Bill Kerr was born in 1954 and spent much of his early life in New Jersey. He has lived in Asia and Europe for a number of years. Besides graduate degrees in Classics and Economics, he holds a 5th-degree black belt in Wado Ki Kai karate. Since 1989, he has been on the faculty of St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Website: http://www.grotonjemezpub.com

alternate history    alternative history    civil war    fantasy    fiction    historical    history    novel    political    science fiction    scotch irish    scots irish    walter scott   

• Blown To Hell on June 08, 2011
  
  This is a fun book. In the late 1860’s, Elias McPherson and his granddaughter Emma set out for California in a windwagon, a covered wagon fitted with masts and sails. They hope both to demonstrate the vehicle’s abilities and to look for Emma’s father, who disappeared years before. The first two-thirds of the book recounts their adventures along the way as they find themselves involved in every classic Western situation from train robberies to Apache attacks to gunfights. They also become the nucleus of a sort of motley wagon train, collecting a diverse troupe of traveling companions, including the third major character in the book, Chance Fargo, an itinerant gambler who is handy with a gun. When the windwagon finally breaks down irreparably, however, the group decides that it would make more sense to settle down and found a town than to continue on—but running a town on the frontier turns out to have its own set of problems. Partly a mixture of Western and Romance, the book is most engaging as a road book, and much of the charm comes from the concept of the windwagon itself (these did, in fact, exist). The action sequences, described in almost cinematic detail, are all skillfully handled. All in all, a worthwhile read.