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Last Reveille
The U.S. Cavalry calls out tough, hard-drinking wilderness fighter Miles Calendar to uproot Pancho Villa and his band of guerrillas from the rugged Mexican province of Chihuahua in the early 1900s
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
27 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
David Morrell
217 books1,675 followersDavid Morrell is a Canadian novelist from Kitchener, Ontario, who has been living in the United States for a number of years. He is best known for his debut 1972 novel First Blood, which would later become a successful film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. More recently, he has been writing the Captain America comic books limited-series The Chosen.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 9, 2015
This is Morrell's first try at historical fiction & was excellent. While I've read this before, it was a long time ago, probably about when it came out in the late 70's. My old paperback is missing the front cover, but is appropriately stamped with a used book store from Fayetteville, NC. I would have bought it while stationed at Ft. Bragg while doing time in the 82d as a young soldier. Anyway, I wanted to read it again while he is answering questions in a group I belong to here on GR:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I've read a lot of Morrell's books over the years & really enjoyed it, mostly international spy thrillers, although his very first book, First Blood will likely always be my favorite. This one might well be second.
Just before WWI, Black Jack Pershing spent most of a year running around Mexico after Pancho Villa. This book follows 2 fictional characters through the very real & well researched time of the Columbia raid until... well, no spoilers. Not the whole year, though. It's a fairly short book, packed with short, powerful chapters that bring to life a very strange era in our history. The old West was meeting its end as planes, trains, & automobiles made their way in. America was poorly positioned to join the war in Europe, but knew it was only a matter of time.
The fictional characters are an old man steeped in war since he was a youngster during the Civil War. The young man is a new recruit fresh from the farm. The contrasts, conflicts, & similarities as they survive the grueling chase after Villa bring it to life amazingly well. As tight as the writing is, there are little details sprinkled like gems that just punch points home. Fantastic, a must read.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I've read a lot of Morrell's books over the years & really enjoyed it, mostly international spy thrillers, although his very first book, First Blood will likely always be my favorite. This one might well be second.
Just before WWI, Black Jack Pershing spent most of a year running around Mexico after Pancho Villa. This book follows 2 fictional characters through the very real & well researched time of the Columbia raid until... well, no spoilers. Not the whole year, though. It's a fairly short book, packed with short, powerful chapters that bring to life a very strange era in our history. The old West was meeting its end as planes, trains, & automobiles made their way in. America was poorly positioned to join the war in Europe, but knew it was only a matter of time.
The fictional characters are an old man steeped in war since he was a youngster during the Civil War. The young man is a new recruit fresh from the farm. The contrasts, conflicts, & similarities as they survive the grueling chase after Villa bring it to life amazingly well. As tight as the writing is, there are little details sprinkled like gems that just punch points home. Fantastic, a must read.
September 9, 2016
i'm better off watching a film of similar story;
at least i was following the story and not dozing off
maybe i should have brushed up on the pancho villa expedition before i tackled this book
at least i was following the story and not dozing off
maybe i should have brushed up on the pancho villa expedition before i tackled this book
July 13, 2017
Yes, of course, I read the book but I have to start with what was at the end. Not the end of the story, the end of the book. I learned in the "About the Author" section that David Morrell is a fellow Canadian. He took a big chance at a relatively young age and left for America and the rest, as they say, is history. The author of First Blood, Desperate Measures, Creepers, and Scavengers and the founder of International Thriller Writers establishes a great premise in Last Reveille. He conceptualizes a main character who began fighting in the U.S. Civil War and moved onto the Indian Wars, Cuba, the Philippines and, lastly, America's foray into Mexico to destroy Pancho Villa and his dwindling forces.
The story is told through two characters. Miles Calendar, a 65-year old warrior, who has gone decades fighting battles and wars (thus his time-related name). He has become an expert in dispassionate brutality though he chooses to share little of that expertise. Mustered out of the army he works as civilian scout and a hard ass alongside green soldiers. Enter a young recruit named Prentice. As Morrell himself points out in the Introduction the name is a play on "apprentice".
