"THE FORSAKEN AND THE DEAD" by Sidney Thompson (Bison Books, 232 pages, $20).
"The Forsaken and the Dead," the final installment of Memphis native Sidney Thompson's fictional trilogy based on the life of legendary U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, opens 12 years after events of the second book, "Hell on the Border." That one ended with the famed lawman -- who by some counts arrested over 3,000 felons -- on trial for murder in 1884. The third book opens with Bass Reeves approaching age 60 and still chasing desperadoes, including his own son.
"The Forsaken and the Dead" hit shelves shortly before the November premiere of "Lawmen: Bass Reeves," a star-studded streaming series based on the first two books, co-produced by Taylor Sheridan of "Yellowstone" fame.
Thompson recently spoke with Chapter 16 by phone from Fort Worth, where he teaches writing and literature at Texas Christian University. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: With a life as full and rich as that of Bass Reeves, with so much historical information to draw from, how do you pick which scenes make it into the book?
A: I had to decide what I thought were the pivotal moments that really help explain the arc of his life. Anyone who knows his story would be disappointed if I didn't include some of these iconic moments. Then I tried to include as many smaller moments as possible. I tried to find ways to include those or maybe group them based on what Bass Reeves obsessed about, what he worried about and needed to reflect upon.
Q: I was drawn to a pivotal scene in the third book that takes place in a cave in Oklahoma. This made me wonder, how did you research the various settings and locations? Are they real places?
A: I went there and toured it as much as I could. It's a collapsed cave now. I tried to research what it was like before the collapse and came up empty everywhere I looked. Then I just happened to meet a woman from Oklahoma who grew up near the cave. I asked her if she could tell me what it was like. She said her second cousin played in it as a child. He knew all about it way back when, so she spoke to him for the information.
My description of the cave, with the kind of portholes at the top and ropes hanging down, is based on his firsthand accounts. One reason robbers liked the cave was that they couldn't be trapped in it. They had these escape holes and could climb up the ropes. They couldn't be caught, of course, until the cave became famous, and no one could hide there any longer. I found out that the top was blown up because of the holes. Someone was afraid that people would get hurt and the ceiling would collapse eventually. So they detonated it with dynamite.
Q: And you moved that dynamite into Bass' pocket?
A: I learned that nearby miners used dynamite regularly. I was looking for something splashy that would not only explain the collapse of the cave but honor its history a little bit. And I kind of wanted to riff on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid jumping off the cliff, when Bass rescues his son.
Q: Bass was known for his affinity for music, inventing songs and singing to himself on the trail. This trait allowed you to give him a voice in poetry. What was that experience like?
A: It was so fun, and it gave a nice change of pace. I wanted to honor the legends of Bass' penchant for singing and telling jokes, even though none have survived. I knew he had a sense of humor, but he was also a romantic, wanting to shoot only in self-defense. I could shed light on a different side of him than what you see whenever he's focused.
Q: What was it like to see your vision of Bass turned into a television series?
A: I got to talk on Zoom with the writers room and give my sometimes harsh feedback on writing I thought was weak or could be improved. I was honest. But I was blown away by how great most of the work was. When I visited the set, the actors seemed happy to see me and happy about the work they were doing. It was surreal to go to a ranch in cattle country, then suddenly come upon this city like Las Vegas. People from all over the world had descended to render Bass' story for the screen, based on my books. It was humbling to see all that, and I can't wait to see the results.
To read an uncut version of this interview — and more local book coverage — visit Chapter16.org, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee.
Bison Books / ""The Forsaken and the Dead"