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Wolves of Eden
1866, Dakota Territory. Red Cloud’s coalition of tribes is battling the U.S. Army to reclaim hunting grounds in the Powder River Valley. Against this background, Wolves of Eden sets four men on a deadly collision course in a narrative that explores the cruelty of warfare, the power of love and the resilience of the human spirit. Lieutenant Martin Molloy and his loyal orderly are sent west to investigate a triple murder at a frontier fort, and Irish immigrant brothers Thomas and Michael O’Driscoll, who survived the brutal frontlines of the Civil War, find themselves as both hunters and the hunted in another bloody campaign. Blending intimate historical detail and emotional acuity, Wolves of Eden is “a riveting and propulsive mystery” (Publishers Weekly).
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
690 people are currently reading
4631 people want to read
About the author
Kevin McCarthy
115 books116 followersKevin McCarthy is the author of the highly acclaimed historical crime novel, 'Peeler' (Mercier Press, 2010). Called a '...dark, brooding, morally complex masterpiece...' by the Belfast Telegraph, 'Peeler' was selected by the Irish Times as one of its Top Ten Thrillers of 2010 and as a Read of the Year 2010 by the Philadelphia Inquirer. His short story "Twenty-five and Out" appears in 'Down These Green Streets: Irish Crime Writing in the 21st Century'. Kevin's second novel, 'Irregulars', is published by New Island Books and was shortlisted for the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book of the Year 2013. His novel, 'Wolves of Eden', published by W.W. Norton, was selected by Amazon as one of its 20 Best Books 2018. His latest novel, 'The Wintering Place' (W.W. Norton, 2022), a follow up to The Wolves of Eden, was selected by Amazon as one of its 20 Best Books of the Month, November 2022. He is represented by Jonathan Williams Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
November 21, 2018
Michael and Thomas O'Driscoll wore "Union Blue" uniforms and bravely fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. Friends and neighbors proudly soldiered side by side. In the aftermath of the war, now 1866, unlike the Union Army, the Regular Army seemed to be comprised of former toughs, drunks and thieves..."a band of filthy highwaymen", men working for $13/month and passage to the West".
Between 1866-68, Fort Phil Kearny was being constructed in Dakota Territory along the Bozeman Trail in Powder River Country. The fort would protect caravans of settlers as well as miners trying to strike it rich in the Montana gold fields. Soldiers would stand "picket" or embark upon the "woodtrain" travelling several miles to cut down trees to further the construction of the fort. These ventures encroached upon Indian territory and threatened Indian hunting grounds fueling Red Cloud's War, a brutal conflict between the U.S. Army and the Sioux.
After the Civil War ended, Michael and Thomas tried working as farm hands...but...why would a farmer employ two white brothers when it would be more cost efficient to hire four blacks who would perform double the work for the same pay? Tom and Michael decided to enlist in the Regular Army. They would be stationed out west and be required to assist in building Ft. Kearny.
Often soldiers kept journals of their wartime exploits and observations, some replete with drawings. Michael O'Driscoll kept "an account of sorts" since he was recently sequestered in the Guardhouse accused of a triple murder. One of the victims, sutler Kinney was brother-in-law to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. What was needed was "A neck for the noose...whether it be Indian, soldier..." Incarcerated, with time on his hands, Michael wrote the "True Testament and Confession of Soldier in the 18th Infantry in the Reg. Army of the U.S. at Fort Phil Kearny, Dakota Territory". Is he guilty? Is he a scapegoat? Michael's written account additionally describes the life changing injury brother Tom sustained in the Civil War.
Captain Molloy had dreams and nightmares, reliving the atrocities committed during the Civil War. His continual drunkenness and inability to care for his money and affairs became the job and burden of his orderly, Corporal Kohn. Kohn viewed the world as a place of religious intolerance, a place without love and kindness. While Capt. Molloy might soft pedal concerns regarding military procedure, Kohn was a by the book soldier. When Molloy and Kohn were deployed to Ft. Kearny to investigate the murders, Capt. Molloy felt that there was "no good end to such a task..."
"Wolves of Eden" by Kevin McCarthy was comprised of three converging storylines. Michael O'Driscoll's "True Testament" traces the path taken by Irish immigrants, Tom and Michael including their brief prior encounter with Capt. Molloy during the Civil War. Molloy and Kohn must investigate and determine the Guardhouse prisoner's possible culpability for the murders. Against the backdrop of Red Cloud's War, one witnesses the brutal conflicts and hostilities created by the Westward Expansion. Author McCarthy has written an excellent novel of historical fiction this reader highly recommends.
Thank you W.W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Wolves of Eden".
Between 1866-68, Fort Phil Kearny was being constructed in Dakota Territory along the Bozeman Trail in Powder River Country. The fort would protect caravans of settlers as well as miners trying to strike it rich in the Montana gold fields. Soldiers would stand "picket" or embark upon the "woodtrain" travelling several miles to cut down trees to further the construction of the fort. These ventures encroached upon Indian territory and threatened Indian hunting grounds fueling Red Cloud's War, a brutal conflict between the U.S. Army and the Sioux.
