Written by an individual involved in TV and film, this book could easily be the basis for an action miniseries or collection of movies. It is built almost entirely around the three men mentioned in the title - Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett, and Sam Houston. The author focuses on gritty action scenes, treacherous politics, and the intense last stand made by the Alamo garrison instead of deep analysis of a single specific campaign or political issue. This and its short chapters make the book easy to read, although following three complex individuals (even with the relatively light focus on complex political or social situations) is a bit difficult. ( )

This book is a well researched telling of a less discussed period of early American (and Texan) history. The narrative follows the events surrounding Andrew
Jackson, David Crockett and Sam Houston and their rise the power and fame.
The account of the Battle of Fort Mims is graphic and reveals the brutality of frontier warfare. The author does a good job in linking Fort Mims to the regional Creek and Seminole Wars that follow. The second half of the book focuses on the events of Texan Independence.
A recommended read if you're interested in learning more about this piece of history. ( )

I have read bios of Jackson, Crockett and Houston so I approached this book and the concept behind it with some skepticism. However, after reading the book, I commend Paul Williams for a fine job of storytelling that accomplishes exactly what was promised in the concept. Some stretches of the story to include documented contacts among the three men distracted a bit, from time to time, but I appreciated learning of those incidents. For those with an interest in this period of our history, this is a book worth reading. I would recommend it.

It does appear the book I read was not an advance copy. That is a great disappointment. As other reviewers have already noted, the copy editing was terrible. Where dates are so important in our understanding this period of history, the name of the month of dates, especially January and February, were intermingled, incorrectly, multiple times. This was the series of errors that upset me the most, but there were innumerable others, as noted by others. Very disappointing, as this appears to be a “final” edition of the book. I also support the comments that the illustrations by the author would better have been omitted. They detracted from rather than added to the text. ( )

Despite some weakness in proof-reading and editing, this book by Paul Williams, is a very enjoyable and informative read. By detailing the intertwining lives of Andrew Jackson, David (Davy) Crockett, and Sam Houston, the author provides a broader and insightful view of their personalities and surrounding historical events. Much of this history about the Creek Indian War, The War of 1812, and the founding of an independent Texas, is probably unknown to most readers, but the narrative is compelling and successfully draws the reader into the story.

Williams has clearly performed thorough research, yet the text flows well without coming across as overly scholarly. He provides interesting references to outside events that help to keep subject events and circumstances in context with broader history. This technique is effective; as is the author's attention to all three men simultaneously, rather than treating each man individually as separate subjects. Nicely done. ( )

Several things detracted from my enjoyment of this book [note: It was not marked as an advance copy]: The size/style of the font on the non-white pages made reading it somewhat difficult as did the much smaller font used for many portions of the text. The author's drawings were not the best choice for depicting historic scenes. There were many spelling and grammar errors that made me wonder if the publisher has an actual editor or just a basic software program. Parts of the story were quite interesting, but the author seemed to be expressing a lot of his own bias in describing some incidents and individuals. I am not a student of this period of history, so it may be historically accurate. Overall, not an impressive volume. ( )