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The Scout: A Novel
Epic in scope and grand beyond our imaginings. The Scout continues the magnificent story that began the highly acclaimed novel Brules . In his stunning new novel, Harry Combs recreates a time when the West was the white man's greatest challenge and the red man's last battleground... a towering tale of dreams unfettered, of mustangs running free, and of young men riding hell-bent-for-leather into Indian country for no other reason than they were young, brave and wild.
By 1900 the Old West was vanishing, but the man many called its fastest gun was still alive. By then Car Brules had shut himself and his secrets away in a cabin on Colorado's Lone Cone Peak. Only one person knew his real story, a boy of eleven who became his friend and heard his extraordinary tales in 1909. The Scout is that unforgettable story, just as young Steven Cartwright heard it, just as Brules told hard and gritty, wry with a cowboy's humor, and true to the spirits of all those who loved the west--and died for it--from Custer to Crazy Horse.
Many hard, hurting things had driven Cat Brules to become the man he was. The death of his beloved Shoshone bride, Wild Rose, was one of them. Months after Brules lost her--brutally and far too soon--Wild Rose still came to him in his dreams. With a void in his heart and a reckless spirit, Brules signed on as a Scout for General George Crook, whose cavalry was headed into the Badlands. Then, the U.S. Army still didn't know that there were fifteen thousand Sioux and Cheyenne in those Wyoming foothills, and under chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, every one of them was willing to fight to the death to live free.
Brules's account of the violence that ensued, told with eyewitness immediacy and chilling authenticity, is one of courage and shame as he rides the trail toward the Little Big Horn and the battles that followed. Seeing for himself the dying of a way of life, Brules tells a searing truth about America's the betrayal of Custer to the Sioux, the hunting of Geronimo, and the U.S. Army's cruel pursuit of Chief Joseph and his Nez Perce. And here too are the women who loved White Antelope, the gentle Indian maiden who wanted what Brules felt he could never give again--and Melisande, the saucy Mormon girl who might be too much for even Cat Brules to handle.
Debunking the myths of the Old West and the romanticism of movies, renowned Western writer Harry Combs creates a vision at once more complex, magnificent and genuine--from the make of the rifle to the caliber of the bullet that cut Custer down. A novel unmatched in excitement and adventure, The Scout lets you smell the cordite, feel a man's hard need for a woman, and discover that the real flesh and blood inhabitants of those legendary days were tougher, bolder and more fascinating than we ever dared to imagine.
By 1900 the Old West was vanishing, but the man many called its fastest gun was still alive. By then Car Brules had shut himself and his secrets away in a cabin on Colorado's Lone Cone Peak. Only one person knew his real story, a boy of eleven who became his friend and heard his extraordinary tales in 1909. The Scout is that unforgettable story, just as young Steven Cartwright heard it, just as Brules told hard and gritty, wry with a cowboy's humor, and true to the spirits of all those who loved the west--and died for it--from Custer to Crazy Horse.
Many hard, hurting things had driven Cat Brules to become the man he was. The death of his beloved Shoshone bride, Wild Rose, was one of them. Months after Brules lost her--brutally and far too soon--Wild Rose still came to him in his dreams. With a void in his heart and a reckless spirit, Brules signed on as a Scout for General George Crook, whose cavalry was headed into the Badlands. Then, the U.S. Army still didn't know that there were fifteen thousand Sioux and Cheyenne in those Wyoming foothills, and under chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, every one of them was willing to fight to the death to live free.
Brules's account of the violence that ensued, told with eyewitness immediacy and chilling authenticity, is one of courage and shame as he rides the trail toward the Little Big Horn and the battles that followed. Seeing for himself the dying of a way of life, Brules tells a searing truth about America's the betrayal of Custer to the Sioux, the hunting of Geronimo, and the U.S. Army's cruel pursuit of Chief Joseph and his Nez Perce. And here too are the women who loved White Antelope, the gentle Indian maiden who wanted what Brules felt he could never give again--and Melisande, the saucy Mormon girl who might be too much for even Cat Brules to handle.
Debunking the myths of the Old West and the romanticism of movies, renowned Western writer Harry Combs creates a vision at once more complex, magnificent and genuine--from the make of the rifle to the caliber of the bullet that cut Custer down. A novel unmatched in excitement and adventure, The Scout lets you smell the cordite, feel a man's hard need for a woman, and discover that the real flesh and blood inhabitants of those legendary days were tougher, bolder and more fascinating than we ever dared to imagine.
710 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 16, 2025
Some good scenes, the story... doesn't really qualify as a story. We rode over here and saw this, then we rode over here and saw that, then we rode over there and saw that. Nothing to really care about
December 24, 2021
The book was not terrible, word of warning, the character addresses indigenous peoples in discriminatory ways, as it is a story from a person of the 1800s. The books ending was the real issue, it should of ended by chapter 28, instead the authour rambled on for another 8 chapters basically 200 pages, not needed in my Opinion.
If the book ended where I stated, easy 4 stars instead of 3
If the book ended where I stated, easy 4 stars instead of 3
August 13, 2016
Cat Brules remains an interesting character and Combs wrote this very well. It is, however, way too long, and the last half slows to such a crawl that it gets boring.
The first half or so if fun as we accompany Brules on the Army campaign to defeat the Sioux Indians. Brules plays a direct role in the action and even survives Custer's fall at the Little Big Horn. This is the best part of the book.
Then Brules meets his love interest and the action grinds to a halt. Melisande is a fine character and very appealing; it's just that virtually the rest of the book focuses on Brules and Melisande roaming the west and doing nothing all that interesting. The monotony is broken up by a few Indian campaigns, but Brules plays no direct role in any of them. He's just along for the ride. It took quite an effort to finish this, and the ending is, well, merciful.
The first half or so if fun as we accompany Brules on the Army campaign to defeat the Sioux Indians. Brules plays a direct role in the action and even survives Custer's fall at the Little Big Horn. This is the best part of the book.
Then Brules meets his love interest and the action grinds to a halt. Melisande is a fine character and very appealing; it's just that virtually the rest of the book focuses on Brules and Melisande roaming the west and doing nothing all that interesting. The monotony is broken up by a few Indian campaigns, but Brules plays no direct role in any of them. He's just along for the ride. It took quite an effort to finish this, and the ending is, well, merciful.
December 27, 2009
I read Brules first and I liked it very much. When I found The Scout I knew it would be a good book before I read it. There was no disappointment for my part for The Scout was a good book.
November 2, 2013
Great sequel. I loved the setting of southwestern Colorado. Car Brules is one of the best characters in the western/historic genre.
July 23, 2015
couldn't really get into this one . think I will take it to a resident where I work. the resident likes western books
November 19, 2015
Hideous, stupid, poorly written, badly constructed, terribly edited. I loved Brules. But this silly thing?! What a sad waste of time.
August 13, 2012
Second in the series... a great western read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews