Crusader

by Max Brand

He was trussed like a calf for branding and dragged from the wilderness, the only home he had ever known. Then they made him fight, turning him into a prize possession for a greedy manager. Caught between two worlds, Harry Camden drifted into a life of drunkenness and crime…until he met Crusader. More than sixteen hands of horseflesh and muscled like Goliath—a true king stallion. But only responsive to Camden's gentling touch. Could these two broken spirits make each other whole again?With Crusader, Max Brand has created an unparalleled novel of adventure, conflict and human achievement, a deeply touching portrait of the spirit of the American West.

Genres: Westerns

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Frederick Schiller Faust (see also Frederick Faust), aka Frank Austin, George Owen Baxter, Walter C. Butler, George Challis, Evin Evan, Evan Evans, Frederick Faust, John Frederick, Frederick Frost, David Manning, Peter Henry Morland, Lee Bolt, Peter Dawson, Martin Dexter, Dennis Lawson, M.B., Hugh Owen, Nicholas Silver

Max Brand, one of America's most popular and prolific novelists and author of such enduring works as Destry Rides Again and the Doctor Kildare stories, died on the Italian front in 1944.

Reviews

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Max Brand Short Story Collection of Western Adventures

MB. has. penned a wide variety of western short stories. This collection is an excellent variety of different situations the people of the west faced....DEHS

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of three long short stories that first appeared in magazines. This is a deliciously silly Western and horse story. Throw reality out the window and break out the popcorn! We get very little information about Harry Camden and yet he's an interesting Tarzan the Apeman-like guy. Crusader, the title character, doesn't appear until Part II, but it's worth the wait. I wonder if Walter Farley got to read these before he wrote The Black Stallion. There are similarities between Crusader and the Black.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Max Brand is a great storyteller, but his stories feel somewhat formulaic. I understand how he was such a popular writer in his time, but "Crusader" is more of a guilty pleasure and a light read. I'm not sure how or why he received the sobriquet, 'Shakespeare of the West,' perhaps the appellation arises from the comparatively large volume of work Max Brand produced.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audio...hubby purchased it on itunes, we paid for it, might as well listen. It was different. Not really my type- parts were only 2 or 2 1/2 stars.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a little slow starting but once it got going it was hard to put it down. Glad I stuck with it.

[Kirk Bradberry]

Well written. Plots are such that you want to keep the pages turning. Characters well developed. Kept you wondering what was coming next. Thoroughly enjoyed the read.