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  • Blood and Thunder

  • An Epic of the American West
  • Written by: Hampton Sides
  • Narrated by: Don Leslie
  • Length: 20 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (48 ratings)

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Blood and Thunder

Written by: Hampton Sides
Narrated by: Don Leslie
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Publisher's Summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER  • From the author of Ghost Soldiers comes a magnificent history of the American conquest of the West—"a story full of authority and color, truth and prophecy" (The New York Times Book Review).

In the summer of 1846, the Army of the West marched through Santa Fe, en route to invade and occupy the Western territories claimed by Mexico. Fueled by the new ideology of “Manifest Destiny,” this land grab would lead to a decades-long battle between the United States and the Navajos, the fiercely resistant rulers of a huge swath of mountainous desert wilderness.

At the center of this sweeping tale is Kit Carson, the trapper, scout, and soldier whose adventures made him a legend. Sides shows us how this illiterate mountain man understood and respected the Western tribes better than any other American, yet willingly followed orders that would ultimately devastate the Navajo nation. Rich in detail and spanning more than three decades, this is an essential addition to our understanding of how the West was really won.

©2006 Hampton Sides (P)2006 Books on Tape

What the critics say

“Riveting . . . monumental . .. . Not only does Blood and Thunder capture a pivotal moment in U.S. history in marvelous detail, it is also authoritative and masterfully told.”
The Washington Post Book World

“Stunning. . . Both haunting and lyrical, Blood and Thunder is truly a masterpiece.”
Los Angeles Times

“We see a panorama and a whole history, intricately laced with wonder and meaning, coalesce into a story of epic proportions, a story full of authority and color, truth and prophecy . . . Sides fills a conspicuous void in the history of the American West.”
—N. Scott Momaday, The New York Times Book Review

What listeners say about Blood and Thunder

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

A grand story filled with tragedy and hope

This is truly an epic. Sides examines the American expansion into the Southwest in terms of history, geography, anthropology and a colorful cast of characters. By far the most notable is Kit Carson and his extraordinary life which creates both the spine and the boundaries of this tale.

Hampton Sides has made a great attempt to maintain balance in this story. Even so, his bias does emerge from time to time. That's fine. We all have bias and he maintains ample room for us to form our own separate opinions.

I must add a point; however, that Chivington's massacre was NOT, as he claims, the worst atrocity emerging from the conflicts that occurred during this time. The worst atrocities, plural, are uncontested and belong solely to the Comanche. Chivington, a beast of a man, was a rank amateur next to them. Read their history and decide for yourself.

As a final endorsement, the narration was marvelous in terms of both quality and tempo.

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Great Listen!

It was a great listen. Fantastic for my road trip. A great American Tale.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A beautiful story.

As someone who loves the history of the american west i was so beyond pleased with this. What a captivating story, so many emotions. Beautiful writing. 10/10 for history lovers.

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  • sam
  • 2021-01-07

amazing

I loved it and would totally read again, narrator did a great job,loved his voice

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highly recommend

Started off a bit sporadic but it really came together for an amazing story. Well told and a great job demonstrating the complexities of history.

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THE BEST

maybe my favorite story ever. where do i find more books like this. . . .

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    4 out of 5 stars
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A story of bravery and perseverance....

I very much enjoyed the story of Kit Carson’s life. How exhilarating it must have been to have lived and experienced all that he did....

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Great for fans of all kinds

This book is great for both fans of history and of western legends and folklore as many of Carsons adventures were the stuff of legends. narration is awesome and easy to listen to.

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  • Eric
  • 2011-02-07

Publisher's summary does not do it justice

At its core, this is the history of Manifest Destiny in action. First, this is an outstanding book, and covers an arc of history of the American west spanning from the first decades of the 1800's to the end of the Civil War. The narration mainly follows the extraordinary life of Kit Carson, who managed to be at the center of an astonishing number of historical events in the west. The first act covers the early days of the west before modern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California were incorporated into the Union and the Santa Fe trail represented the limits of the frontier. It then follows the wars and annexation that consolidated the US's presence in the west, the establishment of the Oregon Trail and immigration that followed. The third act of the book focuses on the Navajo and the tragic attempt to settle them at Bosque Redondo, and this final part of the book is moving and tragic, but ends on a hopeful note. The narration is excellent, and although like many history books, it can feel a little slow at parts in the beginning, the pay off is definitely worth it.

