Rating: 
Summary: A Fine Alamo Book.
Review: "One wife can be all things to a man," spoke Marcian, the Roman centurion-turned-Christian (played by Jeff Chandler) in the 1955 film, "Sign of the Pagan." Ironically, he said it to perhaps the foremost polygamous pagan of them all, Attila the Hun (portrayed by Jack Palance). Attila's calm but disarming response carried a paradoxical logic: "How can a man know which wife is best, unless he can choose from among many?" The underlying concept corresponds to the content of this fascinating book by Frank Thompson: it places before us a powder-horn of plenty, from which pour details and keen observations that enable us to feast on a banquet of enlightening historical tidbids and informational delicacies. The second part of Chapter 1 is very fittingly sub-titled, "The Shifting Face of the Alamo - a Visual Essay." A real value of this section is that it encapsulates the evolution of the visual depictions of the Alamo throughout the decades. Though relatively short, the section offers a chronological series of illustrations of the shrine. Among them is the historic 1849 daguerreotype, the first known photographic image made in Texas and the only known such photo of the Alamo without its now-defining campanulate roof, added by the U.S. Army not long after that daguerreotype was made. One of the book's more illuminating gems is that the author informs us of artist and Alamo historian Craig Covner's conjectural but very plausible theory, about which particular European structure might have influenced the design and prompted the shape of the Alamo's operatively now world-recognized façade. The book would appeal to both the scholar and the general audience, for there's much in it that would interest both. It's infinitely more readable and enjoyable than the traditional dry academic dissertation, while offering us glimpses into the past and even insights into historical events and the people who took part in them. Without claiming clairvoyance, one could say that the most avid fan of a book like this would be the intelligent and astute reader who has any interest in the Alamo and its sub-categories. What's more, it could easily prompt and intensify a regard for the subject from others whose interest might be only peripheral to begin with. By their own procedural history, the actions of some are entirely predictable. "The quintessential professor straightening out the errant student" is a perceptive remark, laden with insight, by historian Bill Groneman, which will exemplify the kind of reaction and objections from some academics to Thompson's volume. We can easily foresee academic hard-liners trying to trivialize this book because it doesn't suit their own scholastic purposes and follow the traditionally expected collegiate formulas for presenting historical source material. We should be mindful, however, that this isn't the aim and purpose of Thompson's book. Its very title is aptly descriptive but shouldn't be taken literally, for although the book does indeed present a cultural history, it also offers a sensible and well-reasoned historical account. After all, culture is part of our history as much as history is part of our culture. The account in this book is one with which some hard-of-reading academics might still take issue in some of its details - but from which many of Thompson's readers could learn, and of which many authors would be proud. The content and tone of negative criticism usually reveals far more about the critic - where he's coming from and where he's going - than about the work on which he's commenting. In academe, one's behavior in reporting on another's book can speak volumes. Photos abound in this book. One is from the film "The Man From The Alamo" (1953), in which a young, pre-"Wyatt Earp" Hugh O'Brian (who portrays Lt. Tom Lamar in the film) is seen walking, in buckskins, hot on the heels of Glenn Ford. Also pictured are some of the "new" Alamos - structures built to resemble the Shrine of Texas Liberty, including a copy center in Cypress, Texas, and a ballroom & convention center in El Paso. Some might call these buildings as pretentious and prosaic as the "fooferai" worn by some of the characters in Alamo-related films; others would view these structures as being visually pleasing, entertaining curiosities and rather enjoyable and even fascinating to see. In context, a fine song can be just as gratifying as a fine symphony. Among the book's wealth of illustrations are photos of four of the actors who over the years have portrayed on film the man who was operatively responsible for what became perhaps the greatest single traumatic event in southwestern American history during the first half of the nineteenth century, and whose revealing sense of modesty prompted him to call himself "The Napoleon of the West": His Excellency, El Presidente y Generalissimo Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna y Peréz de Lebrón. Debatably the most visually convincing cinematic Santa Anna might have been J. Carrol Naish, who portrayed the Mexican general in "The Last Command" (1955), and who brought a subdued but very real kind of palpable humanity to the role that's rare in such portrayals. Photographic images of the real subject indicate a remarkable visual likeness between the two men. In character, Naish bears an almost uncanny resemblance to the historical Santa Anna. While they're not actual "clones," the features and facial structures correspond, making Naish persuasively credible in the role. Parenthetically, the same can be said of actor David Keith's arrestingly believable portrayal of James Bowie in James Michener's "Texas." One of this book's many advantages is that it offers particulars that would be unavailable elsewhere in a single volume. It would impress readers as a rather thorough compendium of both factual details and conceptual notions about the history and popular culture of the Alamo. Does this book by Frank Thompson contribute to our fascination with and our enjoyment and knowledge of the Alamo in virtually all its incarnations? "It do." ...
