Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Date of Publication: February 5, 2020
Number of Pages: 449
HISTORICALLY SOUND AND HILARIOUSLY FUNNY! H.H. Lomax meets Wild Bill Hickok in Springfield, Missouri, and is responsible for Hickok’s legendary gunfight with Davis Tutt. Fearing Hickok will hold a grudge, Lomax escapes Springfield and agrees to promote Joseph G. McCoy’s dream of building Abilene, Kansas, into a cattle town, ultimately leading the first herd to Abilene from Texas.
Along the way, he encounters Indians, rabid skunks, flash floods, a stampede, and the animosities of some fellow cowboys trying to steal profits from the drive. Lomax is saved by the timely arrival of now U.S. Marshal Hickok, but Lomax uses counterfeit wanted posters to convince Hickok his assailants are wanted felons with rewards on their heads.
Lomax and Wild Bill go their separate ways until they run into each other a decade later in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, where Hickok vows to kill Lomax for getting him fired.
First Herd to Abilene is an entertaining mix of historical and hysterical fiction.
Clueless Gent’s Rating
First Herd to Abilene will hook and entertain a reader from cover to cover. Even if you don’t typically read westerns, I promise that H.H. Lomax will engage and endear you.
A really good historical fiction novel ~ such as this one ~ will leave a reader guessing where the truth ends and the fiction begins. And with a character like H.H. Lomax, it’s very hard to guess just how tall his tales are.
Lomax is just such a wonderful character for these stories. I can’t get enough of him. His quirks, and especially his luck, just fill the pages with often hilarious entertainment. If Lomax lived today, he’d be the kind of person that could buy a single lottery ticket and win the big one! (But then he’d probably lose the ticket before he could claim the prize.)
This novel has a good assortment of characters, both good and bad, and the way they each relate to Lomax fills the book with some hearty dialogue. Lomax is the kind of character that can have a meaningful conversation with anyone. And speaking of dialogue, I really have to point out that the dialogue in this book is amazing. Preston Lewis did a great job. Of course, Lewis ingeniously included a variety of characters with very diverse vocabularies.
Lomax admits that he’s not very well educated, yet his subtle charm and quick wit are his two greatest assets. Not that they’re perfect, because they can also get him into some pretty sticky situations.
Unlike many adventure novels that have a single climax, this book is really made up of smaller adventures, each with their own climax, that all blend together perfectly. I found that very enjoyable. If you’re not too keen on one of the adventures, no worries; another one is right around the corner.
I must also make note of the pacing. It’s wonderful. Overall, the pace is kind of slow, like Lomax, but each adventure quickens the pace at just the right time. I wasn’t aware of it as I read the story, but it came to light in hindsight.
This story is great entertainment, and I heartily recommend it for your reading pleasure!
Signed Copies of First Herd to Abilene and Bluster’s Last Stand
Signed Copy of First Herd to Abilene
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4/28/20
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Excerpt
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4/28/20
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BONUS Post
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4/29/20
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Review
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4/30/20
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Author Interview
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5/1/20
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Review
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5/2/20
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Scrapbook Page
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5/3/20
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Excerpt
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5/4/20
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Review
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5/5/20
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Author Interview
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5/6/20
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Review
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5/7/20
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Review
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5/7/20
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BONUS Post
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One thought on “First Herd to Abilene”
Love this review — and love that even those who are western shy will enjoy the characters and antics of H.H. Lomax. Thanks for the post!