Fighting Caravans

By Zane Grey

Book Overview

Clint Belmet's parents were killed in a Comanche raid when he was young, but that hasn't stopped him from taking a job leading freight caravans on the old Santa Fe Trail, from Saint Louis, Missouri,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1634505085
• ISBN13: 9781634505086
• Release Date: November 2015
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Great story

Zane Grey can be hit and miss, this is one of his better hits. It's somewhat formulaic, but it cost a penny when new so... If you like westerns, this is one of the good ones.

Wagons Ho!

This is the story of the freight system that carried goods from St. Louis to Santa Fe, NM in the mid 19th Century, and the perils and dangers they faced as they crossed Indian country to deliver their merchandise. The hero, Buff Belmet, had to grow up fast after his mother and father are killed in Comanche raids. But aided by Kit Carson he delivers the goods over the trail. When he falls in love with May Bell, he encounters another enemy even worse than the Indians--Lee Murdock--who wants not only the girl for himself, but the valuable supplies. Fighting Caravans is an historical novel with real people who lived during the period who appear or are mentioned as the story line progresses. A fine read.

Great Book

First, I'm reviewing the book, not the movie as those above seem to be doing. Zane Grey is hit and miss. I don't like Riders of the Purple Sage (which seems to be the book by him most people read first), but this is one of the great ones. You really feel for the hero (and heroine) of the story and Grey really brings to life of freight haulers who made settling the west possible. For comparison, I also really like Twin Sombreros and Knights of the Range (about Brazos Keene).

A Classic western from one of the very best!

When Clint Belmet's mother and father were killed in Comanche raids, the lad had to grow up fast. So he took over the reins and drove supplies up and down the Santa Fe trail, with a little help from his friend Kit Carson. But Clint made an enemy of the man who loved his fiancee--a man as dangerous as the badlands themselves.

Low-rent version of "The Big Trail"...

A semi-clone of "The Big Trail", Cooper takes over the spot DUKE played, as a frontiersman/guide for a wagon train.While "Fighting Caravans" is not as expansive as "The Big Trail", and while the young Gary Cooper is no young John Wayne, this early western is pretty entertaining. In the story, Cooper helps the wagon train fend off Indians and evil traders, while his two crusty companions try and save him from falling in love. There's plenty of action, and there's even a hint of pre-code Hollywood, as Cooper's character practically attempts to blackmail his new sweetheart into fooling around with him.Laserlight/Delta found a pretty fair print, but there are several missing frames. The image will occasionally "black out", but while annoying, does not interfere with viewing. Originally 92 minutes, this print seems to be more or less intact, missing perhaps two or three minutes.The story moves along well, and the opening credits alone are pretty snazzy for 1931.The film has much to recommend it, and while "The Big Trail" is superior, this early Cooper vehicle is worth adding to your western DVD collection. Especially for the low price the disc is being offered at, you should definitely pick this one up.Film fans should look (or listen!), for Eugene Pallette, of "The Adventures of Robin Hood" fame. He's here in a minor supporting role some seven years before he played Friar Tuck.