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best Written
Review: After reading over 15 Alamo books over the past few years, Frank Thompson's book is both refreshing and informative. One of the few books I have read that I had to finish in the first day. I believe it is one of the must read books for students that will study American History. Each photo and illustration had a complete explanation and did not leave you questioning what was missing. A job well done and I will forever highly recommend this book as a must read!
Rating:
Summary: I don't, as a rule, like historical novels...
Review: but this one is truly breathtaking. As a student of the Alamo for many years, this book does for the battle what Jewel Parker Rhode's book did for Marie Laveau. The historical accuracy is interspersed with the screen play to produce a vivid rendering of the principal players on both sides of the walls and the multicultural nature of the conflict that has been largely ignored in the past. Some might not like the death of Crockett but then, this is a long standing treatment from an eyewitness. Fear not - no bravery is spared. 'Hope the movie is as good.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate Alamo Picture Book!
Review: First of all, it should be clarified that the book being discussed here is Frank Thompson's THE ALAMO, Salamander Press, UK. It is NOT the novelization of the film ,nor is it the movie tie-in "Making Of..." book.
That being said, THE ALAMO is, in a word, the ultimate Alamo picture book. With over 150 FULL COLOR illustrations, accompanied by captions in Mr. Thompson's own inimitable style, the large, coffee table-sized book will keep you mesmerized as Frank digs into and then explains the minutiae behind that beloved old pile of limestone and mud.
The accompanying text is a straight-forward telling of the Alamo story utilizing the latest in Alamo research, while relying upon Mr. Thompson own keen insight on the subject matter.
From the Alamo's place in history, its changing perceptions throughout the years, through its interpretation in film, the printed word and collectibles, this book will have you returning for repeated 'look-sees' and for the sheer joy of it.
It do!
Rating: 
Summary: Plodding Novelization of the movie; NOT the illus. companion
Review: First, a word of clarification: Amazon's listings appear to be hopelessly scrambled for books by Frank Thompson with the word "Alamo" in them. I only found this listing -- for the mass-market paperback novelization of the screenplay to the film "The Alamo" -- by a link to a wholly different book of nearly the same title ("The Alamo: The Illustrated Story of the Epic Film"), which is itself also reviewed here along with reviews of the novel. On another occasion, I located this book via a link from a hardback book by the same author of the same title that is in fact an oversize hardback non-fiction book dealing with the historical Alamo, a book that predates both the 2004 movie and its tie-in books. I had to buy this book at a brick-and-mortar bookstore, in fact, due to my being unable to find it on Amazon with a normal "Search." It is all very confusing and I wonder how many customers are unablke to order the book they really want? The movie tie-in illustrated book is oversize, full of color photos from the film, and sold in hardback and paperback formats; the nbon-fiction hardback deals with the historical Alamo and predates the release of the 2004 movie. THIS book is a novelization of the film, is sold in mass-market paperback only, and is about 370 pages long, considerably more pages than the illustrated movie companion book OR non-fiction book. Be sure you know what you're ordering! That said, I didn't care for this treatment very much. It has been a long, hard slog to force myself to read through it all (as an Alamo completist, I feel I should do this at least once). Partly this is due to the screenplay itself, forming the crux of this novelization, being surprisingly flat on the printed page (and sometimes equally so onscreen). But mainly it is due, I feel, to Thompson's shortcomings as a writer of fiction. His invented scenes (why the publishers felt the need to pad this book into its current bloated length is a mystery to me) are labored and flat, his characters stock types, his dialogue forced. There is an awkward connect with the screenplay sequences, and there is little to no literary style to Thompson's lifeless prose. It is a writing-by-the-numbers approach, devoid of emotion and as clunky as an Edsel. And something that never failed to take me out of whatever mood had been established was the frequent appearance of Thompson's in-jokey name-droppings of members of the Alamo Society or other Alamo experts and writers as bit characters. Maybe outsiders will not catch wise, but it struck me as inherently amaturish and distracting. With the film tanking badly, if undeservedly, this title will probably soon disappear, but it won't be any great loss except to collectors of Alamo memorabilia. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Plodding Novelization of the movie; NOT the illus. companion
