I’m very happy to
announce my seventh novel – and seventh western novel – COYOTE’S
PEOPLE has been published by prestigious, award-winning
publishers Five Star Publishing.
The
cover (designed by Kathy Heming) reflects the novel’s setting –
southern Arizona.
UPDATE!
COYOTE’S PEOPLE IS NOW ALSO
AVAILABLE AS AN E.BOOK!
As of April 2022, COYOTE’S PEOPLE, previously only
available as a hardback and in hardback large print, is now also available as an
e.book. The kindle version has been published by Andride Press.
The cover photograph is by YUKO U.
SMITH. The cover design is by RICHARD HEARN.
COYOTE’S PEOPLE
has been piling up reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Goodreads – ALL FIVE
STAR! I’m flattered and humbled that my novel has been getting such a positive
response. Accordingly I’ve created this blog as an ongoing scrapbook of my
reviews as they accumulate.
Here’s a quick
sample:
LUCIA ROBSON: (Winner
of the Owen Wister and Spur awards and ‘New York Times’ best-selling author)
‘An outstanding novel!’
ROBERT VAUGHAN: (Winner
of the Spur Award and Pulitzer-Prize nominated author)
‘McBride’s wonderful book’
KATHLEEN MORRIS: (Winner of the 2020 Peacemaker Award for best first Western novel)
'McBride does a masterful job of... illustrating that justice and truth make uneasy bedfellows with blind hatred, blood lust and revenge...Very well done.'
RICHARD PROSCH: (Winner of the Spur Award)
'Five stars. Highly recommended!'
WAYNE D. DUNDEE: (Peacemaker Award-winning novelist)
‘Western
fiction at its best!’
W. MICHAEL FARMER: (Winner of Will Rogers Medallion Awards, the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award and Best
New Mexico Book Award)
'Coyote’s People is a page-turner, entertaining
and insightful, filled with the truth only fiction can provide.'
PETER BRANDVOLD: (Acclaimed and best-selling western author)
‘Tough, Gritty glimpse into Apacheria... I give this book and its writer, Andrew McBride, my highest recommendation!'
OTHER REVIEWERS:
‘A stunning book… We're clearly in the hands of a
master… I would go so far as to say that if Andrew had written this book fifty or sixty years ago in the heyday of western fiction it would be an acknowledged classic. And hopefully, if there's any justice in the world, it will still achieve that status.'
‘A breath-taking, page-turning, wrenchingly
heart-breaking tale.’
‘Andrew
McBride has crafted another gripping saga in his continuing series on the
adventures of Calvin "Choctaw" Taylor.’
'A superb western adventure'
'A thrilling, atmospheric, action-filled story'
Before we get to
the reviews, here’s the TAG LINE and
BLURB describing the novel:
TAG
LINE:
The
Apache chief seeking peace in a time of war... and the 17-year-old white
boy caught in the middle.
BLURB:
‘Arizona Territory, the 1870s. Savage war rages
between the white man and the Apache. And three people are caught in the
middle: COYOTE, an Apache chief seeking peace, trying to find a refuge for his
small band of wanderers; LIEUTENANT AUSTIN HAMILTON, commander of remote Camp
Walsh, a man sympathetic to the Indians' plight; and CALVIN TAYLOR (nicknamed
CHOCTAW), a 17-year old white boy. Choctaw has been taught to hate Apaches,
something reinforced by his own bloody experiences. But his loyalties are torn
when he unexpectedly falls in love with an Apache girl. Each finds himself at
the center of this bitter conflict, enmeshed in treachery and violence, with
their own lives, and the peace they're striving for, threatened by enemies on
all sides…’
ISBN number:
978-1432867256
The Arizona setting of the novel
FULL REVIEWS
LUCIA ROBSON:
(Winner of the Owen Wister and Spur awards and ‘New York Times’ best-selling author)
‘In Coyote's
People Andrew McBride brings the people, places, and events of the
Apacheria into clear focus. With authentic detail, realistic dialogue and
a fluid style he has created an outstanding novel!’
