Rating: 
Summary: well done!
Review: One of the most compelling (sorry I can't come up with a better word) historical novels I've had the good fortune to read. Can't comprehend a low rating. Descriptions of the fighting at the fort are heartrending and believably realistic. Again, well done! to Mr. Harrigan.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I should have waited to read this book, first of all. I'm probably too young to appreciate it, but being a 6th or 7th generation Texan and having taken Texas History in school this year and being really inspired (not to mention having a slight crush on William Barret Travis, like apparent multitudes of other women) I decided to read it. For the most part, it is all right, but I was really disturbed by a few things. It was extremely graphic, which during the battle scenes is necessary and important, but many descriptions veer into the territory of "did we REALLY need to know that?", especially the ever-present obsessions with sex and bodily functions. No more needs really to be said. One thing I noticed was how impersonal the whole thing was. The fictional characters are dry and not at all compelling, and I found myself skimming through the sections where they appeared. Getting to know the historical people better was why I wanted to read it, but the author is so concerned with exposing their faults and weaknesses that he doesn't make them into real characters, just wants to shock people with how bad they were. Especially, the author seems bound and determined to throw as much dirt on Sam Houston as possible. I see some of his points, and no one is as heroic as legends paint them, but Houston was a brave and honorable man (just look at how he stood up to everyone else in Texas who wanted secession) whose faults couldn't overshadow his inner greatness. Harrigan is just plain mean in this respect. And by the way, Houston's wife left HIM not the other way around. I'll admit, this book was actually very good and really grabbed my attention. The author did a good job in portaying both sides of the conflict. But the truth is, you can't mess with people's legends unless you can make new ones, and Harrigan can't. Up to some point, I guess, the heroic Alamo myth ought to be told truthfully, but the truth is there WAS heroism and bravery, not just a bunch of selfish cowards whacking each other's heads off. I would have like to hear more about the rest of the Revolution, especially (ahem) Gonzales...oh well. The bottom line is, people need to believe in heroes and legends and freedom. These things do exist, no matter how flawed the people are who achieve them. And the Alamo is certainly not a spotless shrine to glory, it is a place where awful things happened. But these things became great through the memories of generations, and where there's smoke there's fire. We will always believe in the greatness of the Alamo and its less-than-perfect-heroes, no matter how revisionist our historical novels.
Rating:
Summary: Fiction? OK - History? There are better books
Review: I sympathize with writer Stephen Harrigan's task - writing an historical fiction about Mexican Texas, on the eve of the revolution, is no easy task. First-hand source material is sporadic, often contradictory, and the subject is still highly charged with emotion among many Texans and historians today. Although I understand the challenge that this book presented him, and respect his right to draw his conclusions and tell the tale, I must advise prospective readers that Harrigan's version of Texas history is highly speculative and considerably biased. If it's a light fictional read you're after, it should suffice - but remember the word "fiction". If you want a more thorough presentation of Texas history, however, you can do better. "Blood of Noble Men", by Alan Huffines, presents the battle of the Alamo much more even-handedly, with all its complexities, and "Lone Star", by T. R. Fehrenbach, is the quintessential book of Texas history, told with unflinching honesty.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Historical Novel
Review: "The Gates of the Alamo" is a wonderful novel, one that I recommend with the greatest enthusiasm. Above all, the writing is superb. This is not a book that you can simply pick up and race through (which is not intended to sound discouraging) - every word simply counts for too much and, therefore, I found myself actually READING this book. Second, the fictional framework in which the author has enclosed this historical events of the Texas Revolution is compelling - certainly, a framework that is strong enough to stand on its own even without a famous historical backdrop. I cared about these characters, I followed the twists and turns of their adventures with deep interest, and at the end I cared about their fates with emotion. Third, as a reader who knew virtually nothing about the Alamo except that I am supposed to remember it, this book was a wonderful education about famous people and famous deeds. The author has removed the varnish from the legends and left behind a pleasant lesson that will stay with the reader for a long time. Knowing that authors often read online reviews of their books by readers, I want to say to Mr. Harrigan that he is a fine novelist, possessed of the ability to describe people, places, and events with the eye of a sharp observer and the emotional insights of a careful student of humanity. You should be proud, sir, of your achievement here. In short, anyone who is looking for a beautifully-crafted, compelling, and enlightening historical novel should grab "The Gates of the Alamo" and settle in for an absorbing experience.
Rating:
Summary: Moving reconstruction of the historical Alamo
Review: When I want pure history, I look for a history book packed with the hard facts as they are known about an event. What I look for in historical fiction is a work that remains faithful to the hard facts, but allows me to enter an earlier world at a more emotional level. History books give me an amber-tinted photograph while historical fiction brings those static faces to life. The best historical fiction bring voices and colors to a lost time and that is what Stephen Harrigan's Gates of the Alamo did for me. It took a little time to warm to, but in the end, I became engrossed in the lives of the 'Texians' and Mexicans whom Harrigan brings to the forefront of his story. His interpretations of the various reasons for different people to be at the Alamo had a ring of truth to them that cut through the myths surrounding the event. By the end of the book, I felt that I had a better grasp on the historical Alamo, but perhaps more tellingly, I cared about the fates of Harrigan's people. Harrigan artfully recreates that lost time in a moving work of historical fiction. I recommend it highly whether you are interested in the history of Texas, in an adventurous tale of the Old West, or simply in subtly textured tales of love and devotion.
