The Forsaken and the Dead: The Bass Reeves Trilogy, Book Three

The Bass Reeves Trilogy #3

by Sidney Thompson

Books 1 & 2 of the Bass Reeves Trilogy adapted for the Paramount+ miniseries Bass Reeves
2023 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Historical Fiction

All heroes have fatal flaws and a moment of defining hubris, but few rise from the ashes to achieve greater heights. In 1884 Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves was arrested for murder and placed among his own prisoners in Hell on the Border, the infamous federal jail in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It was the single greatest setback of his illustrious career, but it wouldn’t be his last mistake or trial by fire.

In The Forsaken and the Dead we meet Reeves again. In the 1890s, past his prime, Reeves proceeds through the valleys and shadows of Indian and Oklahoma Territories. Despite his caution and innovations as a lawman and detective, his nation no longer seems a product of his own making—so much like his children and his marriage to Jennie. While a modern world implodes around him and demons from his past continue to haunt his present, he remains resolute in his faith that he can be a steady rider on a pale horse.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Westerns, Fiction

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2023

About the author

The first two novels in THE BASS REEVES TRILOGY--FOLLOW THE ANGELS, FOLLOW THE DOVES (2020) & HELL ON THE BORDER (2021)--inspired the 2023 Paramount+ miniseries LAWMEN: BASS REEVES (produced by Taylor Sheridan & starring Golden-Globe nominee David Oyelowo, Dennis Quaid, and Donald Sutherland). I was a Creative Consultant with the show. Book Three, THE FORSAKEN AND THE DEAD, was published in 2023. This bestselling trilogy has received numerous honors for preserving whitewashed cultural history.

Though enslaved for the first 22 years of his life, Bass Reeves rose to epic heights as the most successful and feared lawman in the Old West. The trilogy narrates his life story.

My other books include a middle-grade novel, KUDZU'S ENORMOUS NEW LIFE, which features a cast of animal characters and an autistic boy who live on a small farm in the Mississippi Delta. Margaret McMullan, author of Where the Angels Lived and How I Found the Strong, said, "Think E.B. White and Beatrice Potter. Kudzu’s Enormous New Life will be a classic." The book was nominated for the 2022 Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters Book Award for Youth Literature, was a finalist for the 2021 American Book Fest Award for Children's Fiction, and was a 2023 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Winner for Animals/Pets, Middle Grade Fiction, & Special Needs/Disability Awareness.

In addition: YOU/WEE: POEMS FROM A FATHER (2018) and SIDESHOW: STORIES, winner of Foreword INDIES Silver Award for Short Story Collection of the Year (2006).

I earned an MFA in creative writing at the University of Arkansas and a PhD in American literature/African-American narratives at the University of North Texas, and now teach creative writing and African-American literature at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

Reviews

[Kent Westmoreland · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like action books this for you. If you like historical fiction this book is for you. If you want to binge read until 3AM this book is for you. It is a wonderful story of a actual legendary lawman, Bass Reeves. He was a black deputy marshal in the Oklahoma territory of the late 1800s. Born a slave in Van Buren, Arkansas, he joined the marshals under Judge Isaac Parker. When I lived in Van Buren, I became interested in Parker- then I ran into Reeves. Bass Reeves should be celebrated during black history month by children all over for his courage and his strength.

[Kirk Coco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sidney Thompson comes back to form in this final book of the Bass Reeves trilogy. This book makes muscling through the not quite great 2nd book worthwhile, as the final entry entertains, hits strong emotional highs and lows, and shows the value of a life well lived.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jumbled order…everything in Bass’s memory.

[Alan Spinrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some parts were brilliant, a couple were almost comprehensible. Overall, a good finish to the trilogy.

[Kathy Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too slow for me.

[Adelbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt as if I was on the trail with Bass and Eddie. I could feel the heat and the dust of the Oklahoma prairie.
Good series of three books.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion of the Reeves trilogy.

Jumped around too much

[Ahdom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Forsaken and the Dead is set in the 1890s and follows Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves. As he navigates the valleys and shadows of Indian and Oklahoma Territories, the modern world begins to implode around him. This book offers a gritty and immersive portrayal of Reeves' challenges and triumphs, capturing the essence of a rapidly changing era. The narrative is rich with historical detail and compelling characters, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction and Westerns.

[Dacy Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great end to the Bass Reeves saga.

[Bradley Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best books about the old west since Lonesome Dove. Good tv shows too!