ROBERT VAUGHAN:
(Winner of the Spur Award and Pulitzer-Prize nominated author)
‘Choctaw’s real name was
Calvin Taylor, but he was so universally called Choctaw, or just “Choc” that he
could almost forget his Anglo name. At first glance one might think the young
teamster was an Indian, or perhaps a Mexican, because of his name, and the
sun-toned bronze of his skin, though both of his parents are white. Calvin
Taylor was born at Ft. Towson where his father was a civilian contractor for
the army. Ft. Towson is in the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory and is from
there, that he got his name.
All good books must be interesting enough to grab the
reader from the very beginning. COYOTE’S
PEOPLE does so from the very first chapter as Choc and his friends find
themselves under attack by a band of Chiricahua Apache Indians. Choc is a
seventeen-year-old mule herder for a freight wagon outfit under the leadership
of Choc’s personal hero, wagon master John Shadler. This is a story of the Indian
wars in Arizona, and there is enough action to satisfy anyone’s taste for
adventure, but there is much than that to the story. In the book, COYOTE’S
PEOPLE, Andrew McBride’s skilful words take the reader onto the grand vista of
Arizona desert, the White Mountains, and a remote army fort where the soldiers
are looking out for Coyote, from who the book gets its name, and his people,
who are in a settlement of friendly Indians, just outside the army camp. Coyote
has a beautiful young sister-in-law, Alope, who catches Choc’s eye.
Although this is a book of war, romance, moments of fear,
cowardice, and acts of courage, perhaps the most fascinating aspect of
McBride’s wonderful book, is its character development. Everyone evolves from
the way we first see them, perhaps Choc, most of all. He matures beyond his
years and learns to see redeeming qualities in men for whom he once had nothing
but contempt, as well as the crumbling pedestals of some of the men he had most
revered.’
WAYNE D.
DUNDEE: (Peacemaker Award-winning novelist)
‘Andrew
McBride writes tough, gritty Westerns that are as authentic and entertaining as
any you'll find. His characters and the yarns spun around them are richly
layered, presented in a straightforward style that makes the time, setting, and
events come excitingly to life. COYOTE'S
PEOPLE is Western fiction at its best!’
KATHLEEN MORRIS: (Winner of the 2020 Peacemaker Award for best first Western novel)
'A
realistic window into a troubled time'
Andrew
McBride has given us a realistic window into 1871 Arizona, through the eyes of
Choctaw Taylor, a rootless 17-year-old who finds himself a job with a supply
train headed to Tucson. Choctaw has a lot to learn about just about everything,
but he adapts quickly, a necessary trait because this is dangerous territory.
The threat of renegade Apache attack is an everyday concern. While Choctaw’s
learning the ropes of staying alive, he’s also given quite a tutelage from his
rough colleagues about the depravities and evils of Indians in general, and
Apaches in particular. The hard men he’s riding with hold no compassion nor
regard for them and follow the general theme of the times: the only good Indian
is a dead Indian. This ultimatum follows into a large percentage of the
civilian population in Tucson, and most of the Army.
A band of Aravaipa Apaches arrives at Camp Walsh, under the command of Lt.
Hamilton, who is not as opposed to conciliation as most of his ilk. He gives
them permission to stay nearby, and their leader, one Coyote, swears to
Hamilton his people are done with war and want nothing but a safe haven in
which to live. Choctaw Taylor, meanwhile finds work as a post hunter for the
fort, and comes to know and respect Coyote and many of his people, in
particular an Aravaipa girl, Alope. Indoctrinated by the hatred of most of his
fellow white men, Choctaw finds that prejudice is a poison that need not be
swallowed by reasonable people, and causes nothing but damage. He learns to
judge people, red and white, by their actions and his own experiences with them
and as he rapidly matures, to appreciate those he previously only feared, and
to fear those he thought he could trust.
