King of the Mountain

If you're an affectionado of the mountain man era, or long for the freedom that wilderness living brings, this tale will introduce to the saga that David Thompson has authored in his fifty-nine + books. When Nate King's uncle Zeke sends a letter asking Nate to share a treasure, little does Nate know what he is in for. Filled with action, the story moves right along, right up to the end.

I recently discovered the "Wilderness" series by David Thompson, now 48 books long, when I purchased the original tale, "King of the Mountain," and book #2 "Lure of the Wild." Now I'm hooked and can't wait to read the remainder. Although it is not absolutely necessary to read them in order, it certainly makes for a more complete story as book number two begins days after the first ends. As Thompson says in a note at the beginning of King of the Mountain, "This book is as factually oriented as possible...archives were consulted to ensure authenticity." And throughout the books he drops in facts and figures to add realism to these tales of adventure west of the Mississippi in 1828. In terms of writing, it is a grade or two below the Big Sky Series by A. B. Guthrie. First of all, all of the characters speak in the same voice. Whether he is Nate King, accountant in training only weeks away from New York City, or mountain men Zeke King or Shakespeare, each speaks exactly alike. All right, Shakespear quotes the Bard, but still uses perfect English in his conversations. No slang, no cursing, no colorful dialogue. Also, almost all of the dangerous adventures are telegraphed in advance. When the characters talk about scalping, you can be sure that a scalping is coming up. But still, I found it easy to get caught in the advenutres of Nate and his cohorts and Thompson does a great job of describing all the action and making it come to life on the printed page. The color, the action, the plot twists come fast and furious to make this good adventure reading for teens and adults alike.

I especially liked this book in the series because it tells of when Nate was still very green and unknowing of the wild.

If you saw me on the street you wouldn't think of me as a fan of westerns. A 14 year old wearing a Bush t-shirt is not the type of kid that even usually likes to pick up a book. But David Thompson is one of the most captivating writers I have ever had the opportunity to read. My grandfather let me borrow "Wilderness: Spanish Slaughter" and I immediatly became a fan. I have since read quite a bit of the series, with these two titles being two of my favorites. I have yet to read a bad Thompson book, but these are great!

THE BEST ONE OF THE COLLECTION