Vengeance - by Tom Clavin (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A dramatic new look at Custer's Last Stand in time for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, by the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Heart of Everything That Is.

On June 25-27, 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was fought between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. Along the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory, the battle resulted in the devastating defeat of U.S. forces and was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876.

This dramatic look at the Little Bighorn battle includes not only the Native American point of view-with two dynamic Native figures, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, on prominent display-but also the impact it had on the Plains Indians. It turned out to be their last stand too because a vengeful nation quashed any remaining resistance, with a conclusive massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890, almost simultaneous with the murder of Sitting Bull.

In addition, Custer's character by June 1876 is at the heart of this world-famous disaster. For all his celebrated bravery, especially at Gettysburg 13 years earlier, Custer became a devout media hound, desperate to gain fame. Even, some say, his own demise was a misguided attempt at grabbing national headlines: He envisioned a massacre - just not his own. As both the camera and the tabloid came of age, George Armstrong Custer became America's first bona fide celebrity.

Vengeance is a thrilling read, filled with action, legendary characters, and poignance for the impact this had on Native Americans and the shape of the American West.

Review Quotes

Praise for Vengeance and Tom Clavin:

"The book becomes more spirited during the battle itself, which is naturally dramatic, as well as terrifying... A fascinating figure who emerges is Moving Robe Woman, a Lakota 23-year-old who plunges into battle with her face painted red, avenging her 10-year-old brother who'd been killed a few days earlier." --Publishers Weekly on Vengeance

"Deploying the fresh and informative storytelling technique that has made him a best-selling popular-history writer, Clavin provides an accessible, balanced, vivid, and fast-moving account of this watershed disaster and its ripple effects." --Booklist on Vengeance

"Bestseller Clavin offers a lively rendition of the storied career of the USS Tang and its captain, Richard Hetherington O'Kane ... Clavin provides a bounty of backstory on submarine warfare, with side excursions into other famous subs and their fates. The result is an entertaining account of daring exploits in the deep." --Publishers Weekly on Running Deep

"The entire cowboy-outlaw era, which reached its climax in 1897 and ended around 1905, comes vividly alive in this kaleidoscopic work ... countless other instances of robbing, stealing and retribution, are woven splendidly into this rousing saga of the closing years of the outlaw epoch of the American West." --Wall Street Journal on Bandit Heaven

"Buchenwald was the place no allied airman was supposed to wind up--but they did. In this priceless eyewitness history, one of WWII's most incredible stories has finally found its teller. Lightning Down is a riveting read that will leave you with a cold shiver." --Adam Makos, author of the NY Times bestseller A Higher Call

"With a former newsman's nose for the truth, Clavin has sifted the facts, myths, and lies to produce what might be as accurate an account as we will ever get of the old West's most famous feud." --Associated Press on Tombstone

About the Author

TOM CLAVIN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has worked as a newspaper editor, magazine writer, TV and radio commentator, and a reporter for The New York Times. He has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and National Newspaper Association. His books include the bestselling Frontier Lawmen trilogy―Wild Bill, Dodge City, and Tombstone―and Blood and Treasure, The Last Hill, and Throne of Grace with Bob Drury. He lives in Sag Harbor, NY.