tough and solitary mustanger, is caught in this, at the time, cruel introduction of wire fences crossing the open lands where his wild horses roamed. Highly entertaining, but on a much deeper level than your average Western, I recommend it to anybody interested in the history of the West.

It has been awhile since I read a Western, and I picked up The English Horses with enthusiasm and not-too-high expectations. I was glad I did so. Luckey does an admirable job in creating scenes from the time, from riding horses to roping wild mustangs to the good and bad of the introduction of barb wire - the wire is almost a supporting character in this story. The characters are numerous and interesting - although I think the book suffers a bit for that. It starts off like it will be about the Englishman who comes over to the US to start a new life, but the title English refers not to him but to Burn English, a relic of the old west rapidly becoming obsolete in the new, barb-wire fenced ranchlands. He is the essence of the novel, perhaps best viewed through the eyes of ranch hand Davey, but those and three or four others are given equal time in story and viewpoint. While I enjoyed each section independently, I think the story would have been stronger if it had remained focused and told through the eyes of just a couple characters instead of a half-dozen. Still an enjoyable read and I think I will try out the sequel, Burn English.

Range war stories fall in only a few categories, but ulitimately they are either good, or bad with varying shades of either. "English Horses" falls to the right of the good scale, not the best (Open Range still holds that tether), but not bad either. Burn English believes in two things, the freedom of the open range and that any horse he can tame is his to sell. A foreign buyer comes in and picks up a nearby ranch, adds fence to solidify his property, and to add more fuel to the mix, a wayward rustler pokes his head of a hole. The result is a tense atmosphere as free ranger meets rancher as the impish rustler stirs the pit so he can pick up the pieces, or the corpse of Burn English. Luckey writes a quick, terse, familiar text complete with dialectical differences that make this a very entertaining read. Gordon Micklejon, the Englishman, is a refreshing character. Gayle Souter, Melicio Quitano, and Jack Holden jump off the pages into our imaginations. Quite a book, I think it sits next to Open Range! Tim Lasiuta www.dorchesterpub.com

This book is set in the "last frontier" of western New Mexico, which to a large extent remains the last frontier to this day. As always, Luckey's characters jump out from the book and into your heart and soul. The story brings up some life changing events in the American West - the introduction of barb wire which forever changed the open range and the vast range holdings previously in existence. Burn English, the tough and solitary mustanger, is caught in this, at the time, cruel introduction of wire fences crossing the open lands where his wild horses roamed. Highly entertaining, but on a much deeper level than your average Western, I recommend it to anybody interested in the history of the West.

This book is, happily, a continuation of the author's captivating style - gritty, realistic, true to life storytelling of the old west. Not cloying, not romanticized, but real existence in the American frontier. The characters are richly fleshed out in vivid detail, (as is the entire book) you will see them in three dimensions, you know them - you feel their angst, their pain, and their struggle to exist in a harsh, unwelcoming environment. Burn English barely exists, making a scant subsistence from rounding up wild mustangs. I found myself feeling his extreme discomfort, and a little in awe of his way of life, his ability to survive, it seems, on nothing but steel-hard nerve. You will be drawn into the characters interactions and relationships, however subtle or dramatic, they are complex and intriguing. It's a page-turner I couldn't wait to get back to every night to be transported to another time. In addition to a fabulous story, credit must be given to the publisher for producing such a beautiful book that it will be a handsome addition to anyone's library. The jacket says the next book is simply entitled "Burn English". I can't wait.