Blood and Thunder A sprawling tale of the life and times of Kit Carson, the most celebrated of American mountain men. The book centers around Kit Carson, but his life serves primarily as a vehicle for discussing the events in which he participated. He happened to be in and often at the center of a great deal of manifest destiny. It's consistently entertaining, and it manages to be pretty even handed about some fairly contentious subject matter. Recommended for fans of frontier, mountain, western, and indian stories. Thanks to @hyp for the recommendation!