The Hudson Review

The Hudson Review is named as the publication in which critic Roger Sale offered one of the strongest assessments of Thomas Savage’s The Power of the Dog, calling it “the finest single book I know about the modern west.” The remark places the journal in the record of the novel’s critical reception, even as the book remained little known to a broad readership.

Connection to The Power of the Dog

Roger Sale’s praise appeared amid other favorable responses to the novel, which was also described as “a powerful tragedy,” “taut and powerful,” and “the year’s best novel.” His formulation singled out the book’s achievement in representing the modern West; the evidence identifies The Hudson Review as the venue for that assessment.

Critical Reception

The praise recorded alongside Sale’s comment contrasts with the novel’s limited commercial reach. It sold few copies, and Emily Salkin of Little, Brown later said she could not imagine that its 1967 hardcover edition had sold more than 1,000 copies. The Hudson Review’s place in this account is therefore specific but significant: it preserves a strong contemporary critical response to a novel that did not then find a large audience.