BLOOD AND THUNDER

Kit Carson, the mythic frontiersman from the American Southwest, represented the best and worst of U.S. settlement of the region. Hampton Sides uses Carson as the focal point of the conflict between the spreading Anglo culture and the Navajo culture. Sides details the lives of Carson and other key figures in the history of the area and explores its sometimes explosive history. The abridgment is nearly seamless. Scenes are presented in enough length that their impact and context are clear. The excellent Don Leslie doesn't put on contrived accents. He does give a rural tone to passages that represent Carson's own words. Otherwise, he reads clearly, using intonation and rising volume for dramatic effect. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 07]