After the Civil War ended, Michael and Thomas tried working as farm hands...but...why would a farmer employ two white brothers when it would be more cost efficient to hire four blacks who would perform double the work for the same pay? Tom and Michael decided to enlist in the Regular Army. They would be stationed out west and be required to assist in building Ft. Kearny.
Often soldiers kept journals of their wartime exploits and observations, some replete with drawings. Michael O'Driscoll kept "an account of sorts" since he was recently sequestered in the Guardhouse accused of a triple murder. One of the victims, sutler Kinney was brother-in-law to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. What was needed was "A neck for the noose...whether it be Indian, soldier..." Incarcerated, with time on his hands, Michael wrote the "True Testament and Confession of Soldier in the 18th Infantry in the Reg. Army of the U.S. at Fort Phil Kearny, Dakota Territory". Is he guilty? Is he a scapegoat? Michael's written account additionally describes the life changing injury brother Tom sustained in the Civil War.
Captain Molloy had dreams and nightmares, reliving the atrocities committed during the Civil War. His continual drunkenness and inability to care for his money and affairs became the job and burden of his orderly, Corporal Kohn. Kohn viewed the world as a place of religious intolerance, a place without love and kindness. While Capt. Molloy might soft pedal concerns regarding military procedure, Kohn was a by the book soldier. When Molloy and Kohn were deployed to Ft. Kearny to investigate the murders, Capt. Molloy felt that there was "no good end to such a task..."
"Wolves of Eden" by Kevin McCarthy was comprised of three converging storylines. Michael O'Driscoll's "True Testament" traces the path taken by Irish immigrants, Tom and Michael including their brief prior encounter with Capt. Molloy during the Civil War. Molloy and Kohn must investigate and determine the Guardhouse prisoner's possible culpability for the murders. Against the backdrop of Red Cloud's War, one witnesses the brutal conflicts and hostilities created by the Westward Expansion. Author McCarthy has written an excellent novel of historical fiction this reader highly recommends.
Thank you W.W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Wolves of Eden".
December 5, 2022
With Wolves in Eden (2019), Kevin McCarthy has delivered a raw, brutal, historically authentic account of the experiences of Irish immigrants who served as troops in the post-Civil War army; an army that was charged with the responsibility of maintaining peace by subjugating the Indian tribes who fought to save their homeland and their hunting grounds.
It is a portrait of a frontier army that shares little, if anything, with the romanticized trilogy of entertaining cavalry films that starred John Wayne and were directed by John Ford, with the iconic vistas of Monument Valley serving as background.
Rather than Hollywood, Wolves of Eden’s progenitor is Irish writer Sebastian Barry’s Day’s Without End (2016), which also presents an unromantic picture of the Irish immigrant, and other soldiers, serving on the American frontier. And in its depiction of violence it shares some common ground with John Williams’ Butcher’s Crossing (2007).
What McCarthy has cleverly produced is a plot that, among other things, is both a historical Western and a noirish murder mystery. Furthermore, it is told through two narrative devices: a journal written by an Irish private who has been accused of, and arrested for, the murder of an unscrupulous sutler, his wife, and his bodyguard; and a third-person narrative of the efforts of a drunken army officer (also Irish) and a sergeant (a self-described ‘half-Polish, Silesian Dutchie Jew’) to solve the murder.
The case had attracted more attention than it would have otherwise deserved, even reaching all the way to the highest echelons of the federal government, for the sutler was the brother-in-law of the secretary of the treasury.
The two narratives slowly build until they collide at the end in an emotional and heart-wrenching conclusion.
The story is a blend of fictional and historical events and characters. In fact, it climaxes with the so-called Fetterman Massacre that resulted in the worst defeat of the frontier army prior to Custer’s debacle a decade later. I say “so-called,” because the massacre label always depends on one’s perspective.
This is Kevin McCarthy’s first venture into the American West, but I hope that it is not his last.
It is a portrait of a frontier army that shares little, if anything, with the romanticized trilogy of entertaining cavalry films that starred John Wayne and were directed by John Ford, with the iconic vistas of Monument Valley serving as background.
Rather than Hollywood, Wolves of Eden’s progenitor is Irish writer Sebastian Barry’s Day’s Without End (2016), which also presents an unromantic picture of the Irish immigrant, and other soldiers, serving on the American frontier. And in its depiction of violence it shares some common ground with John Williams’ Butcher’s Crossing (2007).
What McCarthy has cleverly produced is a plot that, among other things, is both a historical Western and a noirish murder mystery. Furthermore, it is told through two narrative devices: a journal written by an Irish private who has been accused of, and arrested for, the murder of an unscrupulous sutler, his wife, and his bodyguard; and a third-person narrative of the efforts of a drunken army officer (also Irish) and a sergeant (a self-described ‘half-Polish, Silesian Dutchie Jew’) to solve the murder.
The case had attracted more attention than it would have otherwise deserved, even reaching all the way to the highest echelons of the federal government, for the sutler was the brother-in-law of the secretary of the treasury.
The two narratives slowly build until they collide at the end in an emotional and heart-wrenching conclusion.
The story is a blend of fictional and historical events and characters. In fact, it climaxes with the so-called Fetterman Massacre that resulted in the worst defeat of the frontier army prior to Custer’s debacle a decade later. I say “so-called,” because the massacre label always depends on one’s perspective.
