The Rebels: Sons of Texas

Book three of the Sons of Texas story by Elmer Kelton under the pen name of Tom Early finishes his portion. Mr. Kelton has taken the Lewis family, brothers Michael and Andrew and their descendants from the settlement days with Stephen Austin, through the battle of the Alamo; and no one writes about early Texas better than Elmer Kelton. Get this one to finish the trio for your home library. The others are Sons of Texas, and The Raiders.

It has been over 30 years since my 7th grade history class on Texas History in Houston. Mr Kelton's book was a warm, welcome refresher course, brought to life with his characterizations. "The Rebels" is like a visit from an old friend.

This is another of the believable and somewhat history lessen of the Great state of Texas.

This is the second book I have read by this author.Great read.Not a slow book great action.

THE REBELS is the third entry in Elmer Kelton's Sons of Texas series, and was originally published in 1990 under the name Tom Early. Set in the mid-1830's, THE REBELS follows the Lewis family as the struggle to build homes and families in Texas, while dealing with the culture clash between Mexican and American cultures. With his usual flair, Kelton creates a vivid picture of the struggle of early settlers in this part of the west, and politics and racism along with outlaws, the Mexican Army, and family feuds, give this story a depth I particularly enjoyed. Perhaps that's why Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review and called it the best entry in the series. The good news is that I didn't feel any particular lack for not having read the first two entries, and I don't imagine any reader would. With cameo appearances from famous historical figures such as Sam Houston and Santa Anna (among others), Kelton delivers a really solid piece of fiction, and a story and characters you'll remember. This title is highly recommended for fans of Kelton's work and general fans of excellent historical westerns.

It's not a wonder that Elmer Kelton has received so many prestigious awards and accolades from numerous Western writers' associations. This native Texan writes with the authority of one who has lived in the environment he writes about and done the research about the historical details of his subject matter. His saga about the Lewis family, which migrates from Tennessee to Texas before Texas won its independence from Mexico, has a fitting conclusion with the Battle of San Jacinto and the brothers returning home. They don't know until the end whether each has made it out alive. An interesting parallel story within the book is about the Spanish-speaking Mexican citizens residing in Texas who disdained the dictatorship of Santa Anna. They befriended the Lewises and also fought for Texas' independence.