As the story builds to its climax, McBride does a masterful job of delineating
the arguments on both sides, and illustrating that justice and truth make
uneasy bedfellows with blind hatred, bloodlust and revenge. His depictions of
the differing groups – Americans, Mexicans and the different tribes – and the
needs and actions that drive each of them, is the solid glue that holds the
story together. Very well done.'
DOUG HOCKING: (Novelist and
Spur-award winning authority on Arizona history and the Apache Wars)
‘McBride
captures the gritty feel of the late 1860s. The Civil War is over but another
war is in full swing and brave men are fighting and dying on both sides.
Apaches were formidable warriors but their chief ardently sought peace. Apache
anger focused on those who attacked them especially those who slew their women
and children for scalps. Against this background a young man comes of age
seeking a role model who is both wise and tough enough to withstand the rigors
of a harsh Arizona frontier.’
RICHARD
PROSCH: (Spur-award winning author)
‘I was
lucky enough to snag an advanced reader copy of COYOTE’S PEOPLE from Five Star Publishing in exchange for an honest
review. Written by Andrew McBride, this is the newest entry in his series featuring
Calvin “Choctaw” Taylor.
Though it is part of a series, the book works just fine as a stand-alone novel,
and In this instalment, we meet our hero moving cattle when — trouble ensues!
Though he carries the name Choctaw, Calvin Taylor is a 17-year-old white boy
caught up in the middle of the conflict between the Apache chief Coyote and Lt.
Austin Hamilton, the man who commands Camp Walsh and is sympathetic to the
plight of Coyote and his people. Choctaw has been taught to distrust and
despise the Apache until he meets a beautiful young Apache girl and romance
blossoms.
Choctaw, Coyote, and Hamilton find themselves in the middle of an ugly conflict
with their lives on the line. There’s plenty of gun-play and shoot’em up
moments, in this novel that’s based on actual events that occurred during the
1870s.
Highly recommended!’
THOMAS CLAGETT: (Winner of the Will
Rogers Medallion and the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award)
‘A terrific Western
tale! Set in Arizona Territory circa 1870, COYOTE’S
PEOPLE finds young Calvin Taylor, nicknamed Choctaw, caught in the middle
of a fight between an Apache leader named Coyote, tough wagon master John
Shadler who hates the Apache, and U.S. Army Lieutenant Hamilton who’s trying to
keep the peace. Author Andrew McBride’s novel is filled with characters well
drawn and believable. There are good men and bad, cowards and drunks, ferocious
fighters and deplorable killers. You can taste the gritty dust and feel the
searing heat. The writing is visual, almost cinematic. This one is hard to put
down because you’re in the thick of things from the start and McBride never
lets up.’
W. MICHAEL FARMER: (Winner of Will Rogers Medallion Awards, the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award and Best New Mexico Book Award)
'Andrew
McBride is that rare author who can capture the essence of history, the times,
places, and people, with a fictional story filled with complex, believable
characters, and pulse pounding events. Arizona territory in the early 1870s was
a hard land filled with hard men–– angry Apaches, expatriate Mexicans, and
land-hungry Americans–– who struggled to survive fiery deserts, barren
mountains, rugged llanos, and fights and wars with each other. McBride’s Coyote’s
People, a tale of seventeen-year-old Calvin Taylor, aka “Choctaw”, becoming
a man and a survivor during the Aravaipa Apache wars, is a time machine that
carries its reader through the dust and heat, sweat, labor and danger, and the
courage needed to cross the country or to stay in army camps facing the Apaches
in their homeland. Through Calvin Taylor’s eyes we see an accurate portrayal of
the good, the bad, and an overdose of ugly in southern Arizona. An army camp
commander stretches his limits to provide Aravaipa Apaches, under a chief named
Coyote, sanctuary. Choctaw experiences first love with a young Apache woman and
betrayal from those he trusted and admired. Power and land-hungry Americans are
unable to distinguish between peaceful and warring Apaches. Coyote’s People
is a page-turner, entertaining and insightful, filled with the truth only
fiction can provide. Highly recommended.'