This is Kevin McCarthy’s first venture into the American West, but I hope that it is not his last.
November 12, 2018
2.5 stars
Centered after the Civil War in 1866, with the Bozeman War at hand, Wolves of Eden follows two main plotlines capturing the hardships and resilience of four men entrenched between orders, corruption and murder.
Spanning over the armed conflict between the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho on one side and the United States in Wyoming and Montana territories from 1866 to 1868, an area that was fought over for control of the western Powder River Country in present north-central Wyoming.
Irish man Captain Martin Molloy is still haunted by his actions in the war and he drinks it away. Jewish Corporal Daniel Kohn is caring for him and garners some of the spirits by doing so…just a few perks of the job. Unsure how Molloy will fair and trying to keep him from drinking to death, the two of them have to succumb to orders that take them out west to investigate the murder of the sutler and his wife at Fort Phil Kearney. Once there, the corruption, illegal activities and trouble awaiting them, prove a serious challenge to investigate.
In the meantime, hopping from little farming jobs to the next, Michael and Thomas O’Driscoll, Irish immigrant brothers, have returned from the front lines of the Civil War. Adapting poorly to this new life, they seek a chance and reenlist into the army to better their living. They are shipped right away to Fort Phil Kearney into the heart of the Powder River Valley where the merciless combat between American soldiers and the Red Cloud’s coalition of Native tribes is happening. Amidst it all, Thomas falls in love as battles escalate around. Here they will be challenged with worst combat situations they have ever been put through.
***
My interest and enjoyment of history and historical novels, if fiction or non-fiction, led me to request this title from Netgalley. I did not expect it to read like a textbook, nor did I hope to gain or seek knowledge of such kind from reading it. As I would consider my interest to be of leisure, I cannot attest or confirm the details of the research done for the backdrop of this novel. I do feel confident to say that I would imagine the characters speech patterns or wording between immigrants and military jargon to be of authentic sound.
Despite my interest in the matter, I found it difficult to become really invested in this novel. Perhaps it is a lack on my part versus the author’s fault, but I found the pacing of the novel to be of much variance sometimes. The characters were also a bit two dimensional for me. The space of the novel was all filled, but the depth I was seeking in the characters lacked for me. Personally, I do enjoy more emotional intricacies to be vested in the story, albeit I do understand or believe, that was not the purpose of the novel. The time period and subject matter definitely required strong characters.
I received a digital copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
Centered after the Civil War in 1866, with the Bozeman War at hand, Wolves of Eden follows two main plotlines capturing the hardships and resilience of four men entrenched between orders, corruption and murder.
Spanning over the armed conflict between the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho on one side and the United States in Wyoming and Montana territories from 1866 to 1868, an area that was fought over for control of the western Powder River Country in present north-central Wyoming.
Irish man Captain Martin Molloy is still haunted by his actions in the war and he drinks it away. Jewish Corporal Daniel Kohn is caring for him and garners some of the spirits by doing so…just a few perks of the job. Unsure how Molloy will fair and trying to keep him from drinking to death, the two of them have to succumb to orders that take them out west to investigate the murder of the sutler and his wife at Fort Phil Kearney. Once there, the corruption, illegal activities and trouble awaiting them, prove a serious challenge to investigate.
In the meantime, hopping from little farming jobs to the next, Michael and Thomas O’Driscoll, Irish immigrant brothers, have returned from the front lines of the Civil War. Adapting poorly to this new life, they seek a chance and reenlist into the army to better their living. They are shipped right away to Fort Phil Kearney into the heart of the Powder River Valley where the merciless combat between American soldiers and the Red Cloud’s coalition of Native tribes is happening. Amidst it all, Thomas falls in love as battles escalate around. Here they will be challenged with worst combat situations they have ever been put through.
***
My interest and enjoyment of history and historical novels, if fiction or non-fiction, led me to request this title from Netgalley. I did not expect it to read like a textbook, nor did I hope to gain or seek knowledge of such kind from reading it. As I would consider my interest to be of leisure, I cannot attest or confirm the details of the research done for the backdrop of this novel. I do feel confident to say that I would imagine the characters speech patterns or wording between immigrants and military jargon to be of authentic sound.
Despite my interest in the matter, I found it difficult to become really invested in this novel. Perhaps it is a lack on my part versus the author’s fault, but I found the pacing of the novel to be of much variance sometimes. The characters were also a bit two dimensional for me. The space of the novel was all filled, but the depth I was seeking in the characters lacked for me. Personally, I do enjoy more emotional intricacies to be vested in the story, albeit I do understand or believe, that was not the purpose of the novel. The time period and subject matter definitely required strong characters.
I received a digital copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
November 4, 2018
To start, this is not a book I would normally pick up to read. I love a good crime story, but not usually one that is a crime story back in a different historical time. I'm just not a history buff at all, never have been. With that said, I am not disappointed that I read this. I found Kevin McCarthy a very good writer. I enjoyed his writing down to the way everyone spoke. I could hear them speaking. It was good reading with an interesting story and great character development.
This is set back during Red Cloud's War (1866-68). It is mainly set at a Fort being built on the Bozeman Trail with soldiers fighting the indigenous Indians. I found it very interesting to follow the characters history as you learned where they came from to how and where they are now. I found the character development to be extraordinary and to me that made the book interesting.
