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The Cowboy and the Cossack
On a cold spring day in 1880, fifteen American cowboys sail into Vladivostock with a herd of 500 cattle for delivery to a famine stricken town deep in Siberia. Assigned to accompany them is a band of Cossacks, Russia’s elite horsemen and warriors. From the first day, distrust between the two groups disrupts the cattle drive. But as they overcome hardships and trials along the trail, a deep understanding and mutual respect develops between the men in both groups.
300 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
156 people are currently reading
1317 people want to read
About the author
Clair Huffaker
29 books21 followersClair Huffaker was a U.S. author of westerns and other fiction, many of which were turned into films. His screenplays included such films as "Flaming Star" (1960), "The Commancheros" (1961), "Rio Conchos" (1964), and "The War Wagon" (1967). His TV scripts showed up on "The Virginian", "Lawman" and "Bonanza". Clair wrote screenplays for 3 Euro-westerns, "100 Rifles" (1969), "The Deserter" (1971), "Chino" (1973) and was thanked along with Sergio Corbucci in the 1995 film "Jonathan of the Bears" (1995).
He was married to Norma Lee Fink, a legendary attorney. Their daughter is Samantha C. Kirkeby, a prominent script supervisor who has worked on scores of big pictures including the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy and “3000 miles to Graceland”.
He was married to Norma Lee Fink, a legendary attorney. Their daughter is Samantha C. Kirkeby, a prominent script supervisor who has worked on scores of big pictures including the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy and “3000 miles to Graceland”.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
December 5, 2020
Wow!! Couldn’t put this book down. What a wonderful novel. I can thank my Goodreads friend, Still for turning me onto Claire Huffaker. He recommended The Guns of Rio Conchos. I read it and immediately picked up the rest of Huffaker’s books. The Cowboy and the Cossacks was one of those and is going down as the best western I’ve read this year and probably for the last five years. What a great read. From the title you might think this was a cowboys and Indians kind of tale, but it’s not. This is more a story about relationships forged through diversity. Huffaker knows his business and slowly builds the characters and relationships through micro conflicts as well as the over-arching conflict. My favorite book of all time is Lonesome Dove, The Cowboy and the Cossack has some of the same flavor, settings, and most of all emotions. What I also liked about the story was the setting, I learned a little bit about the politics of the time period, of course the, and the Tartars. This book is five stars all the way and I highly recommend it.
David Putnam author of The Bruno Johnson series.
David Putnam author of The Bruno Johnson series.
February 21, 2010
Frankly, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this read. This was my first foray into the western genre and while it encompassed many of the traits one would expect from the genre such as cowboys and the herd, it was truly unusual and a bit over the top. I would recommend this book to any person, man or woman, who wants a really fantastic story with compelling, well thought out characters. I couldn't help but feel a bit sad when it all came to an end. Also worth noting are the fantastic illustrations by Brad Holland in this edition.
January 11, 2017
A very unique Western with unique setting and premise, cattle-driving across 1880s Russia, that should be turned into a film were the genre ever to come back. The clash of cultures and personalities is handled with large bucketfuls of humour, and the action and adventures are really hysterical, but at the same time, there's deeper themes at play: loyalty, honour, team spirit, sticking to one's word, fighting for your people and their freedom, etc. Quite recommendable even for those who don't enjoy Westerns!
September 7, 2019
The opening chapters of The Cowboy and the Cossack promise a look into the effects of cross-cultural immersion. A small group of cowboys from the United States finds themselves in eastern Russia, moving a herd cattle to a village in Siberia while being escorted by a group of Russian cossacks. While in transit, the many differences between the two cultures makes the story interesting and the occasional points in common make the story universal.
The story then enters its middle half with a transition towards what I would consider to be a more traditional western novel. While the cross-cultural theme is still present, the focus shifts towards manly-man games and mano-y-mano standoffs between men who all think of themselves as having the biggest balls in the competition. Huffaker seems to delight in giving the play-by-play of each contest even though they become repetitive. Its during this portion of the book that the chapters become watered down, and if one were to skip over Chapters 11-20, the best parts of the book would be intensified and improved.
The end of the book, picks up where the beginning leaves off. The cowboys and the cossacks are on the move again and that movement brings them in contact with hardships that must be dealt with. Its during this portion of the book that human suffering is proven to be universal and it is also shown that cultural differences can be a vast source of strength when dealing with common problems.
