What if David “Davy” Crockett somehow had survived The Battle of the Alamo? What would the implications be for such a man after a death that immediately became America lore, the fortress itself a monument still preserved? Pyke, a great descendant of one of the Immortal 32 who answered William Barret Travis’s call for reinforcements, explores these questions in Rescuing Crockett, a tried-and-true Western novel that, as it kicks off Pyke’s Silas Grant series, revels in a little bit of everything looked for by lovers of the genre. In 1838,16-year-old blacksmith-to-be Silas and some Texas Revolution veterans catch wind of the possibility that rumors of Crockett’s death two years before are greatly exaggerated, and the hunt is on to discover the fate of the storied frontiersman, possibly now a prisoner of war.So, the gunslingers set out on an irresistible mission, a hook that the book itself lives up to. Pyke offers rousing adventure, engaging camaraderie between the characters, a smoldering romance with a young debutante, and enough surprising political intrigue—involving the feds, Mexico, the French who are blockading Mexican ports, and the possibility of Crockett being a bargaining chip between governments—to keep the storytelling fresh, even for seasoned Western readers. The story moves fast, despite Pyke’s feel for immersive scenic detail (“Ahead was day after day of vast grasslands of dense little bluestem, waves of grama grass, thick buffalograss, low-lying tumblegrass, and yellow-flowering snakeweed”) and welcome commitment to historical plausibility.
Besides prairie grass and politics, Pyke knows his way around horses, Hawken rifles, maritime battles, and desert scrub, keeping the excitement up while never losing sight of the cast’s humanity. As the story stretches south, incorporating historical personages like Santa Anna, Pyke takes pains to keep style and prose close to reality, making sure that the actual history on display here (and contextualized in clarifying notes) is as engaging as the what-if? of Crockett’s possible survival.
Takeaway: Gunslingers hunt for Davy Crockett after the Alamo in this polished Western.
Comparable Titles: Stephen Harrigan’s The Gates of the Alamo, Cameron Judd’s Crockett of Tennessee.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
