Hard Land to Rule

Hard Land to Rule Trilogy #1

by Anthony Whitt

A story of faded love, forbidden temptations, treacherous adversaries, adventure, and death on the Texas frontier. Hard Land to Rule is the first in a trilogy about the turbulent times deep in the hills west of Austin after the Civil War. Join an unforgettable cast of rugged frontiersmen and pompous commanders, jaded wives and an enticing seductress, Texas Rangers and Comanche warriors as they engage in deadly hostilities. Written in a rich, authentic voice, this story will keep you captivated from page to page and make you regret the long hard ride had to come to an end.

Genres: Westerns, Historical Fiction

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2013

About the author

Anthony Whitt lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Cathy where they raised two children. He is a native Austinite that has spent a lifetime studying the rich historical heritage of the American West. He has traveled extensively in the Rocky Mountains with frequent visits to sites of historic interest and tragic conflict. Closer to Austin, he spends much of his time searching out and exploring sites from this fascinating era that defines who we are today.

An avid reader, he has always been a student learning from history and the interplay of dynamic personalities that shaped our diverse heritage. His writing style seeks to portray the inherent drama of difficult times with an authentic storytelling depiction. Characters speak with a voice meant to convey an understanding of human nature as men and women struggle in their efforts to survive in a demanding environment. His goal is to weave a convincing narrative of unforgettable characters that come alive in the reader's imagination and leave them regretting having reached the end of the trail.

When unshackled from the keyboard, Anthony enjoys the outdoor activities that abound in the wild lands of Texas. Hiking, fishing, and camping have been a lifetime passion he pursues whenever possible. He also spends his time engaged in photography whether he is out beating the trails in the Rocky Mountains or closer to home in the Hill Country of Central Texas.

Reviews

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly liked this book. The author has put together a fine western with believable characters and a clever, well-paced plot. I liked the way he wrote the mysterious geography of the region into the tale. His descriptions of the land and the sky and the people of central Texas remind me of the books written by Willa Cather about Nebraska. That is high praise for his craftsmanship. This book is certainly worth a purchase and readers looking for a good western will not be disappointed. I would note that the book, and I believe this is what the author intended, presented the Comanche as how the early settlers saw them. It shows the conflict almost entirely from the point of view of the whites. I do not believe that should color the modern reader’s ultimate judgment of the book. These were hard and violent times. There are also scores of books written from the American Indian perspective; i.e. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Comanche Dawn, etc. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone seeking to read about the early American West.

[Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent picture of the Old West as it probably was near the end of the Civil War. I thoroughly liked the lack of profanity! Anthony’s skill with words is magical, I am in awe! Take the following as examples:

“The gurgling water whispered a peaceful message that relaxed a man if he was inclined to listen.”

“Faith, Matt. Gotta have faith.” Matt laughed softly. “Humph. Faith is hard to hold onto. Kind of like that sand, ain’t it?”


“False dawn awakened the songbirds down in the gorge, and their melody bounced off the granite slopes in ringing clarity. An early-rising canyon wren hopped from stone to stone until he plunged into the brush directly in front of Matt. The small brown bird went about his search for breakfast at a frantic pace, leaping from twig to twig among the tight cluster of branches hiding Matt. Perching on the outer limbs, the wren paused in his efforts to break out in a sharp, clear, warble of happiness that echoed across the open granite pitch high above the Indian encampment. His song loudly proclaimed, “Here I am. Look at me. There is nothing to fear on this fine morning.” From the upper end of the canyon, another wren returned the trill greeting, initiating an ongoing exchange of cheerful notes between the two birds.”

[Leona Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in a rich, authentic voice, this story will keep you captivated from page to page and make you regret the long, hard ride had to come to an end.

Yep. Exactly right. A cracking good story that fitted the era. Violent, brutal and gritty, but also very believable. (great cover as well)

[Rhonda Garman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!