It was a story being told two separate ways. One way was from the investigation of the murders that happened near that fort. Then on opposite chapters it was a confession being written by one of the brothers that you get to know during this story. I found both of these separate stories fascinating and intriguing. The author holds off until the very end to fill you in on what really happened on the night in question.
This is not your typical history lesson, but I did learn some things and didn't mind it. I usually loathe history lessons; finding them really boring. It was enjoyable with the mystery being embedded during the history lesson.
I can't say it was a 5 Star, but it wasn't a bad read at all and for someone who enjoys history more, it may a 5 star for you. I thought the author did a great job bringing it all together.
This is set back during Red Cloud's War (1866-68). It is mainly set at a Fort being built on the Bozeman Trail with soldiers fighting the indigenous Indians. I found it very interesting to follow the characters history as you learned where they came from to how and where they are now. I found the character development to be extraordinary and to me that made the book interesting.
It was a story being told two separate ways. One way was from the investigation of the murders that happened near that fort. Then on opposite chapters it was a confession being written by one of the brothers that you get to know during this story. I found both of these separate stories fascinating and intriguing. The author holds off until the very end to fill you in on what really happened on the night in question.
This is not your typical history lesson, but I did learn some things and didn't mind it. I usually loathe history lessons; finding them really boring. It was enjoyable with the mystery being embedded during the history lesson.
I can't say it was a 5 Star, but it wasn't a bad read at all and for someone who enjoys history more, it may a 5 star for you. I thought the author did a great job bringing it all together.
June 22, 2018
As a sucker for good Historical Fiction let me say I loved this book. Kevin McCarthy has done a creditable job with contextual narrative even down to what must be, imagined idiosyncratic dialogue.
He has particularly made a fist of the parallel storylines with little hint of the convergence until well into the novel.
Yes, there's minimal character background but the main protagonists hold strongly on their own. It's a little bloody for sure, but that's to be expected when a writer sets out to accurately portray events in a time that held life cheaply.
My thanks to NetGalley and W.W.Norton & Co. along with Kevin McCarthy for the opportunity to review this work.
He has particularly made a fist of the parallel storylines with little hint of the convergence until well into the novel.
Yes, there's minimal character background but the main protagonists hold strongly on their own. It's a little bloody for sure, but that's to be expected when a writer sets out to accurately portray events in a time that held life cheaply.
My thanks to NetGalley and W.W.Norton & Co. along with Kevin McCarthy for the opportunity to review this work.
February 8, 2019
Gritty, literary historical fiction set during Red Cloud's War (1866-68) in the Dakota Territories. In the author's Historical Note he writes that "many of the events in the novel are as true to the historical record as I could make them within the bounds of fiction" before going on to note "the crimes perpetrated by the government and army of the United States on the Indigenous peoples of the American west are real. Fiction has nothing on them."
Amen to that.
Amen to that.
March 9, 2021
This book is SO good! By far, the best I read in the last year. Kevin McCarthy transports you to a time and place so thick with detail and authenticity that you will feel you're there. Can't recommend this enough!
December 9, 2018
The Amazon.com editors selected Wolves of Eden as one of the best 20 books of 2018, and for good reason. Kevin McCarthy’s writing is superb. Amazing to me is how he can create scenes totally unique from what I’ve read in other books. I felt at times McCarthy actually walked amongst the characters and had a stop-action-watch so he could capture the entire scene. The book is not a fast read, partly because of the details and partly because time is needed to savor the writing.
Basic storyline: Two Irish brothers prior to this book left Ireland after an unpleasant incident there to join the Union Army during the Civil War. The book begins as, after another unpleasant incident post-war, the brothers re-enlist in the Army under assumed names, only to be sent to a fort in the Dakota territory (what's now Wyoming) where they are involved in yet more unpleasantness. And in addition Indians are out to kill them on a regular basis.
I don’t know how much of the book comes from research and how much strictly from McCarthy’s imagination, but the story, the people, and the events seem so real.
I have no idea why McCarthy (or some editor) titled the book WOLVES OF EDEN. Eye-catching, but the wolves in the story are minor aspects at best.
I wondered how the book would end. I imagined several alternatives. Turns out I wasn’t close. Even though the ending was nowhere near what I thought it would be, I rather liked it. For sure it didn’t disappoint me or make me angry.
And for extra credit it has a map at the front.
Bottom Line: Great Book.
Basic storyline: Two Irish brothers prior to this book left Ireland after an unpleasant incident there to join the Union Army during the Civil War. The book begins as, after another unpleasant incident post-war, the brothers re-enlist in the Army under assumed names, only to be sent to a fort in the Dakota territory (what's now Wyoming) where they are involved in yet more unpleasantness. And in addition Indians are out to kill them on a regular basis.
I don’t know how much of the book comes from research and how much strictly from McCarthy’s imagination, but the story, the people, and the events seem so real.
I have no idea why McCarthy (or some editor) titled the book WOLVES OF EDEN. Eye-catching, but the wolves in the story are minor aspects at best.
I wondered how the book would end. I imagined several alternatives. Turns out I wasn’t close. Even though the ending was nowhere near what I thought it would be, I rather liked it. For sure it didn’t disappoint me or make me angry.
