Edward Gwynne's Reviews > Empire of the Summer Moon

Empire of the Summer Moon is a brutally honest and graphic re-telling of the history of the greatest Native American tribe in the history of America - the Comanches.

“For Mackenzie on the southern plains, Comanches were the obvious target: No tribe in the history of the Spanish, French, Mexican, Texan, and American occupations of this land had ever caused so much havoc and death. None was even a close second.”

My reading this year has brought about a new wave of interest of mine - the Wild West. From reading wonderful books such as The Sisters Brothers and Blood Meridian, I moved on to Butcher's Crossing, to True Grit which led me to reading The Son by Philipp Meyer. The Son included this fascinating band of Native Americans which has since led me onto a complete discovery of this period of history. It was only a matter of time until I began to read non-fiction on this area once it captured my imagination. From watching a podcast by Joe Rogan and his guest S.C Gwynne I knew I had to read this, and Empire of the Summer Moon really was the phenomenal read that I expected.

“Abandoned by the Spanish, thousands of mustangs ran wild into the open plains that resembled so closely their ancestral Iberian lands. Because they were so perfectly adapted to the new land, they thrived and multiplied. They became the foundation stock for the great wild mustang herds of the Southwest.”

S.C. Gwynne takes us along on a journey throughout history, from the first footsteps of the Spanish in Mexico in the 15th Century, to the last days of the Comanches in the early 20th Century. The author’s prose was captivating, readable and accessible, so much so that I would recommend this book to anyone hoping to learn more about this period, or anyone looking how to write readable non-fiction. There was no academic stuffiness (?) or a shyness that strays from the honest facts. Indeed, it is quite the contrary, where the brutal history of this tribe is told in extreme details that I can imagine some readers would balk at. However, if you’ve read Blood Meridian then I imagine you’ll find this telling no more horrific.

“The result, the Walker Colt, was one of the most effective and deadly pieces of technology ever devised, one that would soon kill more men in combat than any sidearm since the Roman short sword.”

I feel like this book is not the simple overview that I have seen many reviewers say. To me, and by no means am I an expert in this area, it felt like an incredibly detailed telling of the Comanches history. There were anecdotes in every corner, a deep study into 1st hand sources, an intensely exciting bibliography and individual facts that really added depth to the whole book. It follows an impressive structure as it tackles the history of the tribe as well as honing in on a story within it - one about the Parker family. This mini-story felt extremely fitting to be acknowledged in such details as this family’s story echoes the entire Comanches life, from the capturing of prisoners and raiding, to the living within the tribe, to the last chief and the sad days of the reservations.

“In one sense, the Parkers are the beginning and end of the Comanches in U.S. history.”

This book really opened my eyes and showed me just how little I knew about anything of this period. It is full of sadness, horror and grief and so it’s not the happiest of reads. It is teaming with death and torture, but told in a deeply resonating way. The only gripe I encountered was where the author would describe in detail how a band of Comanches would attack and destroy a white settlement, but simply refused to describe a white attack on a Comanche settlement. It took something away from the telling for me as it happened a couple of times.

“There was no such thing as a horse Indian without a buffalo herd. Such an Indian had no identity at all.”

4.5/5 - an entirely readable and eye-opening telling of Comanche history. It is horrifying, heartbreaking and absolutely fascinating. Apart from a few niggles, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone and everyone interested in this period of history.