I really enjoyed reading this book. This book isn't one that just has words. This western novel Pull's you into it as if you are the one experiencing and living this life.
I highly recommended this book. I will be reading his next novel who much antici

[Edwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This solid first book in the historical fiction "Hard Land to Rule" series is characterized by a compelling storyline and elegant descriptive prose. The author's knowledge of the time period following the Civil War on the American frontier, and the terrain in and around Austin Texas give the novel a high level of authenticity. The descriptive prose is well balanced - nicely detailed, but not excessive. The great reviews for this book don't lie. This is a terrific book and highly recommended.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

HARD LAND TO RULE is the first book I've read by the author Anthony Whitt, the first book in his "Hard Land to Rule" trilogy, and is one of the books on the reading list for the Goodreads "American Westerns" group that the author and I are both members of.

Anthony Whitt has written a fine book with all the elements of what I look for in both frontier and western novels, and I really enjoyed this one being from the period of time it covers in the younger Austin, TX area where the hardships of life in a yet to be civilized time and place created a constant struggle for survival for those facing many obstacles along the way.

Cold Hard Ride is the next installment in this series, which I'll be reading and reviewing here.

[Dorothy Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony Whitt is a talented new author. This book took me back to the early days of the Texas frontier. I felt like I was riding along with the Texas rangers through the hill country Whitt so vividly describes. The fight scenes are realistically and dramatically portrayed. The author also did a great job of helping the reader to understand the life and death struggles as well as the everyday challenges early pioneers faced. Highly recommend.

[Curt Locklear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining throughout. The history comes alive in Hard Land to Rule. The villains are ruthless, and the heroes struggle to deal with fear and extreme hardship. The book brings the harsh life of the early Texas settlers to the forefront but never loses a great narrative perspective. Bravo, Mr. Whitt.

[Frank Kelso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt needed a whack in the head to learn what mattered in his life.

A great story for the start of a Texas trilogy. Whitt crafts a fine take about life in Texas after the Civil War and the punishment of Reconstruction. Whitt has strong characters full of life and emotions. Looking forward to the next book.

[Russell Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Spoiler Free**
I approached this book with a little trepidation, I've had rather forgettable experiences with self published authors recently; add in the fact it took me a few months to get a copy of this through my local library and I was concerned the work might not live up to my expectations. Thankfully, I was very pleasantly surprised.

The novel follows Matt, a rancher in Texas a few years after the civil war. He is a man feeling the pressure both from the savagery of the time, Indian raids are on the increase in his area, and also from the unwelcome encroachment of civilisation, represented by the taxman and the appearance of carpetbaggers on his doorstep. These pressures awaken his restless nature to which in turn causes him to return to his previous employment as a Texas Ranger when his experience is needed tracking down an Indian raiding party that has kidnapped two young children. Matt himself first appears to be an unlikable character, racist, judgmental, quick to violence as a first resort and barely controlling his desires for his neighbours wife. However, as the novel progresses and we learn a little more about his past then his attitudes become more understandable and I found myself liking the gruff son of a bitch.

Special mention deserves to be given to the "Hard Land" the book is set in. The authors description of the land and its wildlife are vivid and and made me feel I had travelled some of the same ground as the characters. The setting for the climax of the novel, The Enchanted Rock, was particularly powerful and lent an air of surreal mysticism to events that was unexpected but very fitting. The Rock is a real place and a quick google image search shows it is indeed an ideal place for a western!

The book is the first of a trilogy, which is good news for me, I want to know more! What happened to the family Matt left behind when he went hunting Comanche?

I will be recommending this book to the, admittedly few, people I know that enjoy a good western.