PETER BRANDVOLD (Acclaimed and best-selling western author)
'Tough,
Gritty Glimpse into Apacheria of 1871
If you're
hankering for a good traditional western set in Apache land, then look no
further. While this is (mostly) told through the eyes of a 17 year old boy who
works for a freighting company, this is a good, gritty, fluid tale of men and
violence and the potpourri of cultures that made Arizona in the late 1800s such
a powder keg. The prose is not only smooth but vivid. I give this book and its
writer, Andrew McBride, my highest recommendation!'
BILL BROOKS (Author of many acclaimed western and historical novels; Booklist compares his work with classics like ‘The Virginian,’ ‘Shane’
and ‘Hombre’.)
'A writer
can't do better than taking the reader and plunking them down, shoulder to
shoulder, with the participants of the novel, having them stand or ride
shoulder to shoulder as in this case with the teenaged Choctaw, the white son
of an army contractor who signs on as a teamster bound to Tucson and the heart
of Apache territory. His only companions are a Henry Yellow Boy repeater and a
Starr revolver - steel and gunpowder. But Choctaw is quick to learn. And as he
learns the men he travels with are no less compassionate than the renegade
Apaches they will go against. As the boy comes to learn there are more than one
side to every story. From the white men he learns their tales of human outrage
set upon them by the Apache. And from the Apache he learns that what they want
most of all is to be left alone by the invading hordes. Then too, there comes
the story of love between young Choctaw and the lovely Apache girl, Alope. And
finally will this love for her bring him great happiness or great tragedy? A
fine bit of work once again by Andrew McBride, a growing voice in the Western
genre.'
Apache Indians, (GERONIMO 2nd left, NACHAY - son of COCHISE - 3rd left) Arizona 1886
OTHER
REVIEWERS:
‘Andrew had written a stunning book
here. We're clearly in the hands of a master. The writing is great - there are
moments (many of them) when a simple line, just a few words, conjures up great
images that sear into one's mind's eye. Only really good writers can do this so
often and so consistently.
The attention to detail is second to none, I
mean that literally. How does Andrew know all this stuff? Where did he find it
all out? As you read the book you have absolute faith that all the detail is
true and (aside from all the wonderful learning you're getting as a by-product
of the story) it really draws you in. The setting, too, the heat and the dust
and the relentless sun... It really is super stuff.
Then there are the characters - they are
brilliantly drawn - Choctaw, our hero, is wonderful, and his development as the
story progresses is marvellous. The rest of the cast, too. Cowards and
humanists, haters and lovers, soldiers and scouts, people just trying to get by
out on the wild frontier - and the Native Americans... all drawn beautifully,
all on their own journeys.
It's a sad and tragic tale, and there's a
certain historical inevitability to it all, but it still keeps you entranced
and hooked.
I can't recommend COYOTE'S PEOPLE highly enough.
I would go so far as to say that if Andrew had written this book fifty or sixty
years ago in the heyday of western fiction it would be an acknowledged classic.
And hopefully, if there's any justice in the world, it will still achieve that
status.’
'A great western novel' (Amazon review heading)
'A superb western adventure' (Barnes and Noble review heading)
Western
novels seem to be few and far between, these days and great western novels are
an even rarer beast: so the release of a new book by Andrew McBride is always
something to celebrate. COYOTE'S PEOPLE is set in Arizona Territory, some time
in the 1870s and once again, features Calvin ‘Choctaw’ Taylor, a brash
seventeen year old trying to make his way in an unforgiving world. We are soon
introduced to new characters. Lieutenant Austin Hamilton is the commander of
Camp Walsh, a seasoned veteran who is sympathetic to the plight of the local
Apache tribes whose way of life is systematically being destroyed - and to
Coyote, an aging chief desperately trying to forge a truce between his tribe
and the white settlers.