And for extra credit it has a map at the front.
Bottom Line: Great Book.
January 11, 2019
a laborious read, and not enough of any one aspect of the events to give it any forcefulness... after reading the afterword, i am even more at a loss as to what this book was attempting to show me... as an historical fiction, it does little to put the reader in the times, except by telling you it is the years in and around the US Civil War... there isn't much to ground you in the Indian Wars part either, sadly... as a murder mystery piece, it is too meandering and sporadic, and i don't think the dueling time periods did anything to drive the narrative... i felt little for Tom or Michael, as they seemed like opportunists and simpleminded and unlikeable sorts... Kohn was the star of the book, his love for Molloy contrasted with his visceral/brutal side made him fascinating... i just felt this was much too long and not impactful on any front to be worth recommending...
November 10, 2018
In the aftermath of the Civil War, soldiers who have nowhere else to go and who are not fit for civilized society, head to the frontier where the battle to claim the west from the Indians is raging. McCarthy tells the story of these rough, crude, battle-scarred men with sympathy. As the plot lines of “Wolves” converge, the heartbreaking humanity of the best and worst of these devastatingly scarred men is revealed.
November 30, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The intent of the story is not to provide great detail about the backgrounds of each of the main characters: Kohn, Malloy, Thomas and Michael. Yet you still feel as if you understand what drives each of them or, alternatively, gives them nightmares.
The chapters written by Michael take some time to read with the bad words written out, his broken English and underlining. But it only adds to the authenticity of his story.
The love between Molloy and Kohn is also well written. Kohn is devoted to Molloy despite his frequent anger and frustration with Molloy. But don’t we all feel that way about those we love most?
Many of the scenes are graphic but necessary to describe the situations these men found themselves in. And historically correct, from my limited understanding.
The chapters written by Michael take some time to read with the bad words written out, his broken English and underlining. But it only adds to the authenticity of his story.
The love between Molloy and Kohn is also well written. Kohn is devoted to Molloy despite his frequent anger and frustration with Molloy. But don’t we all feel that way about those we love most?
Many of the scenes are graphic but necessary to describe the situations these men found themselves in. And historically correct, from my limited understanding.
November 28, 2018
Excellent mix of historical fact and fiction
Engaging combination of well researched historical fact and plausible fiction. The plot was skillfully presented through several beautifully developed characters. Very engaging and fun to read!
Engaging combination of well researched historical fact and plausible fiction. The plot was skillfully presented through several beautifully developed characters. Very engaging and fun to read!
March 20, 2019
Historical novel
McCarthy has done his homework and brought us a western
Novel accurate in the language, ethnic strife, and the resourcefulness of the people settling the west. The novel is well written and is an accurate rendering of the immigrant experience in settling the west. It reads fast. There is a touch of melancholy and impending tragedy in nearly every page which adequately reflects the settling of the west I the 1860,s--early 1870's.
McCarthy has done his homework and brought us a western
Novel accurate in the language, ethnic strife, and the resourcefulness of the people settling the west. The novel is well written and is an accurate rendering of the immigrant experience in settling the west. It reads fast. There is a touch of melancholy and impending tragedy in nearly every page which adequately reflects the settling of the west I the 1860,s--early 1870's.
March 5, 2019
I couldn't finish this. The first 100 or so pages started well, then everything fizzled out. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style to begin with, but I plowed through. In the end, the character development went nowhere and all suspense was lost after I realized I didn't care about any of the main characters.
June 11, 2019
I don’t often read westerns but when I do I hope it’s by an author like Kevin McCarthy! A real feel with characters such as The O’Driscoll brothers, Michael and Tom, Captain Malloy, Sergeant Kohn etc. unrecognized PTSD after the Civil War is in the forefront of the story. I also enjoy the style of two parallel stories converging as one. This is one I won’t soon forget!
July 9, 2019
Was captivated by this novel. It's not a "western" - which I don't care for - but a realistic and historical portrayal of Army life out west just after the civil war. The characters were fully defined and sympathetic, the dialect spot on, and the plot never lagged. Definitely felt I was there in the Dakotas!
May 3, 2019
Having just read a nonfiction book about the Bozeman trail and Red Cloud, it is truly amazing the level of detail McCarthy puts into this historical fiction novel. It all checks out and makes for a compelling story. I enjoyed it very much.
April 19, 2023
There is no 1 single spark that sets alight a terrible thing to come in a man's life
Wolves of Eden is an extremely slow burning blend of a literary historical fiction novel, and a tense, nail-biting Western. The result of this is a thing of beauty; a novel that's stripped of any flashiness while also being told with gorgeous prose, a story that's made to be savored, while also being filled with action. McCarthy has delivered a strikingly profound depiction of The American West in this brutally honest and raw account of two brothers who will do all they can to survive their precarious lives.
Spanning three separate, but eventually intertwining narratives, this is more than just a simple story about some cowboys. This is an intoxicating and sweeping thing, an adventure that traces the paths taken by these two brothers, and the consequences that are racing to catch them. As a novel, this just feels so authentic, and so very real. It's acts almost as a history lesson, just with all the boring monotony burned away.
