IN THE LAIR OF LEGENDS

An Indigenous soldier faces danger from both humans and monsters in his last mission for the United States Army in Buzan’s novel.

In 1872, a unit of U.S. troops heads to Oregon by train carrying gold meant for the U.S. Army. A Nez Perce man named Jolon Winterhawk is a cavalry soldier and Civil War veteran nearing the end of his career in the military; he’s eager to retire but feels a sense of foreboding. The train is ambushed by vigilante Ramòn Cornadez and a band of soldiers, who mean to take the gold to Mexico. The ambush is violent, and Winterhawk is the sole survivor. Meanwhile, a massive creature is attacking men in the region. Winterhawk doesn’t know about this danger—he assumes the cries he hears in the distance are wolves—but he makes a decision to follow protocol instead of fleeing the scene, meaning he must take care of the dead and, to complete his final mission as a soldier, deliver the gold to its intended destination. Two days after he sets off with the gold, a couple of U.S. Army officers, Maj. Ambrose Toomey and Cpt. Thomas Isbell, find the wreckage of the train and conclude that a traitor turned on his unit; the new arrivals don’t trust Winterhawk because he’s Indigenous and assume he’s trying to steal the gold (“What was your plan, Lieutenant Winterhawk? You made a deal with General Cornadez? You provided him with the train route in exchange for half of the money?”). Ultimately, Toomey and Isbell decide to steal the gold for themselves. Winterhawk remains determined to carry out his mission, but can he escape both his human antagonists and the monster in the woods? The novel is part western and part horror, and some of the violence is extreme. The pacing is not quite right; the author sometimes interrupts action sequences to deliver exposition or historical information. The text includes copious period detail, and a lot of this material is compelling, but as a result the book sometimes reads more like a history textbook than novel. Still, it’s a tense, exciting adventure, and Winterhawk is a charismatic and honorable hero.

An effective western thriller graced by a memorable protagonist.