[Nae · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something eminently satisfying about a "good" western for me. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, the main characters usually face daunting moral decisions that they somehow overcome, and there is always something heroic accomplished (in this case rescue of a child in trouble). A "good" western always leaves me with a really good feeling when I finish the last page. "Hard Land to Rule" is one of those "good" westerns. Set in Texas, in and around the Austin area, just after the confederate war, it is an unflinching description of how grueling and violent life in the yet untamed West could be, with occasional sneak peaks at the majesty and beauty nature reveals to those who take the time to appreciate it. The characters occasionally do sort of wander off into what I guess I would call "modern day angst" at times. Stuff I kind of wonder if folks in Texas would have really allowed themselves to wallow in (or even have had the time to wallow in) at that particular time, but that is a really minor quibble and it certainly does not detract from the narrative, just sort of slows it down a tad now and then, and perhaps that is by intention as it really is nonstop action from the very beginning. It says this is the first in a planned trilogy and I find myself looking forward to the next one a great deal ... besides, I really would like to know if Cora really was a meal for a bear or not ... :)

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony Whitt is an artists whose brush strokes are words. Like Zane Grey, Whitt paints a story, scenery and surroundings are detailed and vivid in the reader's mind. It is set in Texas, in a region in which his own ancestors fought hard to rule the land. The story is loosely based on Whitt's ancestor, a rancher who rode with the Texas Rangers. In the story, Matt fights weather, his personal demons from the Civil War, white carpetbaggers who want to take over his ranch for lack of tax payments and Indians who quilled his young son with a greater mass of arrows than were needed to kill the boy. Now they have kidnapped another pair of children from a neighboring ranch and Matt is recruited to join the Rangers to find and return the pair of kidnapped children. The (too) few action scenes in the story are detailed and well-written to match the narrative of the rest of the story, thus making the book more of a work of literature rather than an action-adventure Western. Enjoy your winter evenings with Hard Land to Rule and prepare yourself for the second book in the forthcoming trilogy, Cold Hard Ride.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this well written Western novel.

It is rare to find Western novels of this calibre being written today and I am pleased that the author is a member of Goodreads and that he has already published a second book in what will be a trilogy chronicling the life and times of a rancher and part time Texas Ranger in Texas during the years following the Civil War.

I urge any one who may have even a fleeting interest in this genre to do themselves a favour and get a copy of this book. It's worth every minute of your time.

[Patrick Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read. The characters are well developed and credible. Whitt uses his descriptive detail to enhance the suspense that builds up between the actions scenes, and the action comes with a punch.

[Staci Suhy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book... I really enjoyed the characters.

** I received this book for free as part of a First-Reads promotion

[Deborah Camp · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who enjoy straight-forward, men-focused westerns, this will be delightful. As someone who likes more character study than pages of men riding from one place to another, I wasn't as entertained. I particularly didn't like the way the hero was conflicted between his faithfulness to his wife, who had borne him children and worked like a dog, and a neighbor lady who flirted with him and let him know that she would be "willing." In the end, he decided he go back to his wife after his adventures with the Texas Rangers, which was a good choice since the neighbor lady had cleared out once her husband had died. I'm not a fan of head-hopping viewpoint, which goes on too much here. The scenery was well documented and the narration stayed true to the time period. If the hero had been more "heroic" and maybe tried to understand that the reason his wife didn't want to put out every time he had an itch was because she was bone tired, I might have enjoyed this more. Maybe.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

I enjoyed the book and learned alligator the time period and what stress the Texans had after the Civil War as well as dealing with the Comanches

[Kim Stringfellow Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Gritty Western full of adventure! I really enjoyed this book and the story and characters are extremely well-written!! If you love a gritty Western you will love this book!

[Karen Klink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barely slid into four stars with this as the novel could have used somewhat better editing with a slip or two of grammar when "their" should have been "they're," for example, but it happens.

My main problem is that the author's voice came into play a little too often when we should have been deep into character. Be careful when one is in the character's thoughts to stay in the character's voice.

On the other hand, oh my, what lovely detail of surroundings I have seldom read. What was it truly like to ride across hard country for days on end? We feel it in our bones here. Every difficult mile. The author puts you right in there with every sound and fear of the known and unknown, including the Comanche who might appear at any bend in the trail.

Such an account calls for nothing but experienced, exacting research, but it takes an excellent writer to get it on the page like this.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

The sheer size of the state of Texas lends itself easily to expansive tales of heroism and adventure on a grand scale. There are almost innumerable stories of the heroes and villains that lived and died there. But all of the grand stories are made up of the singular stories of individuals who took part in the great exploits.

