Company of Cowards

This novel is one of Schaefer's three greatest: 'Shane' is about as good as fiction can get, but 'Monte Walsh' is deeper and more complex (see my review of the TV version with Tom Selleck [[URL not allowed]-03/monte.htm] and skip the movie starring Lee Marvin as Monte and Jack Palance as C......more

Typically good fare from Schaefer. A story of redemption that is a bit civil war, a bit western, and a lot character study. The thing that sets Schaefer apart from contemporary writers, who seem to be ashamed of anything pure or heroic, is that it is Schaefer's guiding star; and the brighter it burn......more

Very good. I’m going to need to give this another read at some point, as it wasn’t until about halfway in that I really grasped what Schaefer is going for here. Once that clicked, it worked wonderfully. Beautiful prose and such well-realized characters. God bless Jack Schaefer.......more

Fascinating blend of history and fiction. Very well done, and very good character studies.......more

Schaefer was a prolific author best known for his debut book, Shane, and the movie made of it. This one came a little later and is unfortunately far more interesting in premise than execution. Apparently inspired by an apocryphal historical footnote from the Civil War, it follows the path of a tiny......more