Best book I read this year:
1. The Wolf and the Buffalo by Elmer Kelton
Smashing. One of Kelton's six great novels, this one is certainly a masterpiece. Kelton said that he originally was asked to write about a Buffalo Soldier, and took that up, but was so distracted by the Indian character that it soon became a sort of parallel novel and grew to fantastic proportions. It was so long that he was afraid his publisher, Reader's Digest Condensed Books, would refuse to publish it. Instead, they asked him to make it longer and focus more on the Indian character! And good thing, too. Honestly, this is a true work of art. The ending reminded me of Hamlet. And the march through the Llano Estacado was totally riveting. I actually began to feel thirsty reading it.
Honorable Mentions:
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