Overall, the first and last quarters of The Cowboy and the Cossack project to present-day realities. We are all human and Huffaker shows that joy, sadness, hardship, and pleasure are very much the same in Russia as they are everywhere that humans reside. The isolation associated with the 1880s setting of the book brings this point home and makes The Cowboy and the Cossack worth reading; and if you like scenes that require cojones grande, then you’ll probably find the middle of book enjoyable too. [3.5 Stars, but the merit is there for 4 Stars outright.]
The story then enters its middle half with a transition towards what I would consider to be a more traditional western novel. While the cross-cultural theme is still present, the focus shifts towards manly-man games and mano-y-mano standoffs between men who all think of themselves as having the biggest balls in the competition. Huffaker seems to delight in giving the play-by-play of each contest even though they become repetitive. Its during this portion of the book that the chapters become watered down, and if one were to skip over Chapters 11-20, the best parts of the book would be intensified and improved.
The end of the book, picks up where the beginning leaves off. The cowboys and the cossacks are on the move again and that movement brings them in contact with hardships that must be dealt with. Its during this portion of the book that human suffering is proven to be universal and it is also shown that cultural differences can be a vast source of strength when dealing with common problems.
Overall, the first and last quarters of The Cowboy and the Cossack project to present-day realities. We are all human and Huffaker shows that joy, sadness, hardship, and pleasure are very much the same in Russia as they are everywhere that humans reside. The isolation associated with the 1880s setting of the book brings this point home and makes The Cowboy and the Cossack worth reading; and if you like scenes that require cojones grande, then you’ll probably find the middle of book enjoyable too. [3.5 Stars, but the merit is there for 4 Stars outright.]
February 4, 2017
One of the best books I've read in a while. Deserves to be considered a classic. Really!
March 4, 2013
In 1880 fifteen Montana Cowboys are commissioned to take five hundred Texas longhorns across a thousand miles of Siberia. They are escorted by the same number of Russian Cossacks. When these rough Americans meet Russian warriors, the clash of cultures inevitably follows, but the universal language here is cowboy, one of courage, loyalty, steadfastness and love.
Told with humor and pathos, I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud, then wept uncontrollably.
Cowboys are naturally laconic. Well, move over Cormac McCarthy, Louis Lamour et al., Clair Huffaker’s prose is clear, cogent, spiky and sparse. There is not one wasted word in this novel. Our narrator is charming and (for once) reliable. All the characters are rich, vibrant and authentic. They stayed with me each time I put the book down (which was not often) and when I finished, I felt a deep sense of loss.
Inspiring, philosophical, heartwarming and just plain enjoyable, we are very fortunate this book has been brought back in print.
Thank you Nancy Pearl!
Told with humor and pathos, I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud, then wept uncontrollably.
Cowboys are naturally laconic. Well, move over Cormac McCarthy, Louis Lamour et al., Clair Huffaker’s prose is clear, cogent, spiky and sparse. There is not one wasted word in this novel. Our narrator is charming and (for once) reliable. All the characters are rich, vibrant and authentic. They stayed with me each time I put the book down (which was not often) and when I finished, I felt a deep sense of loss.
Inspiring, philosophical, heartwarming and just plain enjoyable, we are very fortunate this book has been brought back in print.
Thank you Nancy Pearl!
July 10, 2010
Being unfamiliar with Western novels, my knowledge of the code of the cowboy - the credo - has come from cinema. If there was one steadfast pillar of the credo which I learned from John Ford's My Darling Clementine and The Searchers, from Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West and Don Siegel's The Shootist, it was the iron commitment of the cowboy's word.
The word of the cowboy was not too different from that of the soldier, the samurai, or the alpha animal of a pack, and it was a commitment sealed in blood, to be fulfilled by either completion or by death. The cowboy never turned their back on their word, and always, always placed the objective ahead of their personal want.
We get a complete study of credo from Claire Huffaker's western masterpiece The Cowboy and the Cossack. The novel starts with the arrival of a cargo ship on the shores of 19th century Russia, a country being suffocated and trampled underneath the fractured rule of the Imperial Tsar and tribes of skilled and relentless nomadic warriors, the feared Tatars.
Onboard the ship is an unlikely cargo - 500 prime heads of cattle being shipped in by a ragtag but deftly-skilled group of Montana cowhands. The herd was purchased by a town in central Siberia, and the task on hand is for the cowboys to deliver the herd safely to their final destination.