The story follows General John J. Pershing's weird push into Mexico to stop Villa's cross border raids. Morrell suggests that the American military knew this campaign was silly but it provided a means to train up soldiers for America's coming involvement in WW1. This involved 5,000 troops or 1/6th of the entire U.S. force at the time. Who would have guessed that in just two years the country would put 4 million men in uniform.
The premise is strong and so is the atmosphere. I felt the dust, the cold, the heat and the anxiety of combat, as well as, the boredom between battles. I wanted to buy-into the two main characters. Often Morrell writes a book that seems halfway towards screenplay. Reveille is no exception. Miles Calendar is a Rooster Coburn-ish character but without the interest or sandpaper rough charm. Young Prentice, new to the army, is a blank slate despite a stab at a sentimental back story. It really falls apart when these two establish a father and son relationship in short order.
The commanding officer has employed Calendar since the Philippines and lauds Prentice for getting close to the man. In this closeness, Calendar breaks his own code which is not to let anyone in. Certainly not his enemies and this extends to those he fights with. Morrell brings this to light by having Calendar nearly kill an Indian scout. The near murder is explained by Calendar's personal vow to wipe these people off the earth after fighting them for so long. It is one of the best-written scenes in the whole book (I use the word "scenes" deliberately). The other scene involving a pocket watch is equally compelling.
Yet, overall the premise of father-son sharing confidences and lessons is not believable. How does an incredibly taciturn, gruff and isolated man who speaks in monosyllables suddenly become a verbose teacher of sage advice? This is not adequately developed or explained. When bullets fly this novel does as well. When it comes to dialogue you want to fast-forward. Having said all this I will now present an irony. This book would be better as a movie. The flashbacks of both characters would make it eminently watchable even if the source material is not that readable.
The story is told through two characters. Miles Calendar, a 65-year old warrior, who has gone decades fighting battles and wars (thus his time-related name). He has become an expert in dispassionate brutality though he chooses to share little of that expertise. Mustered out of the army he works as civilian scout and a hard ass alongside green soldiers. Enter a young recruit named Prentice. As Morrell himself points out in the Introduction the name is a play on "apprentice".
The story follows General John J. Pershing's weird push into Mexico to stop Villa's cross border raids. Morrell suggests that the American military knew this campaign was silly but it provided a means to train up soldiers for America's coming involvement in WW1. This involved 5,000 troops or 1/6th of the entire U.S. force at the time. Who would have guessed that in just two years the country would put 4 million men in uniform.
The premise is strong and so is the atmosphere. I felt the dust, the cold, the heat and the anxiety of combat, as well as, the boredom between battles. I wanted to buy-into the two main characters. Often Morrell writes a book that seems halfway towards screenplay. Reveille is no exception. Miles Calendar is a Rooster Coburn-ish character but without the interest or sandpaper rough charm. Young Prentice, new to the army, is a blank slate despite a stab at a sentimental back story. It really falls apart when these two establish a father and son relationship in short order.
The commanding officer has employed Calendar since the Philippines and lauds Prentice for getting close to the man. In this closeness, Calendar breaks his own code which is not to let anyone in. Certainly not his enemies and this extends to those he fights with. Morrell brings this to light by having Calendar nearly kill an Indian scout. The near murder is explained by Calendar's personal vow to wipe these people off the earth after fighting them for so long. It is one of the best-written scenes in the whole book (I use the word "scenes" deliberately). The other scene involving a pocket watch is equally compelling.
Yet, overall the premise of father-son sharing confidences and lessons is not believable. How does an incredibly taciturn, gruff and isolated man who speaks in monosyllables suddenly become a verbose teacher of sage advice? This is not adequately developed or explained. When bullets fly this novel does as well. When it comes to dialogue you want to fast-forward. Having said all this I will now present an irony. This book would be better as a movie. The flashbacks of both characters would make it eminently watchable even if the source material is not that readable.
February 12, 2024
Единствената слаба книга на Морел...
May 16, 2014
David Morrell is best known as a thriller writer, but the author of First Blood, the original Rambo story, often tries on different hats. His novel, Shimmer, for instance, was science fiction, while his latest book, Murder as a Fine Art, is a Victorian murder mystery. In Last Reveille, Morrell again goes off the beaten track. This book is less a thriller than a war story, and less a war story than a character study.