That quote is kind of everything I adore about the nature writing in this novel, it never once feels overwrought or rife with needless description, and yet it's still so powerful. The backdrop of this tale, The American West, has always been a harsh and unforgiving place, and it's here that it becomes something even more sinister, the landscape lurking in the background ready to wage its final war against man. It's no secret that I adore novels, and authors who can so fantastically deliver nature writing while never once slowing down their initial narrative. I've read many such a book, and this one also sits proudly on that list.
This was my first adventure with Kevin McCarthy, and from what I'm hearing, his first time writing about the west. I hope for both of us, there's another.
The gallows rope would have ended all this for him. Better the rope maybe, than living with one eye forever cast behind you.
Wolves of Eden is an extremely slow burning blend of a literary historical fiction novel, and a tense, nail-biting Western. The result of this is a thing of beauty; a novel that's stripped of any flashiness while also being told with gorgeous prose, a story that's made to be savored, while also being filled with action. McCarthy has delivered a strikingly profound depiction of The American West in this brutally honest and raw account of two brothers who will do all they can to survive their precarious lives.
Spanning three separate, but eventually intertwining narratives, this is more than just a simple story about some cowboys. This is an intoxicating and sweeping thing, an adventure that traces the paths taken by these two brothers, and the consequences that are racing to catch them. As a novel, this just feels so authentic, and so very real. It's acts almost as a history lesson, just with all the boring monotony burned away.
Snowflakes drifting in halos of lantern light. The horses breathe heavy bolts of steam. Safe, Kohn thinks. Safe, god-damn it all.
That quote is kind of everything I adore about the nature writing in this novel, it never once feels overwrought or rife with needless description, and yet it's still so powerful. The backdrop of this tale, The American West, has always been a harsh and unforgiving place, and it's here that it becomes something even more sinister, the landscape lurking in the background ready to wage its final war against man. It's no secret that I adore novels, and authors who can so fantastically deliver nature writing while never once slowing down their initial narrative. I've read many such a book, and this one also sits proudly on that list.
This was my first adventure with Kevin McCarthy, and from what I'm hearing, his first time writing about the west. I hope for both of us, there's another.
The gallows rope would have ended all this for him. Better the rope maybe, than living with one eye forever cast behind you.
March 21, 2019
It’s only the middle of March (just past the Ides) but Wolves of Eden will most likely be my favorite read of 2019. It is everything I love about books, and maybe the best “western novel” I have ever read.
It is first, the tale of Michael O’Driscoll and his brother Thomas. They fled Ireland because of a killing and wound up in America just in time to do lots of killing as Civil War soldiers. But now the war is over and these very damaged brothers have decided to re-up, for the wages and grub. They will go West to fight in the Indian wars.
It is also the tale of Capt. Molloy and Sgt. Kohn. They are sent west to investigate three murders that took place at Fort Kearney in the Dakota territory. That’s where the O’Driscoll brothers are posted, and oh yes, their paths will cross.
The chapters alternate. Michael O’Driscoll’s fascinating journal provides background as to how he ended up facing the hangman’s rope so many miles from his beloved Ireland. Michael's journal is a masterpiece of story-telling. The alternate chapters focus on Molloy and Kohn working their way through a murder investigation and every obstacle they meet along the way. The obstacles are MANY and the relationship between these two men is riveting,
The characters are rich and complicated. The dialogue is authentically rough. The action is detailed and often brutal. The pacing goes from slow burn to explosive in the blink of an eye.
Every page is a gem. I love this book.
It is first, the tale of Michael O’Driscoll and his brother Thomas. They fled Ireland because of a killing and wound up in America just in time to do lots of killing as Civil War soldiers. But now the war is over and these very damaged brothers have decided to re-up, for the wages and grub. They will go West to fight in the Indian wars.
It is also the tale of Capt. Molloy and Sgt. Kohn. They are sent west to investigate three murders that took place at Fort Kearney in the Dakota territory. That’s where the O’Driscoll brothers are posted, and oh yes, their paths will cross.
The chapters alternate. Michael O’Driscoll’s fascinating journal provides background as to how he ended up facing the hangman’s rope so many miles from his beloved Ireland. Michael's journal is a masterpiece of story-telling. The alternate chapters focus on Molloy and Kohn working their way through a murder investigation and every obstacle they meet along the way. The obstacles are MANY and the relationship between these two men is riveting,
The characters are rich and complicated. The dialogue is authentically rough. The action is detailed and often brutal. The pacing goes from slow burn to explosive in the blink of an eye.
Every page is a gem. I love this book.
June 12, 2019
“And though they are dry & fast & it is frightening to be lost in them hillocky plains of grass well they do take onto their grassy tops the orange light of the rising sun while mist fills their dips & hollows so that you cannot take your eyes from the beauty of it. It makes you wonder if some day your cattle might graze that grass or will your children make hay from it or will your horse tramp the stream beds in search of wandering calves with the sun on your shoulders & a belly full of a wife’s breakfast? It is easy to dream & hard to know a dream will never come true.”
Wolves of Eden is a literary Western set during Red Cloud’s War, composed of two intersecting subplots.
