Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides is a compelling and richly detailed narrative that delves into the complexities of 19th-century American expansion. At its heart is Kit Carson, a legendary frontiersman whose life intertwined with pivotal events such as the Mexican-American War and the forced relocation of the Navajo people. Sides presents Carson not as a mere mythic figure but as a multifaceted man—introverted, principled, and deeply connected to the land and its indigenous inhabitants.​