Lone Star Book Blog Tour: First Herd to Abilene by Preston Lewis (Review)

FIRST HERD TO ABILENE

HISTORICALLY SOUND AND HILARIOUSLY FUNNY! H.H. Lomax meets Wild Bill Hickok in Springfield, Missouri, and is responsible for Hickok’s legendary gunfight with Davis Tutt. Fearing Hickok will hold a grudge, Lomax escapes Springfield and agrees to promote Joseph G. McCoy’s dream of building Abilene, Kansas, into a cattle town, ultimately leading the first herd to Abilene from Texas.

Along the way, he encounters Indians, rabid skunks, flash floods, a stampede, and the animosities of some fellow cowboys trying to steal profits from the drive. Lomax is saved by the timely arrival of now U.S. Marshal Hickok, but Lomax uses counterfeit wanted posters to convince Hickok his assailants are wanted felons with rewards on their heads.

Lomax and Wild Bill go their separate ways until they run into each other a decade later in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, where Hickok vows to kill Lomax for getting him fired.

First Herd to Abilene is an entertaining mix of historical and hysterical fiction.

First Herd to Abilene by Preston Lewis is quite the Wild West journey that will have you both laughing and pondering H.H. Lomax’s ability to always land on his feet. If you are not familiar with Preston’s Lomax stories, you are in for a treat. Lomax drifts around and continually lands in hot water and jumps out again just as quickly. He is a likable enough fellow, but his good luck is almost too good to be true. Of course, not everything comes up roses for Lomax in First Herd to Abilene, but I’ll leave that bit of bad luck for you to read about for yourself.

The overall story about driving that first herd of Longhorns from Texas to Abilene, Kansas, (I thought the herd was going to be Abilene, Texas, but that would have been a short cattle drive) is book ended by Lomax’s hilarious encounters with none other than Wild Bill Hickok. Their tenuous relationship quickly becomes a powder keg, exploding all over the place in spectacular fashion at the end. The bulk of the story is the cattle drive to Abilene and all its foibles, crazy characters, and enough beans and bacon to incite a stampede.

Preston Lewis never ceases to entertain and delight in all his stories. First Herd to Abilene does hint at a few of Lomax’s other adventures, but this story can stand alone and still be just as enjoyable. Do yourself a favor and dive into Preston’s other Lomax stories, such as Bluster’s Last Stand, because they are absolutely hilarious! While the pacing in First Herd to Abilene is quick at the beginning and the end, the middle slows down quite a bit as the cattle drive stretches out, perhaps mimicking those long days and nights on the trail. Preston Lewis peppers the cattle drive with great characterization and funny incidents, so this long stretch of story line will keep you in stitches and provide some food for thought on the folly of greed and malcontent that permeates the cattle drive. I did mention that Lomax always lands on his feet, so he definitely makes it to Abilene, but at what cost? And how does Hickok, Calamity Jane, and cherry pie factor into all this? Read First Herd to Abilene and find out.

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I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.