Dark Passage: Skye's West #10

I'm surprised to see that Wheeler doesn't receive more reviews that he does because with Barnaby Skye we have one of the most interesting characters and storylines to come out of the pre-Old West. Wheeler is a talented writer...skip that. He is a very talented writer and the books easily transcend genre. What is it about snobby readers who by-pass the western sections of the book shelves in search of a good read? The western genre has a lot of fine, talented writers; Elmore Leonard, Loren Estlemen, Johnny Boggs, Jory Sherman, Bill Brooks, Ed Gorman, Ralph Cotton, Peter Brandvold- just to name a few. The storylines vary from the quick entertaining reads to the more complex plots. There is, quite literally, something for everybody. So far I've about five or six of Wheeler's books and haven't been disappointed in any of them and at times, I've been really impressed both with the writing and the discovery of a better talent.

Several months ago I purchased this book and introduced myself to the excellent writing style of Richard S. Wheeler, a critically acclaimed Western writer who certainly deserves a wider following. Barnaby Skye is one of the most compelling figures in modern Western writing and a fair depiction of the legendary Mountain Men of the early Nineteenth Century. Their kind has long since vanished from the earth, but Wheeler takes you right into their lifestyle and makes his readers feel we are along for the adventure. His depiction of legendary Mountain Man Jim Beckwourth rings true. Skye's Crow wife, Victoria, is a wonderful character -- and the plot is fast-paced and exciting. This book, like almost any book by Wheeler, is hard to put down once underway.

Once again Richard Wheeler thrusts us into the turbulant world of Mountain man, Barnaby Skye and his two Indian wives, Victoria and Mary only this time the story takes a more familiar twist. All's not well in the Skye household and change for the worse and better is afoot. Victoria has had enough and leaves the morose Skye and like the other books in this series that's only the beginning of an epic adventure. There's enough action and adventure for any man while offering something substantial for the ladies as well. This book's about salvaging their lives and expectations and finding some scarred redemption in the hard fought process. Wheeler tells a good story. You won't be disappointed.

Richard Wheeler, who has created some of the most memorable characters in all the literature of the American West, has outdone himself--and everybody else--with Barnaby Skye, Rocky Mountain trapper, guide and adventurer and late of His Majesty's Royal Navy. In Skye, Wheeler has outdone Frederick Manfred and Vardis Fisher and giving us a mountain man to remember. There are a dozen novels in the Skye series--beginning with SUN RIVER in 1989--so the reader who has yet to discover this Horatio Hornblower of the early West has an enviable treat in store. And, thankfully, DARK PASSAGE is not the last in the series.