Hall of Famer, Don Coldsmith delivers the critically acclaimed frontier series in a revamped collection!
Juan Garcia rode as an arrogant conquistador into the heart of an unexplored continent. One day, on a lone patrol, he was injured and lost. He knew he had little chance of surviving or of ever returning to his homeland. But what happened from that day forward made a different man of Juan Garcia.
He embarked upon a greater adventure than any he could have imagined. For instead of hostility, he discovered a people who showed him a new way of life. And he, in turn, brought them a talisman, the Spanish Bit, that forever transformed their society.
He taught his adopted people to ride and fight, to defy death and be victorious. Slowly, at first, they learned the ways of the magnificent animals that Garcia brought them. Soon, none could stand against them, and the once cowering and timid People became lords of the American Great Plains.
“Coldsmith does his usual solid job of bringing this historical culture to life.” – Publishers Weekly
Spanish Bit Saga Volume One includes: Trail of the Spanish Bit, The Elk-Dog Heritage, Follow the Wind, Buffalo Medicine and Man of the Shadows.
Don Coldsmith was an American author of primarily Western fiction. A past president of Western Writers of America, Coldsmith wrote more than 40 books, as well as and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. His “Spanish Bit Saga,” a series of related novels, helped to re-define the Western novel by adopting the point of view of the Native Americans, rather than the European immigrants.
Don Coldsmith – Spanish Bit Saga Vol 1 – Reviewed 2/7/22 – Read 1/30-2/1/22
The Spanish conquistador Juan Garcia arrives in the new world and loses his arrogance by accident.
Juan Garcia was sent to explore the new world and bring home the gold that was told to be there. One day on patrol, he becomes lost and injured. The People found him, and Juan figured he could follow them and find food, water, and maybe even help. As he removed his helmet, the people marveled that he could remove his head, so they called him “Heads Off.” Juan eventually joined the People and became a member of the tribe. This book is a collection of stories about how this all came about, and though the storyline is fictional, the history is not.
Join Juan Garcia as he becomes one with The People, and history begins…
What did I like? Of course, by now, everyone knows that I grew up with the Jemez Indians in New Mexico. There is Native American blood in my ancestry, and I have a deep love for the Indian way of life. This history was not unknown to me, but it becomes so much easier to understand the significance of the connections by combining it with Don's storyline.
What will you like? In addition to the history side of this storyline, you will learn a lot about the way of life for the Native Americans and how they lived on a day-to-day basis, in addition to the beliefs that they hold dear to them. Get your copy of the “Spanish Bit Gaga, Vol 1” by Don Coldsmith today!!!
This is a compilation of several books featuring the Elk-Dog People, a composite of the various Plains tribes, through several generations. Unfortunately, it begins long after the arrival of Heads Off, a Spanish soldier who joined the People and effectively brought the horse to the Plains Indians. As the story progresses through later books and generations, the English and French military expeditions and explorers intrude further into the lives of the People, disrupting their way of life.
The vivid descriptions and characterizations bring the time, place, and people to life in a way that gratifies me greatly as a reader.
When Juan , a young soldier sent to New Spain gets injured when he fell from his horse, he wake up with Indians staring at him. At that time the Indians think he's a god. This book was funny at times and kept me interested throughout. One of the best books I've read.
20 words, nor 10,000 words, can adequately describe the wonderful story being written here. This is truly a blessed writing and can be appreciated by those people who can open their hearts and minds to other cultures.
Really enjoyed this volume. I will continue reading this author and highly recommend this series. Will probably look for all of Don Coldsmith’s book books.