Tom Mix and Pancho Villa

by Clifford Irving

"Move over, Butch and Sundance, it's not that I love you both less, just that I've come to love Pancho and Tom more... a high-stepping, swashbuckling romance inspired by the unassailable historical fact that in his greenhorn youth, before he became a movie-star cowboy, Tom Mix rode in the company of the peasant revolutionary Pancho Villa ... Who among us has not wished he'd grown up as romantically as Mix does here?" -- New York Times Book Review

"With Tom Mix and Pancho Villa, Clifford Irving takes his place among the giants of contemporary literature, dazzling us all with this robust, rousing, rip-roaring work of art." -- Ernest Lehman

"Fabulous, big, rawboned wild-blooded adventure tale that gives the sights and sounds and smells of a turn-of-the-century world real enough to touch. Clifford Irving has written a novel to make any writer proud and many readers grateful." -- Los Angeles Herald Examiner

"Intelligently conceived, rapidly paced, attitudinally wry, earthy - a well-written, cannily contemporary tale about the past." -- Dallas Times Herald

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It's 1913, and Tom Mix, young cowboy and future movie star, rides south of the border to fight at the side of the charismatic Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary leader, already a legend.
In the violent beauty of war-torn Mexico a partnership is formed, and an epic is born.
Caught up in this sumptuous panoramic novel are some of the most dynamic characters ever to come to life on a page: Hannah, Tom's voluptuous Jewish fiancée; Rosa, the beautiful Indian child widow who loves Tom; Elisa, the sophisticated German rancher who becomes his mistress; Rudolfo Fierro, "the butcher," who lives to kill his enemies and vows to end Tom's life; Lieutenant George S. Patton, Jr., who ceaselessly hunts both Villa and Fierro; and above all, the tempestuous Pancho Villa, a man of ungovernable emotions, a hero and, at the same time, a villain larger than life.
This is a story of romance and friendship, loyalty and revenge, politics and gold - an adventure that Publishers Weekly called "grand entertainment, full of wit, charm, and zest." The Los Angeles Times wrote that "Irving spins a fantasy worthy of Mark Twain," and the Houston Chronicle said, "Irving's wonderful big new book is a rollicking, ribald tale." The Chicago Tribune concluded that "[Tom Mix's] exploits - on the battlefield, behind the lines, in bed - are told with riveting skill."

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Westerns, Historical, Novels

568 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Clifford Irving was the author of 20 published books & just released 12 of his works as Kindle/Nook eBooks; he was currently writing a memoir called Around the World in 80 Years.

Reviews

[Uke Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Mix & Pancho Villa by Clifford Irving is one of the most overlooked masterpieces in American literature. It is by turns a great adventure story, an examination of the nature of revolution, an historical fantasy, a philosophical treatise on the nature (and shortcomings) of monogamy; but most of all it's a great read.

The storytelling shows a master writer at work. Irving may be best known for the Howard Hughes caper, but this book shows he is a writer with total mastery of craft. This was my second reading of the book, and I read it on my Kindle. (The first time was back when it first came out.)

Several references are made to Dumas' Three Musketeers, and I certainly saw the similarities, and the differences. But if Dumas's writing and swashbuckling storytelling still excites you, you'll love this book.

If you like adventure, romance, historical fiction, cowboys, and a rip roaring tale of rebellion, intrigue, and the costs of the struggle for freedom, this one's for you.
Uke Jackson

[Sandy Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only one other book compares to Irving's sprawling but intimate saga of Tom Mix and Pancho Villa. This book gave me the same feeling as The Lonesome Dove. We're back on the trail again, only this time with Tom Mix and the other followers of Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution. While the characters come colorfully alive, the story of Pancho Villa is portrayed with historical accuracy as well as gritty good humor. Memorable women play strong roles in this book, and Tom Mix is a complex person, and a great protagonist for the drama that fills this sharply written story. I didn't want it to end ... a most satisfying read.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well-written fictionalized historical account of Tom Mix's four years as a soldier in Pancho Villa's revolutionary army. It is written as a convincing autobiography, though, I admit, I thought Tom Mix was a creation of the author. When I finished, I did a quick internet search, and lo and behold....Tom Mix....silent film and early western movie star. I'm glad I didn't realize that before I finished the book. I don't think it would have ruined the story in any way, but I prefer the images of a rugged, ragged, and resilient young man to the polished actor in staged Hollywood photographs. In any case, to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and didn't mind pushing through some of the more long-winded sections between plot points.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot damn! I loved this book! I can't believe it. It feels like forever since I've read such an unexpectedly great book. I read it because someone else compared it to Lonesome Dove, one of my all-time favorites. I have to agree - this book had that same feeling, though it's vastly different. Tom Mix? I barely know who that is, and Pancho Villa? Ditto. Well, I sure learned something about that time period, the Mexican Revolution, etc. A nice bonus. The story itself is engrossing, the characters interesting, the romance and the epic adventure were fantastic. Great book!