From the outset, it becomes clear that this task is far easier said than done, as the brutal and unforgiving politics and geography of Russia stand to make the journey impossible at best, and fatally dangerous at worst. After facing a seemingly insurmountable blockade to get the cattle ashore, the cowboys are met by a menacingly intimidating band of warriors - a group of fifteen highly-trained Russian soldiers, the Cossacks, who have been sent by the town to provide security for the cowboys. The cowboys and the Cossacks meet face to face, and it becomes no secret that there is a tremendous level of distrust and doubt for each respective camp. Psychological and prejudicial walls are built up on both sides, and the journey into Siberia begins on a tenuous and dangerous balance of ego-driven bravado and prejudicial self-preservation.
The unforgiving landscape of Siberia, fraught with fierce predators both human and non-human alike, come onto the caravan wave after wave, and each assault forces the cowboys and Cossacks to depend on one another not out of choice, but rather necessity. As Shakespeare once wrote, "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows," and the unforgiving terrain of Russia brings the men closer together in very unexpected ways.
But driving this entire tale is the word of the warrior, the commitment of both the cowboy and the Cossack. Each is willing and prepared to give their lives for the word they made - to deliver the cattle - and nothing, absolutely nothing can break that word. Not weather, not invading tribes, not insurmountable odds of a spectacular scale can drive these men to turn their backs on their word. Their credo is their life, and is an unspoken foundation of each character's existence.
Huffaker spends a considerable amount of time on character development, but he does so in a little more nontraditional way. He focuses on perceived weaknesses of each character and juxtaposes them against their American or Russian counterpart, and in doing so he makes the all-important discovery that either man is not too different from the other, and that the binding tie is the warrior credo. It's a timeless and heartfelt notion, and Huffaker does an amazing job, through dialect and action, of getting this across. His well-studied and simple-but-gorgeous passages of the minutiae of the warriors of the East and West, their habits, their preparation, and how they each cope with adversity all builds up to the universal definition of what it means to be a man of honor. As a reader, it's a humbling joy to absorb the enviable constitutions of these amazing men.
Huffaker further extends the concept of credo by also giving considerable study to the relationship between man and animal, particularly the relationship that a man has with his loyal steed. The partnership, like all partnerships of honor, is one based in mutual respect. The cowboys and the Cossacks alike revere their horses and cattle as they would their own family, and it is both touching and revelatory to experience the relationships that they develop.
The Cowboy and the Cossack is a highly emotional book, one that is based in the formation of eternal relationships and and friendship, a bond of love and affection that is forged on the edge of a steel saber and beneath an iron horseshoe. It is authentic to the relationships of men, the formation of a brotherhood that most men find difficult to explain, but carry out through understated, small, nuanced gestures. Huffaker never lets us forget that these men are as hard as steel, and they are not ones to share their feelings and emotions so readily or openly. But as with any great man of honor, their actions speak far, far louder than words. The story culminates in an epic battle, and the damages of war strike deep and elicit genuine sadness because we finally understand what these men mean to each other and to the code of honor. Every wound is earned, every death a noble one. No life - be it man or animal - is taken without honor and the defiance of the free spirit, and it is this revered and fiery blood that gives this story a beautiful, beating heart.
The Cowboy and the Cossack joins my ranks of my favorite books. I didn't want it to end and I can't wait to read it again. Beyond stoking the nostalgic love of the Western movies I saw as a kid, it purified my heart of the skepticism and cynicism that I many times feel plagues humanity. When a book can make you a better person after reading it, then you know you've stumbled onto something truly special. Highly, highly recommended.
The word of the cowboy was not too different from that of the soldier, the samurai, or the alpha animal of a pack, and it was a commitment sealed in blood, to be fulfilled by either completion or by death. The cowboy never turned their back on their word, and always, always placed the objective ahead of their personal want.
We get a complete study of credo from Claire Huffaker's western masterpiece The Cowboy and the Cossack. The novel starts with the arrival of a cargo ship on the shores of 19th century Russia, a country being suffocated and trampled underneath the fractured rule of the Imperial Tsar and tribes of skilled and relentless nomadic warriors, the feared Tatars.