McBride brings all of his weapons to bear on this poignant tale - his almost
cinematic descriptions of the landscape, a flair for hard-bitten dialogue and
an uncanny gift for depicting action scenes that plunge the reader right into
the thick of it. Characterisation is also a crucial part of his storytelling. These
are believable characters who talk and act like living, breathing people and
who linger in the mind, long after the final page has been turned. If you’ve
already discovered Andrew McBride this new novel will not disappoint. If you’re
new to him, here’s an excellent place to start.
*****
‘Southern Arizona Territory in the early 1870s – a harsh,
unforgiving desert terrain of stark and desolate beauty, where White American,
Mexican and Indian cultures clash in relentless, tragic violence, and a few courageous
men risk their lives to hang on to a fragile hope of peace.
17-year-old Calvin Taylor, nicknamed “Choctaw” for his
childhood in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Indian Territory where his father
was an army contractor, has signed on as a teamster with a freight company en
route to Tucson. Though cautious by nature, Choctaw is new to this territory
and has much more to learn than he realizes. Despite his independence, he is
still a boy, hero-worshipping the wagon master and longing for nothing more
than a Starr double-action pistol, a brass-faced Yellow Boy Winchester rifle,
and a pair of Chiricahua Apache moccasins, all like the heroic wagon master
sports. In the course of a few desperate months, however, Choctaw will face vicious
battles, bitter treachery from all sides, and life-changing challenges to his
heart, mind and soul. Caught up in desperate battles and ambushes, struggling
to reconcile his conflicting loyalties and to protect the native girl he loves,
Choctaw will become a man. That is, if he can somehow stay alive.
In these desperate months, Choctaw’s understanding of
true heroism changes and matures. He cannot help but admire Coyote, the
steadfast leader of the Aravaipa Apache, and the cavalry officer to whom Coyote
turns in hopes of saving his people, U.S. Army Lieutenant Austin Hamilton, the conscientious
commander of beleaguered, under manned Camp Walsh. Though Choctaw’s upbringing
and experiences have given him cause to hate the Apaches, he finds his
loyalties shifting as enemies become friends and friends become enemies, all
the while with certain death closing in on all sides.
Author Andrew McBride has written a breath-taking,
page-turning, wrenchingly heart-breaking tale of the Apache Wars, one of the
last terrible conflicts of the American western frontier. Within twenty years,
many traditional native ways of life would disappear by destruction or assimilation,
and the Wild West would finally come to an end. McBride chronicles this land
and these tragic events with both compassion and unflinching honesty. His vivid
writing all but stings your eyes with red dust and burns your skin with the
blazing desert sun. His ability to evoke time and place is absolutely compelling.
The reader is kept on knife’s edge as danger, uncertainty, betrayal, violence
and even brief stolen moments of passion and desperate hope move at a gallop
through the pages. It’s nearly impossible to stop reading.
The author’s impeccable historical research, including
vivid details gleaned from newspapers, letters and official reports, lends
immediacy and truth to the story. Historical events and individuals are woven
seamlessly into the story, which is, first and foremost, a story of people in
crisis – their hopes, fears, loves, hatreds, grief, courage or cravenness, and
their determination to survive. McBride’s writing is vivid and fluid, his
language completely evocative of the 19th Century while compelling
to modern readers. COYOTE’S PEOPLE is a rip-roaring adventure that gets to the
heart of the human tragedies and triumphs of the last years on the Western
frontier. ‘
*****
U. S. Army (and Apache scouts) Arizona Territory
A McBride Masterpiece
Andrew
McBride is a master at 'spinning a good yarn' and ‘COYOTE'S PEOPLE’ will only
serve to cement his growing reputation. This beautifully portrayed tale of
savage war between the white man and the Apache in 1870’s Arizona Territory
leaves the reader wanting more.