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting book about an bygone era in Mexican history. It is a historical but fictional novel that is well done. Tom Mix, the real life western movie star teams up with Pancho Villa to help with the "revolution". Many well known characters make a showing in this story. If you liked "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, you are sure to enjoy this book!

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Mix and Pancho Villa is everything an historical novel should be, an interesting bit of history, a good tale and characters you care about – but it’s so much more than that. It’s an adventure! Leave your everyday life in the city and spend some time galloping across the Mexican desert with Pancho Villa. It’s great fun!

[Taylor Whitfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for one reason and one reason only: my father gave it to me. I kept reading it because I am a sucker for a good Western. Perhaps that’s why my dad got this for me. He’d read it in passing in his youth and whenever I brought up a western I’d watched or a book I’d read, he’d say “you should read Tom Mix and Pancho Villa.”
And you know I never did. Seems like human nature to forgo the suggestion of our fathers. Finally he stopped talking about it and just put the book in my hand and I thought “fuck it, I’m trying to finish 50 books a year. What’s one more?”
According to Goodreads here, I started that journey 2 and 3/4 years ago.
Please don’t take that as a fault of the writing - it’s more of a fault of how easily distracted I can get. In fact the book is good. Damn good, and paints a picture of Mexico I’d never seen before. That being said, I can’t help but wonder as to the authenticity of the Mexico depicted. But then again, this is historical fiction, so I guess I’ll let it slide for the sake of enjoying this unconventional western.

P.S. if you’re someone like me who appreciates reading along to music, I highly recommend the Red Dead Resumption soundtrack for this one. Has the right mix of quiet somber tunes as well as intense songs for those gunfights in the desert.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A CI. Western Action Biography of Tom Mix and Pancho Villa

CI. has penned a western action adventure about the dealings between TM. and PV. Tim Mix was a cowboy extraordinaire and a movie star to boot. He and PV. Became known to each other during the Mexican Revolution. They were not combatant, but two men who enjoyed the friendship of each other even though the news media stated they were combative enemies. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crazy, fun romp through the Mexican revolution and the world of Pancho Villa. With a strange mix of real people blended into a story that almost certainly did'nt happen, yet surrounded by the actual details of the revolution, a story that's a roaring success. Solid 4 stars!

[Jan Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a piece of history that I knew nothing about. I did not know who Tom Mix was. I thought the book was probably 100 pages too long. It is in a book that I really enjoyed but I did finish it.

[Vic]

rwr review

[Jaime Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Great Book to Read.

Tom Mix and Pancho Villa is an awesome adventure to experience. Every path Mix follows takes you to an unimagined place where somerhing important happens. Villa is grand!, is easy to admire and care for his destiny. The only minor negative detail of this odyssey is the book is too big, but it all depends on your opinion. This is mine. I loved this reading and recommend it.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Mix and Pancho Villa is historical fiction centered on the two men whose names are in the title of the book. The story contains many factual characters from both Mexico and the United States that were involved in the Mexican Revolution that took place between 1910-1920.

The cover of the book purports the story to be a romance, but it seems to be more about Tom and Pancho’s sexual conquests than it does about love. Tom is involved with multiple women, all sexually in varying degrees, throughout the story, while Pancho has multiple wives. I personally didn’t feel like any the encounters throughout the story spoke much of romance or love as much as they were misguided lustful escapades of a young Tom Mix.

When I was deciding whether to read the book, I noticed many reviewers likened this story to Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove, which I really enjoyed. I don’t really consider the two books to be similar because they cover different timeframes, different events, and I think McMurty does an exceptional job capturing the hardships of life in the Old West. Clifford Irvin’s work seems to be a bit more unbelievable, more sordid, and harder for me to really care about characters.

