A Horse Called Victory

Like all of us, like George Armstrong Custer himself in fact, Timothy Tarkelly is perfectly flawed, but his poems aren't. The pieces in A Horse Called Victory offer a fascinating look into the now fading landscape of a scene once known as modern cultural myth and while the country changes a little bit more every time we close our eyes these days, our hopes, dreams, and fears remain largely the same and they are all thankfully on display in this spellbinding collection. What do I love about Tarkelly's poems? Everything. Pick up this book.

-John Dorsey, Author of Pocatello Wildflower, Crisis Chronicles Press

What happens in A Horse Called Victory is what happens off-screen while you watch a Western: people scrambling to live (or, perhaps, trying not to die), while eerie, half-empty spaces vie for attention. What happens is also what keeps us from wanting to time-travel: the honesty about how life was then, with the tomahawks and rifles and outlaws. A great effort by Tarkelly.

-Caitlin Johnson, author of Delta, Stubborn Mule Press

Tim Tarkelly's storytelling skills are on vivid display in A Horse Called Victory. His exploration of the legendary characters whose stories are woven into the history of the American West centers on timeless themes, such as the gross overreach of human aspiration. This book is a must-read for anyone who ponders the ambiguities of frontierism.

-Dawne Leiker, author of What Remains, Spartan Press