Onboard the ship is an unlikely cargo - 500 prime heads of cattle being shipped in by a ragtag but deftly-skilled group of Montana cowhands. The herd was purchased by a town in central Siberia, and the task on hand is for the cowboys to deliver the herd safely to their final destination.
From the outset, it becomes clear that this task is far easier said than done, as the brutal and unforgiving politics and geography of Russia stand to make the journey impossible at best, and fatally dangerous at worst. After facing a seemingly insurmountable blockade to get the cattle ashore, the cowboys are met by a menacingly intimidating band of warriors - a group of fifteen highly-trained Russian soldiers, the Cossacks, who have been sent by the town to provide security for the cowboys. The cowboys and the Cossacks meet face to face, and it becomes no secret that there is a tremendous level of distrust and doubt for each respective camp. Psychological and prejudicial walls are built up on both sides, and the journey into Siberia begins on a tenuous and dangerous balance of ego-driven bravado and prejudicial self-preservation.
The unforgiving landscape of Siberia, fraught with fierce predators both human and non-human alike, come onto the caravan wave after wave, and each assault forces the cowboys and Cossacks to depend on one another not out of choice, but rather necessity. As Shakespeare once wrote, "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows," and the unforgiving terrain of Russia brings the men closer together in very unexpected ways.
But driving this entire tale is the word of the warrior, the commitment of both the cowboy and the Cossack. Each is willing and prepared to give their lives for the word they made - to deliver the cattle - and nothing, absolutely nothing can break that word. Not weather, not invading tribes, not insurmountable odds of a spectacular scale can drive these men to turn their backs on their word. Their credo is their life, and is an unspoken foundation of each character's existence.
Huffaker spends a considerable amount of time on character development, but he does so in a little more nontraditional way. He focuses on perceived weaknesses of each character and juxtaposes them against their American or Russian counterpart, and in doing so he makes the all-important discovery that either man is not too different from the other, and that the binding tie is the warrior credo. It's a timeless and heartfelt notion, and Huffaker does an amazing job, through dialect and action, of getting this across. His well-studied and simple-but-gorgeous passages of the minutiae of the warriors of the East and West, their habits, their preparation, and how they each cope with adversity all builds up to the universal definition of what it means to be a man of honor. As a reader, it's a humbling joy to absorb the enviable constitutions of these amazing men.
Huffaker further extends the concept of credo by also giving considerable study to the relationship between man and animal, particularly the relationship that a man has with his loyal steed. The partnership, like all partnerships of honor, is one based in mutual respect. The cowboys and the Cossacks alike revere their horses and cattle as they would their own family, and it is both touching and revelatory to experience the relationships that they develop.
The Cowboy and the Cossack is a highly emotional book, one that is based in the formation of eternal relationships and and friendship, a bond of love and affection that is forged on the edge of a steel saber and beneath an iron horseshoe. It is authentic to the relationships of men, the formation of a brotherhood that most men find difficult to explain, but carry out through understated, small, nuanced gestures. Huffaker never lets us forget that these men are as hard as steel, and they are not ones to share their feelings and emotions so readily or openly. But as with any great man of honor, their actions speak far, far louder than words. The story culminates in an epic battle, and the damages of war strike deep and elicit genuine sadness because we finally understand what these men mean to each other and to the code of honor. Every wound is earned, every death a noble one. No life - be it man or animal - is taken without honor and the defiance of the free spirit, and it is this revered and fiery blood that gives this story a beautiful, beating heart.
The Cowboy and the Cossack joins my ranks of my favorite books. I didn't want it to end and I can't wait to read it again. Beyond stoking the nostalgic love of the Western movies I saw as a kid, it purified my heart of the skepticism and cynicism that I many times feel plagues humanity. When a book can make you a better person after reading it, then you know you've stumbled onto something truly special. Highly, highly recommended.
January 5, 2010
What a wonderful book! I heard about it from Fiction_L, an online group, and was encouraged to read it. It's as much more than just a western as The Sparrow is more than just science fiction. First of all, the setting - Russia in the 1880s - with cossacks, Tartars, humongous wolves, tigers, and the Siberian weather. Then the characters. These are what made the book for me. They were cowboys and cossacks, but they were so fully developed you felt like you knew them. Rivalries turn into friendships as the men drive the cattle across Russia from the port of Vladivostok to the small village of Bakaskaya. Some of the passage were so beaufully written and moving. I would recommend this book to men and women alike for both its sense of adventure and its poignant scenes and use of language.
