Borderlands (Aerial Fiction) - Softcover

Grade 8-12-- A triad of short novels marketed as one. In the first section, Texas orphans Ben Curtis, 13, and his older brother, Bo, join a cattle drive. Bo is shot in Abilene; his murderer is allegedly killed somewhat later. In the second section, Ben goes to Dodge City and sets up a store for himself. The panic of 1873 does him in; he signs up with a buffalo hunter as camp cook. The third section is on the killing of the buffalo. Ben graduates to carcass flayer and hide scraper. The buffalo are about gone, and the Indians are restless. To try to tie everything up, Bo's killer reappears and goes after Ben. In the nick of time Indians appear. One skewers Bo's killer with a lance; another clubs Ben. The first part is interesting. The second part is Dick Whittington-ish and slogging reading. The third part is graphic and preachy about the slaughter of buffalo. If marketed as three novels, Parts I and III could succeed--in spite of the 1980s terms embedded in 1870s language. As one enormous first-person narration, this will probably be a real shelf-sitter waiting for a weeding. Oh, yes--in places Carter uses too many cuss words. --George Gleason, Department of English, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield
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