The book takes place in 1916 during the Punitive Expedition, the American army force led by Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing and sent to hunt down and capture Pancho Villa after his deadly raid on Columbus, NM. It is the story of two soldiers — one an aging veteran of fighting from the Civil War to the Philippine Insurrection, the other a young boot still wet behind the ears — and the relationship that develops between the two as they endure Pershing's march through the harsh Mexican desert.
Morrell lost his father in WWII and he admits that growing up fatherless has had a thematic impact on his writing. Many of his novels involve the relations between an older man and a younger one. First Blood, for instance, pitted a middle-age Korean War veteran — the sheriff — against the 20-something Vietnam War veteran, Rambo. By the end of the book, the conflict between the two takes on the feeling of a father-son estrangement.
In Reveille, the aging vet agrees to take the younger soldier under his wing and teach him soldiering. The older man's name — Miles Calendar — symbolizes the length of his years, while the younger man's name, Prentice, is a play on the word "apprentice." Both men are orphans and, like the sheriff in First Blood, Calendar regrets never having a son.
Like many father-son relationships, the bond between Calendar and Prentice is at times rocky. The young man is innocent and inexperienced, while Calendar has been hardened by a life of violence and survival. In between firefights with the Mexican army and Villa’s raiders, the relationship between the two men grows and falters, and grows again. But when young Prentice realizes he's becoming more like hardened Calendar than he would like to be, he begins to rebel.
Morrell explains in his author's forward that while researching the Punitive Expedition he studied dozens of ancient sepia tone photographs. That inspired him to try and duplicate the action captured in those pictures by writing very short scenes in the book. At first this technique is jarring, but it does move the story along briskly, and by the dramatic ending of the book you won't even notice it.
The book takes place in 1916 during the Punitive Expedition, the American army force led by Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing and sent to hunt down and capture Pancho Villa after his deadly raid on Columbus, NM. It is the story of two soldiers — one an aging veteran of fighting from the Civil War to the Philippine Insurrection, the other a young boot still wet behind the ears — and the relationship that develops between the two as they endure Pershing's march through the harsh Mexican desert.
Morrell lost his father in WWII and he admits that growing up fatherless has had a thematic impact on his writing. Many of his novels involve the relations between an older man and a younger one. First Blood, for instance, pitted a middle-age Korean War veteran — the sheriff — against the 20-something Vietnam War veteran, Rambo. By the end of the book, the conflict between the two takes on the feeling of a father-son estrangement.
In Reveille, the aging vet agrees to take the younger soldier under his wing and teach him soldiering. The older man's name — Miles Calendar — symbolizes the length of his years, while the younger man's name, Prentice, is a play on the word "apprentice." Both men are orphans and, like the sheriff in First Blood, Calendar regrets never having a son.
Like many father-son relationships, the bond between Calendar and Prentice is at times rocky. The young man is innocent and inexperienced, while Calendar has been hardened by a life of violence and survival. In between firefights with the Mexican army and Villa’s raiders, the relationship between the two men grows and falters, and grows again. But when young Prentice realizes he's becoming more like hardened Calendar than he would like to be, he begins to rebel.
Morrell explains in his author's forward that while researching the Punitive Expedition he studied dozens of ancient sepia tone photographs. That inspired him to try and duplicate the action captured in those pictures by writing very short scenes in the book. At first this technique is jarring, but it does move the story along briskly, and by the dramatic ending of the book you won't even notice it.
April 25, 2021
Veteran Army scout mentors a young soldier, during pre- World War One punitive expedition against Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa, who had led a raid across the border into Columbus, New Mexico. There are interesting glimpses of a modernizing US Army, with some updated weapons and equipment, still using horse cavalry, in a setting which still looks like what we've come to think of as the "Old West".
