Pale Horse Coming (Earl Swagger Series #2)

Engaging historical fiction

By 1951 Thebes, Mississippi is a ghost town converted to a penal colony for Negro criminals. Once in you never leave as the only egress is by boat in a casket. The warden and guards run a tight operation making life miserable for the prisoners because the standard operating norm is whipping and torture. The men in charge use all sorts of diabolical devices to keep the prisoners in line and cowed.

Attorney Sam Vincent travels to Thebes to meet a client, but is illegally detained by the law enforcement officials running the facility. Earl Swagger knows Sam is inside Thebes and sets out to free his friend. Earl frees Sam, but is caught instead. Big Boy, who runs the prison, periodically tortures Earl, who with a bit of luck escapes vowing to return to burn this little corner of hell to the ground.

PALE HORSE COMING is a juicy thriller that shows how little freedom blacks had in the 1951 south. The novel shocks, excites, and enthralls the audience. The plot serves as a testament to the unknown heroes fighting injustice to make things right for everyone. Stephen Hunter is a fantastic writer who knows how to entertain and educate his fans.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have been a stephen hunter fan for quite some time, and while

I have been a stephen hunter fan for quite some time, and while i have not read all of his books,this is byfar one of my favorites. Hunter at his best would be a understatement.

HIghly Recommended

I read this book a few years ago and thought it was stephen hunters best work. i wonder if this re-issue has and changes.

Keep coming back for more

I've read all of the Stephen Hunter books and for some reason, I keep coming back to this one. I want to be Earl Swagger when I grow up. He is the epitome of cool and able to keep his senses in the worst situations. Always calm and collected.

One of the best books I ever read!

If you can get thru the first chapter you will not be able to put it down! I am a picky reader. If a book doesnt captivate me after 2 or 3 chapters I stop reading. This is a page turner. A must read!

EaRL Swagger

After reading this book now I know were 'The Nailer' got his steel will....and blood lust...

Stephen Hunter outdid himself!

This Earl Swagger story had me riveted from the first chapter. It is Hunter's best, filled with heart-pounding suspense and incredible action. I have read it several times already and highly recommend it, along with the other Swagger stories, and Dirty White Boys.

Gripping from start to finish

Unforgetable story line and character development. Stephen Hunter's best book starts off at a fast pase and just keeps gaining momentum till the very end. This book is a must read.

Excellant addition to the Swagger stories!

Having read and enjoyed all the the previous Swagger books by Hunter I had to get this one as well and am very glad i did. Great story that keeps you interested from begining to end! Definately pick up this book when you get a chance, you won't be disappointed!

After you finish....

This was a great book in many ways. A true 'humble American hero vanquishes evil' type of novel which I couldn't put down. But after you finish, go back and read chapter 60 one more time. That was one of the best four or five pages I've read in a long time!

Hunter Brings It Once Again!

This book is simply amazing. Those that didn't like this book must also not like John Wayne, as this book is a good story about the old south with a 'Duke' like hero. It's far fetched in some places, but that just makes it all the better. You won't be able to put this one down, and at times Hunter really makes you cringe. Great story!

Brutal, Vicious and Masterful

Pale Horse Coming is a grim, brutal story that is incredibly disturbing. But is also a remarkable tale of honor, duty and unfathomable courage. I have read Stephen Hunter before, and he is always good. But this is the best.

A Very Well Written Masterpeice

This is a very good book that starts at the begining and never stops. I found myself reading it at all hours of the day and the night. I want to read more about Earl Swagger, as in his early days, before hot springs. I could not put this book down until i had finished it at 2am.

Enjoyable

I love the way the author uses characters from book to book. Earl is a man who has had to deal with war and childhood trauma to become the 'heroic' man he portrays in the books. This book was a page turner and kept me entertained from start to finish. Mr. Hunter's descriptive narrative made me feel connected to each character.

Unbelievable ...in more ways than one

Interesting premise and characters, but the outcome is beyond belief, even for the deep south and the time frame the book is set.

This would make a great movie!

Pale Horse Coming is the first Stephen Hunter book I have read. I can't put it down! I'm looking forward to reading more of his books.

Hunter needs a new main character

Stephen Hunter is a great writer, but Earl Swagger has lived too many lives and needs to be retired as a main character. This book is well written and the plot is fine. I am not familiar with expert marksmen who appear in outdoor magazines, etc., but Hunter's portrayal of Audie in the book was disappointing. As a Vietnam veteran, I was somewhat offended that a Medal of Honor winner from WW II was used as a model for one of the sharpshooters who took down Thebes.

Shallow use of real heroes

I've been thrilled by most of Stephen Hunter's books. Dirty White Boys, Point of Impact, Black Light, Time to Hunt and Hot Springs were fantastic reads. Others were disappointments. I couldn't even finish Second Saladin and The Master Sniper dragged on and on. Pale Horse Coming begins in great Hunter style with plenty of action along with a liberal dose of southern culture, albeit racist and mean, thrown in. Where Hunter errs is in the blatant use of some of hunting, shooting, law enforcement and the military's real life heroes, very shallowly disguised with cute names, to save the day. Anyone who has read the main outdoor magazines will have spoted Elmer Keith, Jack O'Connor, Charlie Askins, Bill Jordan, Audie Murphy and Ed McGivern in seconds. While their names may have been changed, and poorly at that, the traits and attributes of each weren't, at least not much. If anything, their personalities were stretched to the limits. As creative as Hunter is, he could easily have come up with fictional heroes every bit as interesting and captivating as his villains. Instead, he uses an old trick and rewrites history through the use of real people, fictionalized, and, in the process, cheapens both them and his work. By the way, the Askins character is right on: racist, irreverant, and an unrepentent cold blooded killer. I seriously doubt that Keith, O'Connor, or McGivern would have taken part in this battle. They were hunters, not killers. Jordan and Murphy probably would have. Stephen, I hope you're not getting tired. Please use your great creativity on both sides of the fence. Look what you've done with Earl, Bob Lee, and Sam.

Hunting people is getting thin.

Another rip-roarer from Hunter but he is clearly stretching on this one. I personally am needing a change of pace from the roaring seven to something more subtle and have found it in a first novel by John Russell, a mystery with a credible but complex plot in Dark Horses.

Another Magnificent Seven

Yet another version of the Magnificent Seven or the Seven Samauri. Somewhat disappointing in light of Mr. Hunters wonderful talent to define a character like Bob Lee Swagger.