Rating: 
Summary: If you loved this book, find these other books by Connell
Review: Son of the Morning Star is indeed a classic and better described in the reviews below. If you loved this book try to find two other books by Connell in which he brings his story-telling skills to a wide array of historical subjects: "The Long Desire" and "The White Lantern." They are both sadly out of print but fairly easy to find. In them he tells of the search for the Northwest passage, efforts to decode the Mayan written language, Neandrathal man, a famous alchemist, the race to the south pole, the Children's Crusade, and many other facinating stories told as only Connell can do.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books You Will Ever Read
Review: Terms like "tour de force," or "the best of its kind" are just not strong enough to describe the sweep and complexity of this terrific book. It is Homeric in scope, and is in fact not unlike an American Odyssey, a journey of epic proportion not only through the history of the American west, but the landscape of the American mind, myth, and memory. In forty years of reading, I can count only two of three other books that are in its class.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is a fine reference for all who are interested in the man, the event and the history of our country in that time.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Introduction
Review: This book, in my opinion, is a superb introduction into the world of Custeriana and other characters and invents in U.S. history of that time.What makes this book unique in it's portayal of the General and the events surrounding the famous last battle is that Evan S.Connell, who is primarily I believe a novellist, approached this topic with absolutely no agenda of his own on the subject. Whilst this may not satisfy many historians it makes for great reading!! Making this a book ideal for somebody new to the subject wanting to learn more or the learned reader who just wants to be entertained and not swamped with complex time theories or arguments over the size of the village etc. There are plenty of books on the market that do this much better but not all are always as enjoyable. Connell just reports on various different accounts in an easy going prose without really putting his own slant on the proceedings. He simply just writes about Custer, Benteen, Crazy Horse et all, giving examples of both the good, the bad and the downright ugly in all of them. It is left to the reader to make up his mind on the events and actions of those who took part in them. Too many historians come to this powerful and contreversial subject with their own ideas on what happened, be it pro or anti-Custer, and this has a tendancy to sometimes, neccessitate a need to distort or bend the facts accordingly. Refreshingly you come away from this book wanting to know more about the protaganists involved but without having a biased opinion on them. The General himself comes over in a fairly good light considering at the time of publication his character was probably at it's nadir.However Connell also shows up the darker side of the man that made him the paradoxical figure he was and why he remains so fascinating even after all this time. Indeed what the book clearly shows is that what makes this such an enduring legend in America's history is that arguably it's most famous, or notorious, soldier left his mark not by a glourious victory but rather(as it was thought of at the time)a fairly ignominious defeat.What Connell does do is also give the credit where it's due to the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes at the Little Big Horn who actually won the battle that day, which tends to get forgotten in a lot of literature ammassed on this subject. This was the first serious book that I bought on George Armstrong Custer and back in 1984(which I think was the year I got it) living in the United Kingdom there wasn't many books around at that time specifically on this subject. I found it an excellent starting point to begin further and more in depth reading on the General and his last battle.It may seem an odd subject for a Yorkshireman to show an interset in(I think it might be Errol Flynn's fault!!)but this book certainly kick-started a long lasting interst in Custer and that particular area of American history.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to Custer and the Little Big Horn
Review: This is a true American historical classic. It was easily the best of the many books written about George Armstrong Custer and the battle of the Little Big Horn when published. While it may have been overtaken in the accuracy of its information about the conduct of the battle by subsequent works (especially those based on the archaelogical examinations of the battlefield conducted in 1983 and 1984),
it still remains the most literate, readable and interesting'
introduction to this still controversial subject.
Rating:
Summary: The best book ever written on the Indian Wars.
Review: This is a wonderful read. I have read it twice and will read it again and again. Evan Connell is a master storyteller. His Son of the Morning Star is a masterpiece of western literature and totally seamless, without need of chapter titles or breaks.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative, but dis-jointed.
Review: This is the first book I've read on GA Custer & the Battle of the Little Big Horn. All previous "knowledge" I have on this topic is from the movie "Little Big Man" (just kidding), which I highly recommend.I purchased this book due to the many glowing reviews of it here. However, I had a hard time with the author's meandering style of writing. The book is crammed with many interesting facts and tales about the battle itself, as well as its historical backdrop. The author fails to pull all of these disparate pieces of information and narrative snipets into a cohesive and organized work. The author also makes many judgements about the veracity of particular witnesses' accounts of different events, without giving any evidence as to why. This book has piqued my curiosity enough to search elsewhere for a more masterful work on the topic.
Rating:
Summary: A GOOD OBJECTIVE LOOK AT A WESTERN LEGEND
Review: This is the first book I've read on GA Custer & the Battle of the Little Big Horn. All previous "knowledge" I have on this topic is from the movie "Little Big Man" (just kidding), which I highly recommend.I purchased this book due to the many glowing reviews of it here. However, I had a hard time with the author's meandering style of writing. The book is crammed with many interesting facts and tales about the battle itself, as well as its historical backdrop. The author fails to pull all of these disparate pieces of information and narrative snipets into a cohesive and organized work. The author also makes many judgements about the veracity of particular witnesses' accounts of different events, without giving any evidence as to why. This book has piqued my curiosity enough to search elsewhere for a more masterful work on the topic.
Rating:
Summary: Informative, but dis-jointed.
Review: This is the first book I've read on GA Custer & the Battle of the Little Big Horn. All previous "knowledge" I have on this topic is from the movie "Little Big Man" (just kidding), which I highly recommend.I purchased this book due to the many glowing reviews of it here. However, I had a hard time with the author's meandering style of writing. The book is crammed with many interesting facts and tales about the battle itself, as well as its historical backdrop. The author fails to pull all of these disparate pieces of information and narrative snipets into a cohesive and organized work. The author also makes many judgements about the veracity of particular witnesses' accounts of different events, without giving any evidence as to why. This book has piqued my curiosity enough to search elsewhere for a more masterful work on the topic.
Rating: 
Summary: One Fine Read
Review: We all have books like this in our personal arsenal of "will read and reread again" books. ("Catch 22," "Cat's Cradle," books like that.) I've torn into "Son of the Morning Star" six times now. This book is responsible for my spending a total of some 13 days at the Montana battlefield just trying to find out what George Armstrong Custer was up to on his final horrible day on earth. Connell weaves a spell over you, dear reader, and you just hate to finish this book. (You have books like that in your arsenal, too, right?) The book was a Christmas gift from #1 son. Prior to reading "Son," I just thought of Custer as that Civil War stereotype we study about in high school -- brave, vain and, ultimately, dumb. Of course the book reveals a much more accurate and layered portrayal of this long-haired Hotspur. Connell has researched his subject to a fare-thee-well and yet the writing never gets pedantic. This book is a time machine and you're going to be whisked back to a hot June day, 1876. Be prepared. And you'll get both sides of the complicated US Army/American Indian debate, too. (Can't beat that with a stick!) What was GAC trying accomplish that morning and afternoon? Why, in the face of a large amount of Indian braves, did he split his command into three battalions? Why did he send an important "come quick" note to an officer he sent off away from the pack train? Why did Custer ignore Reno's plight in the valley and continue a foolhardy attempt to smash the "enemy" at his flank? Did Custer get his first bullet (left side) at Medicine Tail Coulee? Would that explain the slapdash rush away from the Little Big Horn river and up the hill to the now-famous "Last Stand Hill?" This book makes you think. This book is contagious!
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