July 24, 2016
Cowboys and renegade Cossacks learn important lessons about humanity together. Also there are cows.
September 10, 2013
My love for this book grew page by page. One of Nancy Pearl's "Book Lust Rediscoveries," the combination of cowboy and Cossack cultures clashing and communing was irresistible. I won't recount the summary of the story (it's better-stated in other reviews) - I will give my impressions of why I love the book. First of all, how can you resist the combination of cowboys and Cossacks? There is mutual distrust at the beginning of their long journey through the Russian terrain, but shared hardships, dangers, and the realization that they have common goals and strongly held mutual values bring about a growth of respect and, yes, heartfelt love for one another. Wonderful depictions of this rough group of males - interesting events along their trail: some humorous, some frightful - a superb read. Forget "cowboy," "western," any other label that comes to mind; remember "strong, courageous, touching, and wise." Another book that you won't want to turn that last page.
June 5, 2023
A very enjoyable blend of adventure, humour and male bonding cliches. I liked it a lot, even though it does lay things on really thick at times.
May 14, 2024
3.75
June 13, 2009
"In chess, every piece can be killed and taken from the board, except the king.........And it is so in life. A man who is truly a king never dies."
Written in 1973, Huffaker's tale is told from the viewpoint of nineteen year old Levi Dougherty as in 1880 he and a group of Montana cowboys from the Slash-Diamond ranch arrive at Vladivostok, Siberia prepared to drive a herd of longhorns to their new owners in Bakaskaya. After a very creative way of avoiding the bureaucracy and red-tape denying them landing (priceless), the cowboys and their herd are off, although to their dismay they are to be escorted by Cossacks from Bakaskaya for their own "protection".
What follows is a highly enjoyable tale as the two disparate groups of cowboys and Cossacks begin to build mutual respect and friendship as they battle the difficulties they face along the way - from crossing raising rivers, avoiding confrontations with the Czar's Cossacks all leading up to a horrifying showdown with the barbarian Tartars against unbelievable odds (you won't believe it 'till you read it).
In the end, despite the trappings of high Western adventure in the East, this book is much more than that - it is about the men and the relationships and respect (and love) that grew as they faced the many challenges along the way to Bakaskaya and beyond. You'll be laughing on one page and crying at the next as a very fickle fate delivers the good along with the bad. Like another reviewer I was a bit skeptical about the always available whiskey so many miles into the Siberian frontier, but outside of that and a couple other nitpicks, this was a highly engaging tale and I had a hard time putting it down. Western fans should find this one right up their alley. 4/5/5 stars.
Written in 1973, Huffaker's tale is told from the viewpoint of nineteen year old Levi Dougherty as in 1880 he and a group of Montana cowboys from the Slash-Diamond ranch arrive at Vladivostok, Siberia prepared to drive a herd of longhorns to their new owners in Bakaskaya. After a very creative way of avoiding the bureaucracy and red-tape denying them landing (priceless), the cowboys and their herd are off, although to their dismay they are to be escorted by Cossacks from Bakaskaya for their own "protection".
What follows is a highly enjoyable tale as the two disparate groups of cowboys and Cossacks begin to build mutual respect and friendship as they battle the difficulties they face along the way - from crossing raising rivers, avoiding confrontations with the Czar's Cossacks all leading up to a horrifying showdown with the barbarian Tartars against unbelievable odds (you won't believe it 'till you read it).
In the end, despite the trappings of high Western adventure in the East, this book is much more than that - it is about the men and the relationships and respect (and love) that grew as they faced the many challenges along the way to Bakaskaya and beyond. You'll be laughing on one page and crying at the next as a very fickle fate delivers the good along with the bad. Like another reviewer I was a bit skeptical about the always available whiskey so many miles into the Siberian frontier, but outside of that and a couple other nitpicks, this was a highly engaging tale and I had a hard time putting it down. Western fans should find this one right up their alley. 4/5/5 stars.
November 4, 2017
One of the many books I have recently discovered at the fascinating
Neglected Books page. Even for those who are not fans of Western novels, this tale of a band of cowboys hired to wrangle a herd of cows from Montana to Siberia should be of interest to anyone who enjoys a rousing tale of heroism, getting by, and culture clash. There's Cossacks, stampedes, great scenery, Tartar attacks and more. Sadly, out of print in all but an expensive library edition. Clair Huffaker wrote a number of western novels and then collaborated on the screenplays. Two examples: Rio Conchos and War Wagon. Why this book has never been adapted for the screen is a mystery to me.
