The Calling

By Dick Hyson

A captivating story about a northern New Mexico cattle ranch, the Cross S or Piedra (stone), in the 1950s. The action unfolds through the eyes of a half-breed Indian top hand on the ranch, Frank... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870815105
• ISBN13: 9780870815102
• Release Date: December 1998
• Publisher: University Press of Colorado
• Length: 422 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent, a must read for fans of the "real" West.

Not being a real fan of the shoot em up variety of westerns I found this book to be everything I wanted it to be. Mr Hyson is obviously a "real" cowboy and it is my guess he is putting a lot of his own life experiences into this novel.The book gives a taste of what real "cowboying" was ( and in many cases ) still is all about. It mixes fact and fiction in just the right doses, to make this an interesting and informative read.

Authentically captures a bygone era. A must read!

Even though it is a fictional story, I suspect there is a lot of truth in "the way things were" in this novel. Hyson, having lived the life of a rancher/cowboy, allows much of his own experience to influence his writing. I believe this book to be an authentic depiction of ranch and community life in Northern New Mexico during a particular time period. "The Calling" has it all: romance, adventure, mystery, and binding human relationships. This story would make a great movie along the lines of "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Horse Whisperer."

A different western - very, very well written.

The books starts well and continues telling the every day life of a cowboy in New Mexico and the people he associates with. It is a history, a love story, a geography study of New Mexico. It is not a real fast read - it just stay interesting throughout.

Fantastic!!! Mystery, Romance and the Cowboy life.

I loved this book. Hyson really gives a tenderfoot like me the taste for the cowboy life. In it he also gave me a mystery, romance, and a number of really hard laughs! (RC really cracks me up!) I really enjoyed the book and recommend it. It is a really good read.

Capturing the reality of the cowboy life

Dick Hyson has captured the reality of ranching and cowboying with his novel, THE CALLING. The characters are well-developed to give the reader an intimate acquaintance with them. Hyson also shows that a way of life in the West is not what it used to be and will continue to undergo drastic changes. This is a book to be read more than once.