Title: Command
Author: James Warner Bellah
In: The Mammoth Book of Westerns (Jon E. Lewis)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Westerns
Dates read: 13th August 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1946
5th sentence, 74th page: It pleased Flint Cohill to be able to think Santee Sioux instead of plain Sioux, as everybody usually did back in the States.

Moving up the chain of command can be difficult. Especially when you’re not sure if you’re fighting for the right side or not…

I like that some of this short story is about questioning the whys and the whats of the war against the Indians. Or at least, that was my understanding of who the war was between. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure because I don’t know that much of the American West and the different groups which were in play during the time…

This story highlights all of the battles and horribleness which take place on the Western Front. It wasn’t exactly a nice, warm or fuzzy story. But it was a nice one that made me stop and think a little about the ways in which disagreements and war on a frontier would work and how some of the soldiers and those in command may feel.

This short story is all on horseback, with a constant internal monologue playing through the story. I think that once I know a little bit more about American history, it might be something that draws me in more fully. But, for now, it was pleasantly enjoyable and something that I would like to read again.

<- The Big Sky

Burn Him Out ->

Image source: Hachette Australia