January 27, 2020
Pershing's expedition into Mexico, 1916, to capture/kill Pancho Villa is told through the eyes of a grizzled old scout and a rookie cavalryman in 3 parts. Part 1 is a standard narrative of the preparation, planning and the march into Mexico. Part 2 is a mish mash of flashbacks and rag tag vignettes past and present sometimes with no transition, so one paragraph may be in the Civil War and the next paragraph may be in their present. Part 3 is a psychological study of the two main characters to see what makes them tick. Standard ending with no surprises. All in all a good study of the Mexican expedition with graphic descriptions of the horrid conditions, suffering of the men, and the pain and fears on the battlefield.
One interesting sidelight: the old scout is trapped in a snow cave in the dead of winter; he has food and fire to survive but loses track of time since he has no watch; it could have been days or weeks. This identical occurrence happens in TESTAMENT by the same author. He seems to be fascinated with being trapped in a snow cave since this figures prominently in two different novels.
One interesting sidelight: the old scout is trapped in a snow cave in the dead of winter; he has food and fire to survive but loses track of time since he has no watch; it could have been days or weeks. This identical occurrence happens in TESTAMENT by the same author. He seems to be fascinated with being trapped in a snow cave since this figures prominently in two different novels.
January 13, 2020
This one had a good start. Columbus, New Mexico... U.S. Troops on the border in 1916. Villa's raid. All interesting details and well researched. A young private is captivated by an old man, said to have been on every major campaign since the American Civil War. And then, as the troops are chasing Villa-- the author suddenly shifts gears and returns us to the older man's experiences in the Civil War. This shifting gear threw me off my stride and caused me to throw the book in the fireplace in frustration. If he wanted to start there he should never have spent as much time setting up the Villa campaign... This created such a disjointed direction that I just couldn't bear it. So, I gave up on it.
April 22, 2024
This was Morrell's third novel, and when I read first in the late 90s it became apparent in his early days Morrell was all over the place with genre. But what is incredible is he was doing it very well, I found all four of his 70s novels to be some of his best writing.
This is a work of historical fiction and appeared well researched. The story follows an old veteran Army soldier/scout, Miles Calendar, who has seen service from the Civil War, to the Indian Wars, to the Philippines. Here he is called back to action to accompany General "Black Jack" Pershing's "punitive expedition" into Mexico in pursuant of Poncho Villa and his supporters who had raided a New Mexico town just across the border. With this group is a young soldier, Prentice, and the story is of the mentor/protégé and father/son relationship that forms between the two which is at times heartwarming, and at others resentful. Much like many father/son relationships.
The setting in the harsh Mexican desert landscape is very vividly described by Morrell and he lays out the action scenes based on historical events and some dramatic license as this is a work of fiction. This time period was ripe for exploration as we are seeing the end of the old era of the horse and the frontier and the advent of motorcars, and automatic weapons. I love this era and locale so books and films like this are at a big advantage for me. (think the vibe of the Wild Bunch)
The ending made me sad yet smile as I closed the book.
This is a work of historical fiction and appeared well researched. The story follows an old veteran Army soldier/scout, Miles Calendar, who has seen service from the Civil War, to the Indian Wars, to the Philippines. Here he is called back to action to accompany General "Black Jack" Pershing's "punitive expedition" into Mexico in pursuant of Poncho Villa and his supporters who had raided a New Mexico town just across the border. With this group is a young soldier, Prentice, and the story is of the mentor/protégé and father/son relationship that forms between the two which is at times heartwarming, and at others resentful. Much like many father/son relationships.
The setting in the harsh Mexican desert landscape is very vividly described by Morrell and he lays out the action scenes based on historical events and some dramatic license as this is a work of fiction. This time period was ripe for exploration as we are seeing the end of the old era of the horse and the frontier and the advent of motorcars, and automatic weapons. I love this era and locale so books and films like this are at a big advantage for me. (think the vibe of the Wild Bunch)
The ending made me sad yet smile as I closed the book.
January 14, 2025
This book was written more than 50 years ago. I, somehow, missed it. I regret that.
Historical fiction must be difficult to write if the author is intent on keeping to the facts. This was a wonderful example of good historic fiction. The story is about history repeating itself, a man and a boy. Self preservation is the lesson taught.
