Location: Ireland
Member Since:
Oct. 22, 2012
Books4Me61 McCarthy
Smashwords book reviews by Books4Me61 McCarthy
-
The Hunt
on Oct. 23, 2012
This novella by William Wakefield is an unusual combination of the Western and Supernatural genres. The author vividly evokes the vast desolation of the Great Plains in the years before Texas became part of the United States and its only inhabitants were wild animals and the native peoples such as the Comanche. In such a setting we are used to reading about gun slingers or settlers but perhaps not the life of the buffalo hunter. The story gives an interesting factual account of the actual processes involved in the pursuit and ultimate massacre of the Great Herd while simultaneously being a suspenseful,eerie tale featuring seventeen protagonists, a rag tag group of disparate men, all with an interesting back story of their own. They set out seeking wealth from slaughter and find themselves alone in the wilderness, prey to ....something or someone. What they discover is that the acquisition of money rapidly takes a back seat faced with the wilderness, the forces of nature and the stark fact that no one can rescue them when events reach a shocking climax. Without wanting to give away too much about story's ending I look forward to reading the further adventures of young Elias Maguire and seeing the burgeoning America through his eyes.