PALO DURO

by

MAX L. KNIGHT

  Genre: Historical Fiction / Western

Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.

Date of Publication: September 2, 2017

Number of Pages: 226

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Westward expansion following the civil war ushered in an era of increased conflict between the Southern Plains Indians and white settlers. Peace treaties offered a temporary suspension of hostilities, but more often than not resulted in broken promises as the two cultures clashed over land. The construction of frontier forts and towns, the decimation of the buffalo herds, the movement of cattle through Indian lands to burgeoning western markets, – all of these forces threatened a way of life that had existed for centuries.

The Comanche, the Southern Cheyenne, the Kiowa, the Apache all fought to protect their customs and homelands. The clashes were characterized by savagery on both sides – Indian and white. However, finite numbers and options would ensure the tribes’ defeat; they faced certain death or forced relocation and their days were numbered.

Though the Indian wars are the focus of Palo Duro, the novel also captures the spirit of the “Old West” with its depiction of the great cattle drives from Texas into Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado and Montana, the cattle barons and the trailblazers, the outlaws and gunslingers, the lawmen and Texas Rangers, and the settlers and entrepreneurs who built this country. It chronicles an era characterized by heroism, brutality, and bold ventures while paying tribute to a genre that is fading from public consciousness – the western. It is the story of the Southwest United States towards the end of the nineteenth century and the rugged individualism that forged a nation.

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5 STAR PRAISE FOR PALO DURO

This book captured Central Texas in the post-Civil War era better than any other book I’ve read. It was well researched, well written, and easy to read. I enjoyed this book more than Empire of the Summer Moon, the standard setter. I recommend this to readers of any level, even if you dislike history, as this book is that good.  – Jeffrey R. Murray, Amazon review

Max Knight brought to life the saga of how Texas tamed their frontier. He presents a colorful experience with characters effectively placed throughout his story. If you have any interest in Texas history this book is a must read. – AmazonJacki, Amazon review

Palo Duro is an exceptional novel, well researched; a must read.  – Chuck B., Amazon review

Reading this book is a great way to deepen and appreciate one’s Texas roots – or if you are not a Texan to understand and enjoy what makes Texas, well, Texas! I found this novel to be especially entertaining as well as informative. Made me want to go back and read Lonesome Dove again! – Michael P., Amazon review

In the spirit of the old Western genre of Zane Grey and L’amour, Max Knight pays homage to our national heritage with this fictional but historically accurate labor of love that warms the heart with his vivid imagery and authentic tone of America’s illustrious and sometimes brutal past. – Chester Sosinski, Amazon review

Max Knight’s Favorites, Part I

Each of us has our preferences in books, authors, hobbies, places, etc. These choices don’t necessarily define who we are as an individual, but they do provide interesting insights into what makes us tick! Here are a few of my favorites:

Author, Book, & TV Adaptation

It is rare when so many different categories derive from one source. However, by far my favorite author on all things Texas is Larry McMurtry. His Pulitzer Prize winning novel Lonesome Dove is epic in scope with two of the greatest fictional characters ever created; Augustus McRae and Woodrow Call. Their portrayal in the 1989 mini-series by actors Robert Duval and Tommy Lee Jones is uncanny; seldom has the written word been adapted to the medium of film and remained so true to the source material.

Literary Genre & Author

Fact is certainly stranger than fiction, but history can be a dry subject. Fictionalizing the narrative allows a writer to add description and context to events while bringing people to life through dialogue and character development. For me, the author who has mastered the art form is Jeff Sharra. Picking up where his dad, Michael Sharra, left off, he has given us narratives on the Civil War, the Mexican-American War, WWI, Korea, and WWII in a series of novels that capture history and the reader’s imagination.

Movie

Ben-Hur. The 1959 film starring Charlton Heston, based on the book by Lew Wallace, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, is arguably one of the greatest biblical stories to ever grace the big screen. It recreates the world dominated by the brutality of the Roman Empire in the story of a Jew whose world is turned upside down by a childhood friend’s betrayal. In his quest for revenge, Judah Ben-Hur will discover the redemptive power of faith.

Director

John Ford. Renowned for his westerns starring John Wayne, “The Duke,” he filmed many of his movies in Monument Valley including the trilogy Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Rio Grande, a rousing tribute to the U.S. cavalry. Ford would also explore darker themes of racial hatred and injustice in his masterpiece, The Searchers, which was based on the novel by Alan LeMay about the Comanche abduction and subsequent search for Cynthia Ann Parker.

Musical Scene

Texas Dance Halls and Honky Tonks. There is a difference between Texas music and Country music. You’ll find it at places like Gruene Hall, Floore’s Country Store, Kendalia, and Luckenbach. Listen to the likes of Robert Earl Keen, Bruce and Charlie Robison, Pat Greene, and Ray Wylie Hubbard while two-steppin’ the night away!

Max L. Knight was born in Panama in 1949, and was raised both in the Canal Zone and in San Antonio, Texas where he now resides with his wife, Janet “Gray.” A proud member of the Corps of Cadets and graduate of Texas A&M University (Class of ’73), he received a bachelor’s degree in English and a Regular Army commission and served the next twenty-four years as an Air Defense and Foreign Area Officer before retiring in 1997 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After leaving the Army, Max spent the next five years working for RCI Technologies of San Antonio, becoming its Director of Internal Operations. Separating from the company in 2002, he volunteered to be the first docent at the Alamo working within its Education Department before once again serving his country as a Counterintelligence Specialist in Europe, Central America, Asia and the Middle East through 2013. Max speaks several languages including Greek and Spanish. He also holds a Master of Science degree in government from Campbell University. He has written and published two books to date: Silver Taps, a personal memoir of his relationship with his father and a tribute to his alma mater, and Palo Duro, a novel focusing on the Indian wars in the southwestern United States at the end of the nineteenth century.

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

One Winner: Signed copy of Palo Duro + $20 Amazon Gift Card

Two Winners: Signed Copies of Palo Duro

JANUARY 10-19, 2018

(U.S. Only)

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