Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves
The Bass Reeves Trilogy, Book One
by Sidney Thompson
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Pub Date Mar 01 2020 | Archive Date Mar 31 2020
University of Nebraska Press | Bison Books
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Description
Adapted for the Paramount+ miniseries Lawmen: Bass Reeves, directed by Taylor Sheridan and starring David Oyelowo
2022 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist for Western Fiction
2021 Phillip H. McMath Post Publication Book Award Finalist for Prose
2021 International Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society Book Award for Historical Fiction in Event/Era
2021 Oklahoma Book Award Finalist for Fiction from the Oklahoma Center for the Book
2021 Will Rogers Medallion Book Award Finalist for Western Fiction
2021 Spur Award Finalist for Historical Novel from the Western Writers of America
2021 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist for Historical Fiction (Pre 1900s)
2020 Arkansas Gem from the Arkansas Center for the Book
2021 Peacemaker Award Finalist for Best First Novel
2021 Indie Book Award Finalist for Historical Fiction
Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves is an origin story in the true American tradition. Before Bass Reeves could stake his claim as the most successful nineteenth-century American lawman, arresting more outlaws than any other deputy during his thirty-two-year career as a deputy U.S. marshal in some of the most dangerous regions of the Wild West, he was a slave.
After a childhood picking cotton, Reeves became an expert marksman under his master’s tutelage, winning shooting contests throughout the region. His skill had serious implications, however, as the Civil War broke out. Reeves was given to his master’s mercurial, sadistic, Moby-Dick-quoting son in the hopes that Reeves would keep him safe in battle. The ensuing humiliation, love, heroics, war, mind games, and fear solidified Reeves’s determination to gain his freedom and drew him one step further on his fated path to an illustrious career.
Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves is an important historical work that places Reeves in the pantheon of American heroes and a thrilling historical novel that narrates a great man’s exploits amid the near-mythic world of the nineteenth-century frontier.
Advance Praise
“Fearless and unflinching, Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves is a magnificent work of historical fiction. The characters and the times in which they lived are intensely and beautifully realized, and every line rings with authenticity. . . . Its truths are ever so urgent.”—Steve Yarbrough, author of The Unmade World: A Novel
“Sidney Thompson has the ability to pull you into the narrative and give you a glimpse of the antebellum life of a young slave destined for greatness as a lawman. . . . Highly recommended.”—Art T. Burton, author of Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves
“This novel, like all the best historical fiction, reminds us that the most memorable events in our history happened in specific minutes, hours, and days to individuals every bit as complicated and contradictory as you or me.”—Susan Perabo, author of The Fall of Lisa Bellow: A Novel
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781496218759 |
| PRICE | $19.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 240 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Megan M, Reviewer
Though Follow the Angels; Follow the Doves is the first volume of a trilogy, it is a stand-alone story with tension building to a dramatic climax. It is a beautifully written, exciting, and deeply felt story of a man’s struggle to free his soul. I can’t wait for the next installment.
Account D, Reviewer
i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the western vibe to it. I hope there is more in the series.
Faith H, Reviewer
Bass Reeves was a successful deputy U.S. marshal for many years. But before that he was an enslaved person, forced to accompany his master while he fought in the Confederate army. I had never heard of Reeves, but the part of his life as a marshal interested me. Unfortunately, I should have paid more attention to the blurb for this book. It is an origin story, and the first book of a trilogy, so it begins with his childhood and his life as a slave. By the end of the book Reeves had just gained his freedom. Books 2 and 3 will have to cover the part of his life that I wanted to read about.
Since there was no bibliography, my assumption is that most of this book is fiction. I would really like to know how much of this was accurate. Often in historical fiction the author will explain how far they strayed from the facts. I wish that this author had done that. The Acknowledgements did mention “Black Gun, Silver Star” by Art T. Burton and I discovered that it is available on Audible. I will probably read that book, so I am grateful that this book pointed me towards it. The writing here wasn’t bad, and the book held my interest. The narrator of the audiobook, Midnite Michael, did a very good job. Nevertheless, I am not sure that I will continue with the series. Maybe I will decide after reading a factual account. 3.5 stars
I received free copies of the ebook and audiobook from the publisher.
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