Buckskin Brigades

by L. Ron Hubbard

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The Lewis & Clark murder of a Native American Blackfoot Indian changes the course of history.

One white man raised by the Blackfeet—Yellow Hair—undertakes a treacherous adventure across the uncharted wilderness. Experience a panoramic journey across the pages of American history in this thrilling story of a proud, courageous man pushed to the limits of endurance. . . and of a country on the threshold of a bloody conflict that will change it forever.

"Mr. Hubbard has reversed a show more time-honored formula and has given a thriller to which, at the end of every chapter or so, another paleface bites the dust.. . . [has] an enthusiasm, even a freshness and sparkle, decidedly rare in this type of romance." —New York Times

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4 reviews
Buckskin Brigades

Pulp Western where the white fur traders are the bad guys.

The book starts out with a random diary entry from the Lewis & Clark Expedition, which expedition was sent by the President to explore the newly purchased Louisiana territories. The author’s implied question of course is how can you buy something that is already owned by the native peoples of the continent?

Through a pulp and sometimes sarcastic style, we have caricatures of men who are greedy, sly, deceptive and all around nasty people to be around. Their only concern is how to use our hero, Yellow Hair, as a chip in the game of furs and trading as the Nor’westers struggle against the Hudson Bay Company.

I would have liked to have seen more information on show more Yellow Hair’s origins. His father, a late survivor of the politicos back East, made friends with and consulted with the Pikuni tribes and upon his death, his son, Michael, was raised by the Pikunis as Yellow Hair.

Yellow Hair is an impetuous youth, who desires a woman (a sits-beside-me woman) and has some struggles with the council of tribes. His eventual foray into the world of white fur traders makes for some compelling literature.

Spoiler: My favorite scenes include when Bright Star comes across a skeleton with yellow hair and thinks this is proof that Yellow Hair is dead. She does love him, though doesn’t show it, and is quite despondent. Will she kill herself? Will she marry the man she’s been chosen to marry?

End Spoiler.

The battle scenes are the most compelling. Trapped, surrounded by cannon and men with guns, Yellow Hair calls his enemies cowards, come and get me you Redcoats! The typical pulp hero.

Bottom Line: An interesting look at the beginning of the Western expanse in the Canadian/American north, a struggle for survival and some pretty funny cultural clashes. We have the greedy frontiersman, the dandy, the toady, and enough caricature and fighting to satisfy any Western reader. Recommended.
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Genre: Historical Fiction / Western / Adventure
Vibe: The Revenant meets Dances with Wolves

📷 The Aesthetic
🏔️ Towering Montana mountains
🏹 Blackfeet hunting parties
🌲 Crisp Northwest wilderness
🛶 Greed-driven fur trading posts

It’s a total reversal of the classic Western trope. Watching Yellow Hair navigate the corruption of the fur traders while trying to maintain his honor is genuinely compelling. The prose can feel a bit “stilted” or overly dramatic compared to modern thrillers, but that adds to its vintage pulp charm.
Buckskin Brigades

Pulp Western where the white fur traders are the bad guys.

The book starts out with a random diary entry from the Lewis & Clark Expedition, which expedition was sent by the President to explore the newly purchased Louisiana territories. The author’s implied question of course is how can you buy something that is already owned by the native peoples of the continent?

Through a pulp and sometimes sarcastic style, we have caricatures of men who are greedy, sly, deceptive and all around nasty people to be around. Their only concern is how to use our hero, Yellow Hair, as a chip in the game of furs and trading as the Nor’westers struggle against the Hudson Bay Company.

I would have liked to have seen more information on show more Yellow Hair’s origins. His father, a late survivor of the politicos back East, made friends with and consulted with the Pikuni tribes and upon his death, his son, Michael, was raised by the Pikunis as Yellow Hair.

Yellow Hair is an impetuous youth, who desires a woman (a sits-beside-me woman) and has some struggles with the council of tribes. His eventual foray into the world of white fur traders makes for some compelling literature.

Spoiler: My favorite scenes include when Bright Star comes across a skeleton with yellow hair and thinks this is proof that Yellow Hair is dead. She does love him, though doesn’t show it, and is quite despondent. Will she kill herself? Will she marry the man she’s been chosen to marry?

End Spoiler.

The battle scenes are the most compelling. Trapped, surrounded by cannon and men with guns, Yellow Hair calls his enemies cowards, come and get me you Redcoats! The typical pulp hero.

Bottom Line: An interesting look at the beginning of the Western expanse in the Canadian/American north, a struggle for survival and some pretty funny cultural clashes. We have the greedy frontiersman, the dandy, the toady, and enough caricature and fighting to satisfy any Western reader. Recommended.
show less
A book of a white boy raised by indians and seeing Lewis and Clark as they traveled thru to the pacific. He know he was different even though never treated differently by his Native American family and clan

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905+ Works 19,738 Members
L. Ron Hubbard was born in Tilden, Nebraska on March 13, 1911. He attended George Washington University and Princeton University. He began his career as a writer for pulp magazines and later as a science fiction writer. His science fiction works include the Buckskin Brigades, Final Blackout, Fear, The Kingslayer, and Black Towers to Danger. His show more book, Dianetics, was published in 1950. He spent the next 30 years devoting himself to the development of Dianetics and Scientology. In 1954, he founded the Church of Scientology. In the 1980s, he published his final fiction works Battlefield Earth and the Mission Earth series, which won the Cosmos 2000 Award from French readers and the Nova Science Fiction Award from Italy's Perseo Libri. He died on January 24, 1986. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Buckskin Brigades

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
DDC/MDS
813.52Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991900-1945
LCC
PS3515 .B8Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1900-1960
BISAC

Statistics

Members
80
Popularity
395,733
Reviews
4
Rating
(4.06)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
16
ASINs
4