The Last Stand

Reviews / Votes

A mesmerising portrait of two extraordinary individuals and a thrilling blow-by-blow account of a landmark battle, it is a terrific achievement -- Dominic Sandbrook * The Sunday Times * Philbrick recounts this story with the clarity, colour and pace of a first-rate movie, and Jeffrey Ward's superb maps make the twists and turns easy to follow. Custer's Last Stand was America's Isandhlwana, where the shock of defeat was redeemed by the thrill of the tale -- Raymond Seitz * Literary Review * Fine new history...Philbrick has made excellent use of archival resources... and the resulting narrative is unlikely to be bettered. There is much more to savour... it is as brilliant an example of combat reconstruction as one is likely to find in any history of this scope and ambition -- Trevor Royle * Sunday Herald * An absorbing retelling of the greatest Western of all. Philbrick is a stunningly evocative historian. It is a captivating story * The Times * Philbrick writes a lively narrative that brushes away the cobwebs of mythology to reveal the context and realities of Custer's unexpected 1876 defeat at the hands of his Indian enemies under Sitting Bull... compelling * Publishers' Weekly * Philbrick excels...Philbrick has pieced together the various testimonies with commendable skill -- Christopher Silvester * Daily Express * I greatly admired The Last Stand -- Paul Theroux * Guardian, * Philbrick's narrative gifts are such that although we know what is coming, the clash between the Sioux and the cavalry is immensely exciting... A mesmerising portrait of two extraordinary men and a thrilling account of a landmark battle, Philbrick's book stands out for sheer readability, and is a terrific achievement. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times * Philbrick's narrative gifts are such that, although we know what's coming, his story is still hugely exciting. * Sunday Times * Philbrick comes as close to the truth as we are likely to get in this superbly researched and dramatic account' * The Times *