The Rising Storm

Simon and Felicity Ward are enjoying their life in the wilderness and deeply love the valley where they've built their homestead. Now a ruthless Easterner has laid claim to hundreds of square miles as his private hunting preserve, including the Wards' land. Alone Simon and Felicity are unable to stand up to Lord Kilraven and his companions, but with Zach King's help everything may not be lost, as he won't leave his friends to fight alone - even if it costs him his life. Once started I found this book impossible to put down. David Thompson masterfully hooks the reader with superb descriptions of the country, life in the wilderness, and engaging characters - both good and bad. I always find it interesting when British people turn up in westerns (being English myself) and here Lord Kilraven makes for an excellent foe for Zach and the Wards. The many "bloodys" and "blimeys" made me smile. As the story builds towards its climax with increasingly savagery - the whipping scenes being written so well I could almost feel the effects of each brutal lash - it came as a surprise that the ending was almost understated. A beautifully written book that once more proves why the Wilderness series continues to go from strength to strength. Highly recommended.

David Thompson never ceases to amaze with this long running and wonderful series. The best about this book is bad guys get what's coming to them!! What goes around comes around. How come this series hasn't been turned into a movie or a TV Series on HBO? I think alot of Historians of this often ignored era and a alot of American Indians would give it two thumbs way up!!!

Wilderness # 53 - The Rising Storm By David Thompson - Genre: Western The latest book in the series arrived yesterday morning and had been devoured by that evening, this book was just unputdownable (that's not even a proper word I know but it should be!!). Simon and Felicity Ward are happy in their valley but suddenly a serpent has entered Eden and things will never be the same again. An English Baron has set his sights on setting up a hunting preserve and he wants the Wards valley to do it because it has water flowing thru it all year round and he will stop at nothing to get his own way but the Wards have a guardian angel in the shape of the deadly Zach King. What follows is a fantastic story that keeps you riveted and awaiting eagerly each new page and what surprise it may bring. This book has plenty of action, suspense and a superb set of enemies, the ending was fantastic and the writer leaves it to the readers imagination re: what happens to the aforementioned bad guys. The author should be proud of himself that this series continually hits the button story wise and that the books never go below the level of being fantastic, In my eyes that is a fantastic achievement in a western series that has passed it's half century, well done that man.