Author Topic: WARLORDS by Matt Braun (Read 623 times)

Holiday · « **on:** November 30, 2003, 02:01:21 PM »

Auther: Matt Braun
Title: WARLORDS
Publisher: St. Martins Press
175 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10010

The year is 1915, the place , the Rio Grande river border between Texas and Mexico. World War I is raging in Europe. The Allies and Germany have become stalled in a trench war. America, remaining neutral so far, has started considering entering the war on the side of the allies. Germany, desparate to keep the United States out of the war, hatches a diabolical plot to start a war between Mexico and the United States. Sending one of their top spies, Germany pans to back a deposed Mexican leader and use Mexican revalutionaries to invade Texas! It is up to U.S. Bureau of Investigations agent Frank Gordon and Texas Ranger Sergeant Hoyt Maddox to stop them.

I have to say, I really liked this book. I know, it is set in the twentieth century like OVERLORDS, but this book really mixes the Old West with modern times. Horses and automobiles ply the steets side by side and the Texas Rangers still use Peacemakers and Winchesters! This story is fiction, but is rooted in fact. The border raids on the Rio Grande did take place and there was evidence of German involvement. All in all, this is a good tale!

williamlayton · « **Reply #1 on:** November 30, 2003, 02:44:20 PM »

good post. i'm believin the last of the old west hung around til late 20's or early 30's in that part of texas, new mexico. frank hamer was part of this transition. it was still pretty wooly down in them parts til, as i said hte 30's.
there was a lot of intri-oh how do ya spell itriegue without lookin it up-where's hamp when ya need him-i digress, a bunch of folks were tryin ta stir them fellers up against us. it didn't take much cause them boys still had notions bout the neueces strip. germany had her hands full though, an the resources to make it happen were not available. if they hadda been those boys would have taken up the call.
btw- the rangers, er well texas by god, were in force along the border the whole time because of a lot of activity.
blessings

Capt Hamp Cox · « **Reply #2 on:** December 01, 2003, 02:29:30 AM »

What "Old" williamlayton said about the Nueces Strip and the Rangers (don't have to specify which, since there was only one bunch that was the real thing). Wild and wooly is putting it mildly. Those Rangers have received a lot of flak from contemporary historians for their tactics along the border during that time. Unquestionably, their tactics/actions appear brutal through contemporary eyes, but until Villa hit Columbus, NM and Pershing's troops got involved, the Rangers were the only force (and a vastly outnumbered one at that) actively defending the Texas border against rulthless murderers, rustlers, bandits, smugglers, etc.

williamlayton · « **Reply #3 on:** December 01, 2003, 07:49:32 AM »

now wait a minute here OL hamp--who ya sayin was out numbered? only one country was involved here--them boys handeled it pretty good. :wink: actually they didn't know they was out numbered. thay had been doin so much with so little fer so long it seemed ever thang was status quo. and well both sides was not privy to no geneva convention-jest business as usual.
blessings

Holiday · « **Reply #4 on:** December 01, 2003, 10:19:16 AM »

Gentleman, thanks for the input. I appreciate you putting in your two cnts worth, it really helps having a couple of Texans around when you talk about a book about Texas! :-D William, I think Frank hammer is mentioned in one of these books, I believe it is OVERLORDS. Hamp, the Rangers were probably portrayed pretty accuratly in this book. They were shown to be rough and mean, and they showed little mercy. But, as you said, they evolved in a dangerous time and had to fight while outnumbered since their creation. In THE WARLORDS they don't come off as pretty or politically correct, but they get the job done and are True Blue. My hat is off to them and their decendants.