The Forsaken and the Dead

Sidney Thompson teaches creative writing and African American literature at Texas Christian University. He is the author of the award-winning Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves: The Bass Reeves Trilogy, Book One (Bison Books, 2020) and Hell on the Border: The Bass Reeves Trilogy, Book Two (Bison Books, 2021), adapted for the Paramount+ miniseries Lawmen: Bass Reeves, directed by Taylor Sheridan and starring David Oyelowo.

Note on Language Part 1. 1895 1. Thatch 2. Keokuk Falls 3. Before, During, and After 4. The Kickapoos Part 2. 1896 5. Living God 6. Home 7. Geronimo 8. The Court of the Damned 9. A New Moon 10. Pauls Valley 11. A Devil 12. Smoke 13. The Washout 14. Snuff 15. Hello Part 3. 1898 16. The Treeing Walker-Mountain Cur Part 4. 1909 17. The Beat, the Bag, and the Boy-So Bright Acknowledgments

"An excellent read."-LeRoy A. Peters, Roundup Magazine "Thompson pens this historical fiction in such a way as to make it as readable and entertaining as a dog-eared Louis L'Amour paperback. . . . As engaging as any Larry McMurtry tale."-Jimmy Henderson, Jackson Clarion-Ledger "Sidney Thompson is a master of craft. Full stop. Each sentence compels us onward with lean, restrained prose. I was completely pulled into the vortex of Bass's world. I couldn't put this book down. Thompson is not just a good storyteller, thank goodness, but a great one."-Daniel PeNa, author of Bang "Finally, the fictional treatment that Bass Reeves deserves! This is historical fiction of the highest order: an unwavering allegiance to the historical record combined with vivid, lyrical writing and deeply drawn characters. Sidney Thompson skillfully weaves together historical elements in this compelling story of one of the greatest lawmen to put on a badge, a sweeping saga reminiscent of Lonesome Dove or The Son. Thompson's trilogy should be required reading for anyone who loves American historical fiction, Westerns, or just a finely told story about real-life heroes."-Matt Bondurant, author of Oleander City and The Wettest County in the World, basis for the movie Lawless "With the spellbinding conclusion to his magnificent trilogy, Sidney Thompson has finally corrected a shameful wrong. Invisible to history and literature for far too long, Bass Reeves is risen, resurrected. In sonorous prose, with the mastery of a singular storyteller, Thompson has turned the word into flesh and has rescued Bass from the enclave of the forsaken and the dead."-Miroslav Penkov, author of East of the West