Neglected Books page. Even for those who are not fans of Western novels, this tale of a band of cowboys hired to wrangle a herd of cows from Montana to Siberia should be of interest to anyone who enjoys a rousing tale of heroism, getting by, and culture clash. There's Cossacks, stampedes, great scenery, Tartar attacks and more. Sadly, out of print in all but an expensive library edition. Clair Huffaker wrote a number of western novels and then collaborated on the screenplays. Two examples: Rio Conchos and War Wagon. Why this book has never been adapted for the screen is a mystery to me.
July 16, 2013
This is an amazing book about the meeting of representatives of two cultures, American Cowboys and Russian Cossacks, on a cattle drive deep into Siberia. There is also the clash of two strong, stubborn men, the Cossack Chief and the cowboy trail boss. As the miles pile up and dangers are faced and overcome, the two groups learn to respect each other, then appreciate each other's skills as they become more like brothers than rivals.
July 13, 2023
This is such a wonderful book. And for those of you thinking to yourselves but "I don't like westerns," I have two questions. 1) Have your even read a western? And 2) Have you read this western?
Also the admirable yet flawed men in this book were such a breath of fresh air after reading the alpha male fae nonsense depicted in so many modern fantasy novels (I'm talking to you Ms. Maas).
Also the admirable yet flawed men in this book were such a breath of fresh air after reading the alpha male fae nonsense depicted in so many modern fantasy novels (I'm talking to you Ms. Maas).
June 1, 2007
One of the all-time greatest adventure stories ever.
May 25, 2016
Not one boring bit in the whole book!
June 16, 2011
I was a little disappointed in this book because it received such high ratings and was recommended by the author of Booklust. The story line was good, about a group of Montana cowboys delivering cattle to a group of "free" Cossacks in Russia in 1880. I found the description of the clash between cultures (cowboys, Cossacks), between the free Cossacks and the Tsar's Cossacks, and between the TarTars and everyone very interesting. But the book was a "Western," written for young adults in the 1970s. There were too many "poignant" moments and meaningful words (although, keeping with the cowboy theme, they were short). The two heros were way too stereotyped. The narrator explained everything that occurred, leaving the reader no chance to figure things out for herself. All in all, I may have liked the book better if I'd read it when I was younger, but I was looking for more depth, history, description of the country...
February 2, 2013
A very good western tale that takes place, not in the U.S. west, but in the east of Russia - Siberia. A group of cow hands from a Montana ranch are fullfilling a contract to deliver a herd of longhorn cattle to a " free " town in czarist Russia. They are met at the port of Vladivostok by an equal sized contingent of free (anti czarist) Cossacks from the destination town, whose task it is to see that the cowboys and more importantly, the longhorns, reach their destination safely. A safe journey across Siberia is almost an oxymoron as the U.S. contingent soon learns. What starts out as animosity between the cowboys and the Cossacks is forged into grudging admiration and then true friendship by the furnace of hardship and battle. Both groups are led by true heroes who lead their men into unwanted confrontations with czarist Cossacks and fearsome Tartars. It is easy and enjoyable reading.
May 2, 2013
Weirdly enough, it wasn't until I finished this novel that I discovered it was originally published in 1976 and was rediscovered by this woman Nancy Pearl who has put together a series of novels she thinks are worthy of bringing back to life. I have always been a big fan of westerns and was intrigued by the storyline of this novel where some Montana cowboys bring a herd of 500 head of cattle across the Pacific ocean to eastern Russia, meet up with some rebel Cossacks who help them drive this herd together across Siberia while fighting off all sorts of enemies. Huffaker did a wonderful job developing the characters and showed how the cowboys and the Cossacks were so much alike, even though they came from entirely different cultures. This is an adventure yearn worth reading!
December 15, 2012
Shad and Rostov, a cowboy and a Cossack, two men, two countries, one destiny. A crazy drive of 500 longhorns across Eastern Siberia in 1880, bring these two great men together. At first it seems that their differences are too great for them to understand each other. Yet time, difficulties and dangers will bind them closer than brothers. East and West clashing then joining unfolds with great drama and good humor. A captivating story of unparalleled courage and leadership made me not want to put the book down.