Hard Land to Rule is the story of one such individual, a man named Matt, who has settled outside Austin in a land inhabited by the Comanche people. Having lost his young son to a Comanche attack, Matt is more than willing to sign on with the Texas Rangers when two young children from a neighboring family are kidnapped and the Rangers set out to bring them back.

The story includes some very good action scenes that realistically capture the tension and violence of battle. The characters are well drawn, and Whitt has taken pains to ensure that the Comanche point of view is presented.

Where the story falls flat, I believe, is in the excessive portents of disaster. It felt as though at least a third of the book consisted of Matt's feeling of impending danger. One paragraph alone contained seven or eight different ways of saying that Matt sensed trouble. This really slowed the pace of the book, and made several chapters drag.

The book stands alone, despite several main story elements remaining unresolved. Those elements are interesting enough to make a decision to read the next book of this trilogy worth checking into.

[Deba · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in a trilogy. It is about the turbulent times deep in the hills west of Austin after the Civil War. Set on the rugged frontier, step into Whitt's world of "rugged frontiersmen and pompous commanders, jaded wives and an enticing seductress, Texas Rangers and Comanche warriors". I couldn't put down this book. I enjoyed the setting, the characters and the period when this took place. It is rare that I pick up a western fictional book that I get so lost in and can not stop reading. This author has an amazing talent for using words to vividly bring to life characters and scenes within the pages of this novel. There were times when I could almost smell the scent of the wild countryside and place my foot on the rugged terrain . Anthony Whitt's writing makes you feel like you are an unseen observer in all of the action.

This is an excellent story with no dull epilogue to weight you down, in fact you will be racing on to the next scene and on to the next book in the trilogy. A western beyond compare, I highly recommended this book and the next in the trilogy "Cold Hard Ride" (Hard Land to Rule Trilogy Book 2)

[Ken Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in the Hill Country, and Anthony Whitt clearly loves it like I do. His descriptions are vivid. I felt like I was getting a really good view of life on the Texas frontier, the day-to-day, the fears. I commend him for presenting the hate that white settlers felt for the Comanche, and vice-versa. If I have a criticism, it is that the portrayal of the humanity of the Comanche is not as prominent as that of the whites, and they are often objectified. Clearly, space is limited, but one leaves without one really vivid portrayal of their suffering or really much about their lives at all. I look forward to books two and three.

[Greg Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard Land to Rule is storytelling at its best. The interesting narrative blends believable characters with the natural settings of the Texas hill country. The pioneer Texans and the native Comanches are not the Hollywood cardboard cutouts we all grew up watching. At the end, you want more pages. You want to know what comes next for these families. Anthony Whitt, thanks for a great western adventure. Hope the sequel will be out soon.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captured my interest from the beginning and held it throughout. Good plot, character development, vivid and extensive descriptions of land and geography, and many passages with insight into human nature made this an enjoyable book. I am looking forward to the second book.

[Rickard Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got the book a while ago because I discovered the author was from Austin, where I lived in for a while. I thought it was an interesting book, but a bit too slow in the middle for me. Still, it was interesting enough to keep me reading, and I'm considering getting the second one.

[Ash Lingam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book some weeks ago but was sidetracked with some work and have not had free time till now to truly enjoy a novel from my favorite genre, Westerns. Our author Anthony Whitt, gives us incredible attention to detail as he takes us through nineteenth-century Texas. The character description is vivid bringing the individuals to life and the detail of each scene uncommon, to say the least. I could smell the dirt. A great look at the tough and rugged lives of the early American settlers on the western frontier. Looking forward to reading book two in the series.
A.L.

[Lowell Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

great read, getting ready for 2nd of triolgy

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takes me to another place and time, the characters leap off the pages! A real look at the hard times and the people that made Texas what it is!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads. Really interesting and fun western. Lots of love and well developed characters. Great story.