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49 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • russell
  • 2008-12-09

Unforgettable

This had to be one of the best I've ever had. The story of Kit Carson is unbelievable it's men like him who helped shape America for the good and the bad. If you like history this book will definitely open your eyes to a lot of things that were never taught in school but things that you wish they would of have taught us. The narrator was on the money he was perfect for the book and if you like American history and a true story this is definitely the book you want you won't be disappointed

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36 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Tom
  • 2007-03-21

History Many Don't Know

This is a wonderful book, wonderfully narrated. The book tells the story of the US war with Mexico to acquire what is now the southwestern part of the country. It is not, I believe, well known. At least, it wasn't to me. The story of the US Army's dealings with the Indian tribes in the area, particularly the Navajo, is also told. Much of the book deals with Kit Carson, who, I discover, was a huge figure in achieving our manifest destiny, along with President Polk and Senator Benton. Carson is one of the most fascinating figures in American history. News to me.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Andrew
  • 2007-04-17

Disappointing

I purchased this audio version of "Blood and Thunder" on the basis of some very favorable reviews that the book received in the press. Alas, Hampton Sides' survey of the history of the American Southwest during the middle decades of the 19th century does not live up to the hype. He is at his best describing the landscape of the region, but his narration of events and the personalities that drove them lacks historical rigor. After a while, one becomes a bit tired of statements about what a person "must have" thought, "probably" felt, or other such conjectures. Sides is not content to let events speak for themselves. He has to ramble on about the unknowable. This is fine for a novelist, and may be appropriate for a historian if diaries and other first-hand accounts give sufficient sense of what cannot be observed. But Sides uses it to excess. Instead of adding to the story, it merely inflates a remarkably sparse book. It is indicative of Sides' unwillingness to explore what can be documented--the culture of white America suring the period in question, the politics and tactics of the US army, background on whites' earlier interaction with native Americans, the influence of Catholicism on the Southwestern tribes, and so on. He barely touches on these crucial questions. It's sad, because Sides is an excellent stylist, but in this case he lacks substance to back it up.

The reader (Don Leslie) is adequate, though certainly not among the best I have heard. He has a deep voice, and occasionally he seems to lumber through the story. Still, he does the material justice.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Dwight
  • 2007-03-27

Engaging and enlightening

While difficult to feel pride in this chapter of our American heritage, this book carries you through the historic period guided by the US policy of manifest destiny. The central character is Kit Carson, who embodies the phrase 'a legend in his own time.' If ever there was a man of skill, integrity, honor and fortune, it is he. Carson was a man who defined good in an era when the US imposed its will on Native Americans. The book does not make Kit Carson infallible, but it does provide a sound, timeless role model.

There are also many others on all sides of the conflicts, who portray the best and worst of the human character.

Twenty hours is a long story, but I found myself antsy to carve time to keep 'turning the pages.'

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Andrew Raymond
  • 2008-10-22

An Insightful Account

Mr. Sides has an astounding talent for taking otherwise dry historical accounts and making them into well paced reads for the non-historian.

To some extent, the precis on this book is deceptive, in that Narbona is not the core character. It would be much more true to say that Kit Carson is central to this book, as it largely follows his post-trapping career in the American southwest, and ends just after his death.

One thing which does come through clearly here is how much complete failure to comprehend cultural differences, ignorant bigotry, and narrow-minded military mindsets on the Mexican, Indian, and American parts combined to contribute to numerous needless atrocities by all sides shaped the character of the Southwest. Happily, many figures of the time (Carson, Kearney, Narbona) come out as clear of all of these factors. Unfortunately many others (Chivington, Carlton, Manualito) come through as clear contributors.

All together, this book came out as a very balanced characterization of a difficult time in American history.

The presentation is clear and the pacing is good. Mr. Leslie does a reasonable job of contributing accent to quotations to characterize them as distinct from narrative text.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Andy
  • 2008-04-14

great

Wow! I wish more nonfiction books were written like this. Using a storyteller's narrative, the author manages to be factual, balanced and entertaining.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Anonymous User
  • 2008-06-05

blood and thunder

A fabulous book about Kit Carson and the development of the southwest. The reader was great as well as a very well told story. I heard Hampton Sides speak in Santa Fe after listening to the book and he told of the tremendous amount of research that he did. If you like history and the Southwest, this is a must read.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Stephen Kilborn
  • 2007-10-21

excellent

i live in taos and so this book hits home. i think it has a balanced approach to kit carson. very good listen. the only problem i had was with some of the readers pronunciations of spanish words like rio grande and basque.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Aussie Punter
  • 2007-10-21

Fantastic

I listened to this title while driving across the traditional homeland of the Navajo, which in some ways made the words more alive than they would be if listened to elsewhere, but even allowing for the dual enchantment of the land combined with the words, Blood and Thunder is a masterpiece. I've subsequently listened to the entire book again, and it was as good as the first time.

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7 people found this helpful