Rating:
Summary: A Superb Story
Review: This is the finest historical novel I have ever read. The author has spent his time, resources, and energy very well to bring us a superbly researched story of a most important time in our nation's history. He paints a picture from both the Texian view and the Mexican. Showing us the political climate of the time and the many reasons for this conflict. He delves into the human condition of the frontier people and their daily, simple wants and desires. I was very moved by reading this book. I highly reccomend it to those who appreciate the struggle of the early American spirit.
Rating:
Summary: A Texas Classic
Review: How do you keep a reader interested in a story about the Alamo when you already know who's going to win the battle? With great historical detail and finely-fleshed out characters you care about. This novel has the historical accuracy of Michener's "Texas" and colorful characters as in McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove." This book is a must for all Texans; read it before your next visit to San Antonio.
Rating: 
Summary: Yes and No
Review: Being a Texan and growing up with many trips to the Alamo, you just know the next reading will get it all just right. Sometimes I thought the author was getting it "all just right" and sometimes I just got bored. I think I may have set my expectations too high for no other reason than this is a part of our history that equals no other. The Alamo is the most traveled to tourist spot in Texas. I bought this book in the Alamo gift shop on my 3rd trip to San Antonio in five years. If you like to read novels based on history, you will probably enjoy. It did not keep me turning pages late in the night. I think it was a little over sold.
Rating:
Summary: A Picture of the Alamo in Reverse ...
Review: is displayed on the jacket; is this symbolic? This NOVEL uses fictional characters to tell the reader what life was like in 1830s Texas. The end paper maps of The Alamo (Mission San Antonio de Valero) and San Antonio de Bexar are only recreations, but show how little remains today of that fortified mission. The book would have been better with a chapter giving the historical background; "A Line in the Sand" does this much better. The "Author's Note" explains the rational behind this novel, and why it differs from other works. The lack of eyewitness testimony may not contradict the legends!
Rating:
Summary: Historical! Who's he kidding!
Review: I've just recently finished reading Harrigan's "The Gates of the Alamo" and was very disappointed. After reading some of the reviews on ... I thought that I would be reading a much better book. How this book ever made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list is beyond me! I suppose it was monkey see, monkey read! Anyway, I found this book to be pretty boring at times. Although Harrigan did a good job of developing his main characters, I thought that he went into way too much detail about trivial things or about things that had no basis on the overall story. At times I found Harrigan to be brilliant - in his description of the Indian attack on Mary Mott, and in his description of the snowstorm that struck the Mexican Army on it's way to Texas. And, Harrigan can certainly depict action. His description of the March 6 attack on the Alamo was very, very well done - especially his death of Crockett. Still, I disliked this book mainly because of the way Harrigan played fast and loose with history! In the "Author's Note" section at the back of the book Harrigan states that although "Gates" is a work of fiction, he "made a pledge of absolute fidelity to the truth of the events." Nothing could be further from the truth! Harrigan's description of the discovery of the Mexican force outside of San Antonio on February 23 is as far from the truth as you can get! It is well documented that John Smith and Dr. John Sutherland rode out and discovered the Mexican troops. As they returned at a gallop, the sentry in the San Fernando bell tower began ringing the bell and everyone fled towards the Alamo. In Harrigan's book he has one of his character's ride out and discover the Mexicans. If he is trying to be true to history, why didn't he leave Smith and Sutherland to find the Mexican army and place his character in the bell tower since nobody really knows who the sentry was that day! And Harrigan has Travis's slave Joe confront two Mexican soldiers that break into Travis's headquarters building during the February 24 attack on the Alamo by about 350 men! As Harrigan tells it, while the 350 Mexicans were attacking the south wall, two soldiers snuck around to the west wall, pried some bricks from the window of the headquarters and climbed inside! If it was so easy for these two Mexicans to get into the Alamo - why did it take the other 3,000 another eleven days! And don't get me started on Travis' slave Joe! Historical! It's more like hysterical! the real-life Joe survived the siege and gave numerous interviews about what he did and what happened while he was there. In Joe's own words he described the death of Travis and then stated that he ran to the headquarters room and hid for his dear life. Yet, Harrigan has him fighting with the others and eventually getting stuck in one of the east barracks rooms! Historical! I think not! And then, what about James Butler Bonham? Bonham is perhaps one of the most heroic figures in Texas history. He had a chance to save his life and remain outside of the Alamo, yet he decided to return to Travis and report the results of his futile mission to Fannin! Harrigan gives Bonham the brush off with one line. He deserves better!
If you want a novel that sticks much closer to the historical truth, read "Holy Sabbath Morning" by Bob W. Dunbar. The book was published by a fly-by-night "DotCom" publisher and has numerous grammatical mistakes and spelling errors but at least it is much more accurate to history. And, while Dunbar seems to steal many lines and situations from John Wayne's "The Alamo," at least the book moves along briskly and does not bog down with descriptions of flowers and scenery. If you want a boring, non-historic novel about the Alamo with great character development, read Harrigan's "The Gates of the Alamo." If you want an entertaining, historically acccurate story of the Alamo, read Bob W. Dunbar's "Holy Sabbath Morning." It's only too bad someone didn't edit Dunbar's book a bit more!
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