The three main protagonists are not only expertly drawn, they occupy the
imagination entirely and consistently keep the reader engaged and excited. But
so too do the supporting cast of characters in this powerful story of torn
loyalties, bitter conflict and bloody treachery.
From the spare, bold narrative to the breath-taking descriptions of the
landscape, this book will give fans of the Western genre something to treasure,
but perhaps even more importantly, give non-Western readers the opportunity to
become converts.
*****
Poignant story of the Apache Wars
Andrew
McBride's superb detail and story-telling landed me slap bang in the middle of
the Wild West. A meaningful tribute to the Native American struggle. Seen
through the eyes of a young white boy whose love for an Apache girl challenges
the troubled legacy of racism.
Loved it.
*****
‘Calvin
'Choctaw' Taylor, a 17-year-old boy, is on a quest to find himself. Engaged as
a mule herder for a freight outfit, the young man is in awe of John Shadler,
the wagon master, who reminds him of a heroic character out of a dime novel.
En route to Tucson, the freighters are attacked by
Chiricahua Apache. Choctaw, Shadler and some others are injured in the
skirmish. The injured take refuge for treatment at Camp Walsh, a remote Army
post.
Several times--partially based on his nickname--Taylor is
mistaken for an Indian. He explains his father was an army contractor on the
Choctaw reserve in Indian Territory.
Tired of war and its impact on his people, Coyote, leader
of a band of Aravaipa Apache, seeks sanctuary on the fringe of an Army outpost.
Lieutenant Austin Hamilton, post commander, is sympathetic and grants approval,
a move destined to have tragic consequences.
At first, Choctaw is leery of Coyote and his people. But
through his friendship with Angus Robertson, an Army scout, and gets to know
Coyote and his people, his attitude changes. His opinion of the Apache is even
more altered as he meets and falls in love with Alope, Coyote's young
sister-in-law. It also makes him see his former hero Shadler in a new light.
Continuing raids in the area of Tucson are blamed on
Coyote and the Arizona Volunteers, a vigilante group, is unwilling to recognize
differences between the various bands of Apache. The treachery and violence
which follows is the inevitable outcome.
Self-knowledge is the ultimate reason for every quest.
Choctaw's experiences in this novel make him the man found in THE PEACEMAKER and other novels in the series.
Andrew McBride has crafted another gripping saga in his
continuing series on the adventures of Calvin "Choctaw" Taylor. The
story combines sympathetic characters, a suspenseful plot and a secure sense of
time and place. This is a well-researched, gripping tale of the old west.
Recommended to all who enjoy a good story.’
*****
A thrilling, atmospheric, action-filled story
In COYOTE’S PEOPLE, Andrew McBride tells a
hugely compelling story which builds to a powerful climax which will stay in
the mind for some time. McBride’s first strength is conveying atmosphere; you
get a real feel for both the scale of the landscape, but also for the small
details which really pin you in the story. You can taste the dirt and feel the
heat of the sun, and you get the idea he really knows his stuff. This level of
description is not for its own sake though, rather it immerses and sucks you
into the story.
A range of characters are richly drawn by McBride, playing off against each
other to draw out themes of treachery and trust. With twists along the way, and
convincing characterisation, it’s an ideal introduction to the Western for
non-believers. A thrilling, atmospheric, action-filled story not afraid to
tackle big ideas. Highly recommended.
****
A
refreshing read, where excitement sits alongside good writing
The story of
Choctaw's journey from boy to man is a hard one but this tale is informative as
well as exciting. It is well written, often tender yet spares us no details of
the hard life of 1870s Arizona. I recommend it wholeheartedly. For me, it
succeeded both as a 'Western' and as a book of first-class literary fiction.
****
You
can BUY COYOTE’S PEOPLE here:
