Soldier Blue

by Theodore V. Olsen

The old west was a savage land where vengeance drove the Indians to battle and the white man responded with blody retribution. Theodore Olsen tells his stories in this accurate setting, no matter how shocking.

Here we find a young soldier, Honus Gant, and his charge, the beautiful but deliberate Cresta Lee. They're the only survivors in a wagon train and their struggle to live on has only begun. That's because a Cheyenne chief wants Cresta Lee -- or wants her back. Once, she belonged to him as his captive...and his wife.

"Powerful, authentic drama and memorable characters." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board

Genres: Westerns, American History, Action, Fiction

187 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Theodore Victor Olsen (April 25, 1932 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin – July 13, 1993 in Rhinelander) was an American western fiction author.

Olsen's family immigrated from Norway in 1901. Theodore Olsen was born on April 25, 1932 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. He went to school in Rhinelander and began to write in high school. He began a western novel at that time. Olsen went to college in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He finally finished his novel, Haven of the Hunted, and it was published in 1956. Olsen also began to sell western stories to pulp magazines at this time. Though Olsen would occasionally travel west, he lived his whole life in Rhinelander and would use exhaustive research to help accurately portray scenes of the west in his stories.

Olsen was married to fellow western fiction author Beverly Butler.

Olsen died in Rhinelander on July 13, 1993, and several works were published posthumously.

Much of T.V. Olsen's family still lives in the Rhinelander region. They own a 300-acre (1.2 sq km) ranch with a century old farm house and dairy barn.

Reviews

[Cassio Queiros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theodore Victor Olsen (1932-1993), also known as T.V. Olsen, was a master storyteller and this is one of his best novels.
Humor, suspense, great battle scenes, and even a peculiar love story - this book has it all. And don't miss "The Stalking Moon"...another great book by Olsen.

[mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came from my father, first written in 1969 & made into a movie "Soldier Blue," which once I began reading it, I remembered that I'd seen the movie when it first came out. Most likely at the drive-in with my girlfriend. The book is a great read, if you're into western history and the Plains Indians (and yet it's much more than that!) It gives you some perspective on what it's like to be a people, with a way of life, a culture, an economy, a way of living - and then have an invading force, another people with their own idea of things, come and wipe you and your way of life out. We Americans weren't always the "good guys." And you get a sense of what drives people to be vicious killers. In this case, it's the "renegade" warriors who refused to stay on the reservations that the US Government told them was where they should now live. In this story there is Spotted Wolf, leading a band of Cheyenne warriors' that resist the occupation of the US Army. But that's really just the context of what is a love story. Cresta Marybelle Lee is an orphaned white girl, a spunky, sassy, trash talking, tough-minded, independent girl who plots out how she's going to make it in the world. But her plan goes awry when she's captured by Spotted Wolf and made his wife. And then, after two years, she escapes and puts her plan into action, only to have it go awry again when she's on the way to meet her fiance, an officer and a gentleman, tasked with subduing Spotted Wolf and his band of terrorists. Things get very complicated. Anyway, there's some very fine writing here, nicely plotted with great dialogue - about attraction and love and courtship, along with the historical context. I highly recommend it.

[Samuel Steffen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Soldier Blue" was a controversial film released in 1970, renowned for its graphic depiction of the massacre scene. The novelization provides an excellent background of the characters and motives, making it a great complement to the film. If enjoyed the movie, you'll appreciate the depth and insight the novel brings to the story.

[Beckey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the book, forget the movie. There was a movie based on this book called the Solider Blue. interesting quick western book.

[Peter Timbrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book that grabbed me in my relative tender years and affected me more than any other book I've read. A gripping novel that tells of the massacre at Sand Creek Colorado in 1864, which hammered home the final nail in the coffin of the proud Cheyenne nation.

The tragedy is overwhelming, the book also inspired the making of the film 'Soldier Blue', a most graphic portrayal of the battle the glorification of the carnage that ensued.

[Reet · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a movie I saw as a teenager called"Soldier Blue." I looked it up and found that it was based on a book called"Arrow in the Sun."

This work was better than the movie, which was gory and a supposed allegory to the My Lai massacre. There was no undue violence; it was actually a love story.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Indians steal gold, this story turns into an adventure of survival in the desert. I think this author doesn't get enough credit for being a prolific western story teller.

[CarolynAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this and loved the movie

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A U.S. Calvary./Indian Shootout/A Payroll Wagon/An Indian Attack

TVO has penned A Western Novel of an Indian attack on a U.S. Army Payroll Wagon who were also traveling with a white woman who had lived for two years as an Indian captive. The book, in this case, was the beginning of what happen during her captivity and sudden release. In addition It was made into an excellent movie starting Cadence Bergan.. This is an excellent read for the genre ....DEHS

[Jim G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell in love with Cresta when I was 16 - that was in 1976. I wonder if she is still the same.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1969 with the title 'Arrow in the Sun' the plot of this western novel formed the basis for that of the movie 'Soldier Blue' so that this edition of the story is the movie tie-in. Nearly half of the novel follows the plot used in the movie, after which it continues to a conclusion in the more traditional western novel style with some further development of the relationship between the two survivors of the ambush that occurs early in the tale. The movie, of course, diverges in order to concentrate on the telling how the Native Americans have been mistreated before ramming this point home with a gratuitously violent massacre of a village by the US Cavalry. I did prefer the book, and I would further point out that the mistreatment of Native Americans has been tackled far more successfully in other novels anyway.

[Gilbert Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have had this book on the shelf for decades and never got around to reading it. I had seen the 1970 film adaption called 'Soldier Blue' and that's why it lingered on my shelf for so long. Since I was staying at a cottage this year, I finally decided to pull it out and read it. My purpose was to see how it related to the film. The first three quarters of the book is fairly close to the movie but the latter quarter bears no resemblance to the film.

I read the reviews here and I was astonished at the 'great reviews'. I found the book extremely dull. Let's get one thing straight right here, the book is NOT about the Sand Creek massacre. It takes place years after that sad event.

I don't read a lot of 'western' literature and the few that I have read are much better than this novel. So, no, I just can't get into the rave reviews about this book.

[GhostofMyrtle]

Originally released as Arrow in the Sun in 1969, it was adopted into a western in 1970 under the title Soldier Blue in 1970. The film was noted for its frank depiction of violence. It was inspired by events of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in the Colorado Territory. The book was re released under the same title of the film. The book was quite violent although not as violent as I had expected. That could be due to being jaded by depictions of violence in books and film or maybe the film was a lot more violent than the book. I haven't seen the film so I don't know.

[Jack Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A plus; highly recommended.

This one will remind you why you love a good western. It did me, and I write them!
I've already got another by Olsen, and it won't be the last.