Apache Devil by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The sequel to ERB’s 1927 western, "The War Chief", begins with our hero, Shaz-Dijiji (Black Bear) trying to pick up the pieces of his life amid the tragic circumstances surrounding his loved ones in that first book. He’s still a young man in his early 20’s when this book begins, still an Apache warrior chief but the end of the Apaches as a people is becoming more and more evident. 

The novel is a conjunction of two types of stories. It’s partly an accurate historical novel that chronicles the final years of Geronimo and his renegades before the final peace agreements and the eventual life on a reservation. It also includes a more typical western tale (told from the Apaches’ point of view) that centers on Shaz-Dijiji and his needing to come to grips with his own origins as a white man. A potential romance may be in the cards; dare we hope for a happy ending for him? 

I’ve thought before that ERB was ahead of his time when it comes to appreciating the plight of the Native Americans and this novel proves it. It’s hard to believe this was first published in 1928 given the sympathetic view the author has for Geronimo and his people.

ERB isn’t well known for his westerns, probably because there are only a handful of them and when compared to his prolific output and world-famous settings and characters like John Carter, Tarzan, David Innes, etc. it’s just hard to compete. But one gets the impression that the author’s own experiences in the West as an enlisted soldier with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in Fort Grant, Arizona Territory were forever imprinted on his psyche and came pouring out in these two novels. I wish there were more in this series.