W. Michael Farmer has announced that his new series of Apache novels — this one focusing on the controversial Chato, will publish in December. Farmer knows the land and its history very well, and I expect this will be a good un.
DESPERATE WARRIOR, DAYS OF WAR, DAYS OF PEACE, CHATO’S CHIRICAHUA APACHE LEGACY, VOLUME ONE, is based on a true story. Beginning about 1877, the name of a warrior, Pedes-klinje, or as the Mexicans called him, Chato (meaning “flat nose”) appears often in the history of the Apache wars. He was a fierce, power-hungry, and belligerent fighter with no tolerance for those of his People who wanted peace with the White Eyes, and often served as Geronimo’s number two during raids. Desperate to save a wife and two children taken into Mexican slavery in 1883, Chato supported the army as a loyal scout believing that only through General Crook’s influence with the Mexican government could his family be freed.
Chato knew any chances of getting his family back were gone when Geronimo led an escape from Fort Apache in 1885. As one of the army’s most respected Apache scouts, he led an army command after the Geronimo renegades in Mexico and became one of the primary leaders of the Chiricahua peace faction determined to stay on the reservation. With Chato after him, Geronimo was quick to spread stories that Chato was a traitor and a liar. After four months of tracking and capturing renegades in some of the most of rugged mountains in Mexico, Chato returned to his farm at Fort Apache expecting to work hard and become prosperous. Little did he know the government had other plans.
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An intriguing tale from Kentucky…
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Saturday’s Frontier Partisan Biathlon was conducted in dank Scottish conditions. It wasn’t raining, exactly; the air was just wet. It called for a certain mood for the soundtrack…
We’re coming up on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, and colonial Williamsburg is going all-out with a campaign to enhance the site and its archaeological and educational reach.
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I really dig this heavy version of a classic song of the maritime frontiers.
Monk says
English Scum ?……didn’t do well that Annie Proulx series, I just watched
The English which I think is absolutely top shelf and that in a year that is
brimful of visual stimuli.
Great news re Farmer, he’s in a class all his own and I for one am super
grateful someone is tapping into that wonderfully rich vein of history as
only he can.
Where is the next Paul Andrew Hutton book ?
Lynda A. Sanchez says
I would agree with you about Michael Farmer and his works on Apaches. Because his background and career were grounded in “physics” as he was a physicist by training, he goes into great detail and his research is impeccable! It is, in a way, living history. He is also going beyond the pale by bringing to us many wise and valuable characters that normally get ignored if their name is not Geronimo, Cochise or Victorio.
I am also proud to note that in the beginning (about ten years ago now) he contacted me for information and assistance on Apache culture and history. Well, he has surpassed so many others now with his knowledge.
I would recommend that you look over his more than a dozen books now on this topic. He also has a website.
Best regards, Lynda A. Sánchez
Lincoln, New Mexico
JimC says
That’s as high a recommendation as an author can get.
lane batot says
Yeah, that recommendation sure perked up my ears!