Overall, the story was interesting as it painted Pancho Villa into a bit of a modern-day Robin Hood with a desire to help the poor of Mexico by establishing schools. He also stole from the rich, but that was to fund his army. At 463 pages, the novel seemed a bit long to me, and I was glad to finish and move on to another story.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this excellent historical novel about Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution. It was written from the perspective of Tom Mix, the silent movie actor, who may have actually fought with Villa during the revolution before going to Hollywood to become a film star. The novel was full of blood, sex, and action and provided many details of the Revolution that I was really unfamiliar with. For example, I wasn't sure what roles Villa and Zapata played - the novel explains that Villa led the Northern group of revolutionaries and Zapata, the Southern group. They never really fought together. The book delves into all the gruesomeness of war and describes many of the battles. It also details how and why the Americans were chasing Villa, including General Pershing and then-Lieutenant George Patton. This book took me a while to read - it was somewhat long - but it was well worth the effort. I would highly recommend this one to anyone interested in the history of the Mexican Revolution and its Generals or in Tom Mix.

[J.K. George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. Where to start? Over 560 dense, small print pages in a used paperback. I always try to get hardcover books, but this one, I suppose, is pulp fiction, and I could only get it in paperback. It was a selection of my book club, and so that's the reason I read it.

This is a rather long, but interesting, and convoluted, and smart, and brutal, and at times sexy read. Mr. Irving is a good story teller, that's for sure. And perhaps I learned something about Villa's revolutionary actions and Mexico. Not sure. Irving's epilogue is interesting, even though one of our book club stalwarts hates epilogues, saying that anything in there should have been in the regular text.

I noticed a handful of typos in the book. That's unusual for a major work like this. Or maybe it isn't considered major. At any rate, if one is a "hopeless reader, who is fast," this might be, repeat might be worth his/her time. For me, it was a slog, albeit a juicy one that I could not put down until I made it to the end. JG

[Nae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not the easiest book I have ever read, but the time period was interesting and it certainly was a part of Mexico's history that I had never really paid that much attention to. It was worth reading just for that, but you do have to sort of slog through some extraneous prose, especially in the middle, to keep the plot moving along.

[Walter Straus · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book - for guys especially. I have heard so much about Pancho Villa and his influence on the big name soldiers of WWI that I have wanted to know more about him. This book is historical fiction, but the author has done a lot to help me understand that time period and the major players. Lots of fun and educational.

[Buck Hales · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea Tom Mix spent 3 amazing years riding with Poncho Villa. I learned a lot about the Mexican revolution but my quest to learn the truth about Poncho and Left remains unfulfilled. A very enjoyable read-- recommended to all fans of Cormack McCarthy and lovers of the desert southwest/Mexico border region.

[Carol and Gary Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is supposedly a work of fiction based on true facts, it's not easy to tell. At any rate, the story was very enjoyable, true or false. The two main characters very well drawn and vivid. The plot was really good, slow in spots, like the teacher's portions but moved nicely.. All told, this was a good book, well worth the time.

[Gary Sedivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I know almost nothing about either Mix or Villa, other than one was a movie cowboy, and the other a Mexican revolutionary. This 'historical' could be a total load of B.S., or based on truth. "Who knows?" It is a decent tale with lots of action. It isn't great, considering that Irving is a well known author. The story is in the first person, written as if Mix was writing a autobiography.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good cowboy story about the best rodeo movie cowboy in his time. He worked for Pancho Villa as a horseman and a gunhand. Lots and lots of Pancho and his gang and a run-in with the American Army. Seems to be historically accurate but could all be fake.

[Jim Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is lots of fun and is based in fact (at least the Mexican history) with a nice mix of conjecture and dramatization. I enjoyed it nearly as much as I like Lonesome Dove, and that's saying something!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very enjoyable read. Enough history to draw you into the story. Enough action to keep you interested and enough romance to make the characters seem real. There is an interesting on going theme of male/female relationships and polygamy.

[William C. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

My best read in years.

Great action with the kind of casual occurrences that have meaningful results later that I love. Lots of history thrown melded into well written fantasy. I'll read a lot more by Irving.

[Claude W. Hinsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read. Full of life. A turbulent time in Mexican history told magnificently. Viva Tom Mix. Viva Clifford Irving.

A wonderful read. Full of life. A turbulent time in Mexican history told magnificently. Viva Tom Mix. Viva Clifford Irving.

[c · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredibly entertaining and informative as well. for those who have the chance to listen to the library of congress audiobook version, do so. the narrator really brings the book to life.

[Feliks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a fine work of speculative history with a wonderful "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" feel to it. Totally fun read.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than the spelling errors and typo's it was a a real good book.

[Al Citera · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoyed Michael crichton's "the great train robbery," you will really like this book.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendously enjoyable

Put together Poncho Villa, Generals Perishing,Patton,Mac Arthur and then Tom Mix along with some history, some fiction, story development and WOW !!!