Review: First, a word of clarification: Amazon's listings appear to be hopelessly scrambled for books by Frank Thompson with the word "Alamo" in them. I only found this listing -- for the mass-market paperback novelization of the screenplay to the film "The Alamo" -- by a link to a wholly different book of nearly the same title ("The Alamo: The Illustrated Story of the Epic Film"), which is itself also reviewed here along with reviews of the novel. On another occasion, I located this book via a link from a hardback book by the same author of the same title that is in fact an oversize hardback non-fiction book dealing with the historical Alamo, a book that predates both the 2004 movie and its tie-in books. I had to buy this book at a brick-and-mortar bookstore, in fact, due to my being unable to find it on Amazon with a normal "Search." It is all very confusing and I wonder how many customers are unablke to order the book they really want? The movie tie-in illustrated book is oversize, full of color photos from the film, and sold in hardback and paperback formats; the nbon-fiction hardback deals with the historical Alamo and predates the release of the 2004 movie. THIS book is a novelization of the film, is sold in mass-market paperback only, and is about 370 pages long, considerably more pages than the illustrated movie companion book OR non-fiction book. Be sure you know what you're ordering! That said, I didn't care for this treatment very much. It has been a long, hard slog to force myself to read through it all (as an Alamo completist, I feel I should do this at least once). Partly this is due to the screenplay itself, forming the crux of this novelization, being surprisingly flat on the printed page (and sometimes equally so onscreen). But mainly it is due, I feel, to Thompson's shortcomings as a writer of fiction. His invented scenes (why the publishers felt the need to pad this book into its current bloated length is a mystery to me) are labored and flat, his characters stock types, his dialogue forced. There is an awkward connect with the screenplay sequences, and there is little to no literary style to Thompson's lifeless prose. It is a writing-by-the-numbers approach, devoid of emotion and as clunky as an Edsel. And something that never failed to take me out of whatever mood had been established was the frequent appearance of Thompson's in-jokey name-droppings of members of the Alamo Society or other Alamo experts and writers as bit characters. Maybe outsiders will not catch wise, but it struck me as inherently amaturish and distracting. With the film tanking badly, if undeservedly, this title will probably soon disappear, but it won't be any great loss except to collectors of Alamo memorabilia. (...)
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: Frank Thompson does a great job of depicting the sadness and triumph of the real battle in San Antonio. This is a marvelous movie tie-in. Thompson does an astounding job of creating the characters, especially Crockett, Bowie, and Travis. He also does a good job showing Sam Houston, a man trying to decide between his destiny as a general of war, or a life with his Cherokee Indian wife, Talihina. This is a great book, and I highly recommend reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Great book based on the movie
Review: Frank Thompson has released another excellent Alamo book. The Alamo is the novelization of the script by Leslie Boneham and John Lee Hancock. If you enjoyed the movie or are just looking to find out more information about Texas in the 1830's, this is the book for you. The book tells the story of the months leading up to the Texas Revolution, the siege and battle of the Alamo, followed by the Runaway Scrape and the battle of San Jacinto. Thompson uses the script very well, and at the same time adds his own little pieces about the characters and background settings of the time. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the movie as well as both books by Mr. Thompson and the soundtrack by Carter Burwell. For an excellent read that places you directly in the Alamo, check out this novel!
Rating:
Summary: Great book based on the movie
Review: Frank Thompson has released another excellent Alamo book. The Alamo is the novelization of the script by Leslie Boneham and John Lee Hancock. If you enjoyed the movie or are just looking to find out more information about Texas in the 1830's, this is the book for you. The book tells the story of the months leading up to the Texas Revolution, the siege and battle of the Alamo, followed by the Runaway Scrape and the battle of San Jacinto. Thompson uses the script very well, and at the same time adds his own little pieces about the characters and background settings of the time. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the movie as well as both books by Mr. Thompson and the soundtrack by Carter Burwell. For an excellent read that places you directly in the Alamo, check out this novel!
Rating:
Summary: I never knew...
Review: From the perspective of the common man, I can say that I know more about the historical Alamo than ever. This book offers a broad review of the Alamo and it's place in our history as well as it's impact on our culture. I was very impressed with this book. I picked it up only to paw through and look at the numerous pictures and movie stills and found it to be thoroughly informative and entertaining. Mr. Thompson may offer some information that distorts or contradicts what you thought you knew about the Alamo, but it's worth the exposure to his insights and opinions.
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