The first subplot involves one Lieutenant Martin Malloy, his aid Corporal Daniel Kohn, and their Pawnee scout Jonathan. Malloy, a drunkard ill-fit for duty after his experiences in the Civil War, is dispatched to investigate a murder at Fort Phil Kearny in the lawless Dakota Territory. News has spread that an important civilian settler (“Sutler”) there with ties to politicians in Washington, has, along with his wife and employee, been killed and scalped. The trio travel from Nebraska to Dakota Territory where Malloy and Kohn take turns investigating and, in the process, come to an impasse as to how justice ought to be served out West.
The second subplot is Michael O’Driscoll’s story. After the Civil War, Michael and his brother Tom tire of working as temporary laborers, so they reenlist in the United States Army. They are assigned to C Company, a multicultural outfit of fighters tasked with keeping the lumber wagons secure from native raids as they travel between Fort Phil Kearny and the nearby woods. Michael and Tom become the primary suspects in Kohn’s investigation, and, as such, Michael is arrested. His story is a form of confession he writes while being held as Kohn’s prisoner.
Wolves of Eden is a fantastic Western set in the period of American Reconstruction. Though it’s nominally a story about a murder investigation, it’s really a story about Manifest Destiny and the real consequences (personally, socially, and geographically) it had on different groups of people. Characters die violent deaths at the hand the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe; however, the Native’s actions are simply a different sort of barbarism from the whiskey-fueled efforts which displaced them. Because Michael is an Irish immigrant, the reader gets to see both ugly sides of the conflict with relative clarity. And because Michael is an immigrant, because Kohn is Jewish, and because so many other characters are from different countries and religious backgrounds, the reader gets to enjoy American pluralism at its finest, even though it’s amidst harsh surroundings.
This book is funny. It has penis jokes, butt jokes, jokes about whores, and jokes about the ineptitude of infantry. It insults the United States Army in one breath, and then turns around and has a breathtaking passage about patriotism (295, my edition) the next. This book is about the same stuff that most great Westerns are about: death, loneliness, justice, horses, the beauty of the American West, and war. It’s about loyalty to something bigger than yourself, and having the courage to have a conscience even when you think you may be too far gone (both brothers prove this latter point, in their own ways).
A few reviewers suggested that Michael’s subplot was hard to read because of it’s diction and delivery in the first-person. I couldn’t disagree more. There’s an absence of commas, and a heavy use of ampersands, underlines, and repetition, but I loved the effect and was more excited to read his passage. McCarthy deserves credit for his consistency and delivery of Michael’s voice, not to mention his word choice and strong use of similes elsewhere in the story.
Wolves of Eden is a literary Western set during Red Cloud’s War, composed of two intersecting subplots.
The first subplot involves one Lieutenant Martin Malloy, his aid Corporal Daniel Kohn, and their Pawnee scout Jonathan. Malloy, a drunkard ill-fit for duty after his experiences in the Civil War, is dispatched to investigate a murder at Fort Phil Kearny in the lawless Dakota Territory. News has spread that an important civilian settler (“Sutler”) there with ties to politicians in Washington, has, along with his wife and employee, been killed and scalped. The trio travel from Nebraska to Dakota Territory where Malloy and Kohn take turns investigating and, in the process, come to an impasse as to how justice ought to be served out West.
The second subplot is Michael O’Driscoll’s story. After the Civil War, Michael and his brother Tom tire of working as temporary laborers, so they reenlist in the United States Army. They are assigned to C Company, a multicultural outfit of fighters tasked with keeping the lumber wagons secure from native raids as they travel between Fort Phil Kearny and the nearby woods. Michael and Tom become the primary suspects in Kohn’s investigation, and, as such, Michael is arrested. His story is a form of confession he writes while being held as Kohn’s prisoner.
Wolves of Eden is a fantastic Western set in the period of American Reconstruction. Though it’s nominally a story about a murder investigation, it’s really a story about Manifest Destiny and the real consequences (personally, socially, and geographically) it had on different groups of people. Characters die violent deaths at the hand the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe; however, the Native’s actions are simply a different sort of barbarism from the whiskey-fueled efforts which displaced them. Because Michael is an Irish immigrant, the reader gets to see both ugly sides of the conflict with relative clarity. And because Michael is an immigrant, because Kohn is Jewish, and because so many other characters are from different countries and religious backgrounds, the reader gets to enjoy American pluralism at its finest, even though it’s amidst harsh surroundings.
This book is funny. It has penis jokes, butt jokes, jokes about whores, and jokes about the ineptitude of infantry. It insults the United States Army in one breath, and then turns around and has a breathtaking passage about patriotism (295, my edition) the next. This book is about the same stuff that most great Westerns are about: death, loneliness, justice, horses, the beauty of the American West, and war. It’s about loyalty to something bigger than yourself, and having the courage to have a conscience even when you think you may be too far gone (both brothers prove this latter point, in their own ways).
A few reviewers suggested that Michael’s subplot was hard to read because of it’s diction and delivery in the first-person. I couldn’t disagree more. There’s an absence of commas, and a heavy use of ampersands, underlines, and repetition, but I loved the effect and was more excited to read his passage. McCarthy deserves credit for his consistency and delivery of Michael’s voice, not to mention his word choice and strong use of similes elsewhere in the story.
