"Sweeping and specific. . . . [Brands] writes the story with clarity and vigor. . . . Clearly adds to our knowledge of an era when men rode to the sound of guns and honor was a comprehensible concept." --The Washington Post Book World

"[Brands] offers both sides of the Texas story, striking perspectives from both the revolutionists and the Mexicans who opposed them. . . . Lone Star Nation combines depth, description and detail in a magnificent, fascinating book." --The Miami Herald

"Extraordinary. . . . A rich story that thrives above all else on the novelistic depth of character he gives to his subjects." --Austin American-Statesman

"Rousing. . . . [Brands] is a master of the ground-view, narrative history." --Dallas Morning News

"Brands [is] on the path to becoming the preeminent popular historian of his generation. . . . There is no denying [his] talent for clear, cogent and uncluttered prose." --Chicago Tribune

"Lively and readable . . . contains vivid portraits." --Harper's Magazine

"The most compelling analysis of the results of the war as well as the best articulated defense for the motives of [Stephen] Austin, Sam Houston and the other Texas patriots." --The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Notably clear eyed. . . . [Brands] is conversant with the intricacies of his subject [as] he describes the contentiousness, independence and sense of entitlement that eventually turned Texas, however briefly, into a free and self-contained nation." --The New York Times

"Vibrant, energetic, and masterful. . . . Immensely readable." --The Washington Times

"Extremely vivid and beautifully written. . . . Brands [is] a master of description." --The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)

"Gripping. . . . A book that is sweeping and specific in allowing a reader to be deliciously immersed in the magnificent story. . . . Even well-versed readers will find new perspective here." --Fort Worth Star-Telegram