BLOOD AND THUNDER An Epic of the American West

The central character is Kit Carson; the central topic, the nineteenth-century conquest of the Hispanic West from New Mexico to California. This part of our war with Mexico may not be well known, but it was central to President Polk's purpose--the fulfillment of the "manifest destiny" of the United States. Don Leslie gives a straightforward, well-paced reading of this fascinating piece of history, holding the listener's attention through the power of the words. Leslie's narration is consistently sensitive to the mood of the story. Although Carson is the only character given a distinctive voice, it's a telling one--a soft Missouri drawl that gives personality to the quotations from his autobiography. R.E.K. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 07]