April 1, 2019
The book reminds me a bit of the movie Dances With Wolves. Set in the same time period, immediately after the Civil War, among the Indians of the West, as the Army is establishing forts and protecting gold seekers and settlers on the Oregon Trail and the Bozeman Trail. The novel, however, depicts an even more bleak scene of broken war veterans, abuse of the Indians, lack of purpose and humanity. The main characters are Irish war veterans, both officers and infantry soldiers who have reenlisted to find jobs and food, who are pressed into suppressing the Indians, while seeking the killers of Fort Kearny's Suttler and his wife - who operated the fort's store and its whore house. The structure of the novel follows the two brothers who served as infantrymen during the war and have been forced West to survive with the Army, after finding no civilian work. These brothers will ultimately collide with an officer of Irish birth and his Sargent who have been sent to Fort Kearny by a General who answers to an official in the Treasury Department. The historical detail is extensive and well employed by the author in describing the moral bankruptcy of the times. A very moving portrait of the ugliness of war.
December 12, 2023
I really liked the way McCarthy wrote the dual timelines. What made this book unique is more than just how McCarthy wrote one timeline in the third person and the other in the first person - it was the manner and language that McCarthy used to write Michael O'Driscoll's first person account which differed significantly from the third person account devoted to Captain Molloy and Sergeant Kohn.
At first, the writing style was difficult to follow and I found the book a struggle to read. But a few chapters in, the cadence and pace picks up and the reader is able to get fully immersed in the tale of Michael and Tom O'Driscoll with the hardships they faced as Irish immigrants enlisted in the US Army. The reader knows there is some element of mystery to the murder of the sutler and his wife and has to wait with anxious anticipation for its delivery from Michael's account.
Looking forward to starting the sequel tomorrow.
At first, the writing style was difficult to follow and I found the book a struggle to read. But a few chapters in, the cadence and pace picks up and the reader is able to get fully immersed in the tale of Michael and Tom O'Driscoll with the hardships they faced as Irish immigrants enlisted in the US Army. The reader knows there is some element of mystery to the murder of the sutler and his wife and has to wait with anxious anticipation for its delivery from Michael's account.
Looking forward to starting the sequel tomorrow.
May 20, 2019
Excellent. This author tells the entire story from two different viewpoints ... the Captain and his Lieutenant orderly as well as two of the lowest ranked privates. The privates are Irish immigrants that fought in the Civil War on the Union side. When the war was over they worked for several farmers for awhile, and then decided they might as well join the military again. Most of the story takes place at Fort Phil Kearney in Dakota Territory, 1866. I guess I am not well read on western military but I don't believe I've ever read about a place called a "hog ranch" (where the whores were) or a Captain/Lieutenant arrangement quite as strong as the one between Molloy and Kohn. The story ends as it actually did, in a battle with the Lakota Sioux.
January 22, 2020
McCarthy surprised me with detailed descriptions of a time shortly after the conclusion of the civil war in USA when the west was still wild and native Americans hadn't yet been displaced. The plot of this story hinges on the murder of two civilian settlers. Members of the US Cavalry were assigned to sort out the case and administer justice if required.
As McCarthy describes it, the land was harsh and the the characters in the story harsher still. A highly entertaining read with historical authenticity that transports the reader to the dust, heat and boredom of life in a western fortress. Wolves of Eden is not a gentle read. The vernacular of the day contained in the dialogue takes some getting used to. Well worth it though.
As McCarthy describes it, the land was harsh and the the characters in the story harsher still. A highly entertaining read with historical authenticity that transports the reader to the dust, heat and boredom of life in a western fortress. Wolves of Eden is not a gentle read. The vernacular of the day contained in the dialogue takes some getting used to. Well worth it though.
April 19, 2020
Fictional account of the role of Irish immigrants in the war against the Indians after the civil war. Written by a Dublin author, the Irish idiom of the two brothers is a joy to read. As bloody an enterprise as one would imagine. Westerns are not my genre, I snatched this off a library shelf minutes before covid19 closed the library, simply for its’ title. if you don’t mind a realistically portrayed story of white America’s slaughter of this land’s indigenous culture, a good read.
March 9, 2019
This was an interesting book, as I don't recall seeing this subject being written about previously; that being the Irish who were inducted into the Union army upon arriving in America during the civil war. While this story is about the time just after when the army was establishing outposts in the west to protect gold miners in the Dakota's it is still a story relevant to the time and characters. It provides an insight not really covered by our history as taught in schools, yet should be. While I knew that, after the first bloody defeats by the South, the North began conscripting immigrants almost as soon as they came off the boat in order to fill their need for men, their view hasn't been shared much, if at all, probably due to few or none being literate enough to write about their experiences. I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it to any who have an interest in the history of the opening of this country after the civil war. One aspect it touches on that is hardly seen is the feelings of the soldiers towards the Indians who fought them. It may not justify the cruel actions of the army in several so-called military actions, but you can understand the common soldiers fear and hate resulting from what was done to their comrades.
audio-tbr
November 11, 2018amazon best of 2018
May 27, 2019
Interesting novel about life not the plains and the impact of the Civil War on a soldier's psyche and body.
October 20, 2019
Very good historical fiction, though mostly historical, account of the US army fighting native Americans out west and the Irish immigrants fighting for the army.
March 8, 2020
Fascinating historical fiction, told from two different points of view. This is not at all for the faint-hearted ...
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