Would have loved to have had John Wayne and Omar Shariff act the lead roles in a good old western movie!
Would have loved to have had John Wayne and Omar Shariff act the lead roles in a good old western movie!
August 6, 2019
The premise sounded really fun, no matter how improbable. The execution, however, leaves much to be desired. Too many details about things that make no difference to the story, lots of repetition, and characters that just don't ring true. The narration was fine, but the cowboy and Russian accents got old fast. Didn't finish but got past the half-way point.
January 27, 2026
Long, slow burn but a good read. Even if it took me years to finish.
December 13, 2022
i am i
and you are you
and we are both
each other too
O my... What a beautiful book! As it was written on the cover: a bold, exciting adventure novel, rich in colorful characters, that looks deep into men's souls
I was so sure I wouldn't like it. I do not even know why I put it on "to-read" shelf. But I trust myself from the past enough to always at least try books I wanted to read. And almost from the first page I was sucked. I had difficulties with taking breaks.
Each man is his own poem, Levi. Keep yours a good one.
It was a manly adventure, deep, wise, and funny.
The story was fictional but it got a feeling of those times and people. It was a bit in "black or white"/"good or bad" style, but it was so subtle that it didn't matter.
I got really involved in the story. I loved the characters. And I was truly sad when someone was killed.
June 8, 2010
When I think of great novels about people traveling abroad, I usually think of something by Graham Greene, Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano or perhaps Hemingway’s Sun Also Rises but Cowboy and the Cossack should make the cut, too. Yes, it is a Western about cowboys in wide open spaces, but the action takes place in far eastern Russia in the 1880’s. These cowboys are not out there to expand their intellectual horizons but out there because they’ve been paid to take 500 head of cattle from Seattle through Siberia . Their traveling companions are traditional Russian Cossack warriors and the adventures and threats they face are those of an untamed Siberia . They may not be highly educated or sophisticated travelers but they are observant and intellectual and they deal with culture shock. The writing is good and the story compelling. At times, I thought that there was a little too much sappiness or heart-warming moments in the context of these warrior/cowboys, but it was also somewhat believable that in their unusual situation, these hard men became a little closer than normal. A recommended read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2014
Quite interesting! It was recommended by a former teacher who recommended it to high school boys. I can see where it would appeal to them - action, swearing, adventure. It appealed to me for the same reasons as well althought the philosophical aspect seems a little old fashioned and maybe too introspective for todays teen boys. I cared about all the characters and would love to revisit them. It also made me curious about the author and what else she might have written.
It reminded me of one of my favorite old books - O Rugged Land of Gold by Martha Martin. A pregnant women gets stranded alone in alaska for the winter when her husband, son and partner take off on onel last supply run. Worth the read if you can find a copy.
It reminded me of one of my favorite old books - O Rugged Land of Gold by Martha Martin. A pregnant women gets stranded alone in alaska for the winter when her husband, son and partner take off on onel last supply run. Worth the read if you can find a copy.
July 27, 2011
This novel turned out to be enjoyable and touching, once I got past my initial perceptions of an implausible scenario with stupid cowboy dialog. In it we join a group of cowboys taking a herd of longhorns to Russia and teaming up with a group of Cossacks to deliver them to a break-away region of Tsarist Russia.
It's told through the eyes of a young cowboy, and his limited vocabulary ends up being the charming aspect of the book as he tries to express observations and feelings that are damnere philosphical. In his simple way he ends up expressing a whole lot regarding human respect for those who are different, varying systems of honor and loyalty, and the qualities of good leadership.
It's told through the eyes of a young cowboy, and his limited vocabulary ends up being the charming aspect of the book as he tries to express observations and feelings that are damnere philosphical. In his simple way he ends up expressing a whole lot regarding human respect for those who are different, varying systems of honor and loyalty, and the qualities of good leadership.
November 20, 2013
This book gets one of my highest accolades: It was a hell of a good read. I don't normally read westerns, and this is a western that takes place in Russia! But I love Nancy Pearl's Book Lust series, and this is one of her newly launched (with Amazon) rediscovery books. These are books that have been out of print for years, but that need to be read and enjoyed by new generations. I decided to give this one a try, and boy am I glad I did. The growing love and respect between men of different nationalities who endure difficulties from nature and other men is truly inspiring and touching, leaving me in tears at the end. Cowboys and Tartars instead of cowboys and indians, who knew?
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