It was hard to put the book down once started. David Morrell is an excellent author, best known for First Blood and the Rambo character.
Historical fiction must be difficult to write if the author is intent on keeping to the facts. This was a wonderful example of good historic fiction. The story is about history repeating itself, a man and a boy. Self preservation is the lesson taught.
It was hard to put the book down once started. David Morrell is an excellent author, best known for First Blood and the Rambo character.
April 3, 2021
No fluff
I read daily. One point of contention I have is, authors will put meaningless words, sometimes whole chapters in their books, just to fluff up the book..( think Stephen king) David morrell writes what needs to be written and leaves the fluff out..this particular book is well written , too the point and entertaining..r
Read it.
I read daily. One point of contention I have is, authors will put meaningless words, sometimes whole chapters in their books, just to fluff up the book..( think Stephen king) David morrell writes what needs to be written and leaves the fluff out..this particular book is well written , too the point and entertaining..r
Read it.
August 23, 2018
Old West, Pershing chasing Villa into Mexico. An excellent narrative about a grumpy old cowboy and a young kid who needs to understand survival in the Old West.
February 3, 2023
This book is simply outstanding. The author does a great job of telling the story and establishing an emotional connection with the key characters. Well done.
February 22, 2013
David Morrell is one of my favorite authors. The only problem with being a Morrell fan is that he's not a big name author like King, Koontz or Grisham. You have to explain who he is to author book people and they usually get turned off when you mention one of the most famous characters in fiction: Rambo. Too bad because Morrell writes multiple genres - supense, historical fiction, horror - and he does them well and he is definitely should be known more as the creator of the cartoonish image most people have of Rambo. Anyway, I'm slowly working my way through his older books and enjoying myself.
Last Reveille is Morrell's first foray into historical fiction. First published in 1977, the 1994 edition has an eight page introduction to the book that sets the book up quite well. He notes that it is similar to the John Wayne movie...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...
Last Reveille is Morrell's first foray into historical fiction. First published in 1977, the 1994 edition has an eight page introduction to the book that sets the book up quite well. He notes that it is similar to the John Wayne movie...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...
May 26, 2011
An easy, quick read, this book didn't just include the many great history lessons from the Civl War through the Indian Wars and on to culminate in the chase into Mexico for Pancho Villa. To me, it's greatest value lies in the character study of the old man who has seen and done it all and his young student. One weird aspect was the fact that the trek into Mexico was right around the time horses were being replaced with motor vehicles and many men were being called up to fight WWI. Military men thought the foray into Mexico would be a good training ground for new recruits. This is one event in history that I've never studied and David Morrell's Last Reveille was very enlightening and meaningful in many ways.
January 2, 2016
An older man who is a great warrior mentors a young soldier as they pursue Pancho Villa in Mexico under General Pershing just before the US entry into World War I. The old man tells of his life experiences as he and the young man develop a friendship. The writing reminded me of both Hemingway and Cormac McCarthy, particularly the latters, "Blood Meridian." While not flawless, I loved this novel, and thought it David Morrell's finest. I was sorry it ended.
March 16, 2010
I was expecting some kind of western gung ho action typical of his action besellers but couldn't really get if the author wanted this to be a historical retelling or a western action tale. Good enough but not as gripping as his usual novel.s
October 24, 2011
About a 4.5 star rating. Historical fiction. A very underrated book in my opinion. I've read this 3 times and loved it every time. The characters are rich, dialogue strong, and the dynamics in the relationships are intriguing. Very close to 5-stars.
March 20, 2024
David Morrell weaves a masterful story of an old man and the youth who learns valuable lessons about being a soldier and growing up, using the pre-WWI raid on Columbus, New Mexico and the subsequent expedition to capture Pancho Villa as a backdrop.
July 25, 2008
It's hard to classify this book. It's historical adventure, but not quite a western. It wasn't bad but didn't resonate with me as well as his more contemporary thrillers have.
March 16, 2014
A solid Western set in Mexico, in the early 1900's.
January 6, 2015
I much prefer his later books, this one didn't grab my interest and pull me into the story.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews