Reg Quist

Like many of the other books I reviewed for this author, this is a historical fiction Western. Because of the author's background and family history, and the family lore he grew up with, much of what he writes is authentic and true to history. His books are a great read for their historical content. They are clean but realistic in their form. His stories do not focus on sensational events, crooked people or gore.

In this story we meet Mac. His actual name is Walker Samuel McTavish, born and raised on a small Missouri farm before the War Between the States. He was the eldest son of a hard-working family. Frustrated with his life and seeing nothing profitable in his future he set out to make something of himself. He experienced the life of a mule driver for a freight company which took him all over the country. He was involved in the Civil War. After the war, he worked with other men in Texas to drive cattle to northern markets for cash. This book is filled with his adventures on some of those drives.

What I liked best in this particular book is the character development of Mac, as he was called during the war. His character was forged through tough times, making him a man I would be proud to call my ancestor. Through these rough times, he gained leadership abilities, gathered around him lifetime friendships and loyalty, and lead them straight on to success.

In the end, it was fitting that he found not only a piece of land to call his own, but had collected his own herd, a large group of friends, including his family members and leads them to a fertile valley out West with enough land for them to spread out and begin their own lives over. Of this author's books, this one is my favorite so far.… (mehr)

This is the third book I have read from Reg Quist. I recently read and reviewed Hamtilton Robb, which is a book that is close in voice and style as this book about Noah Gates. In both stories the author adopts a curious dry style of speaking, not the type of dry that is boring, but more of an emotionless sarcastic style of talking that pokes a little at obvious things while keeping a straight face, making it worthy of at least a chuckle or two from the person listening or reading. Sometimes when I read, I would think about the detective on Dragnet saying, "Just state the facts, Ma'am, just the facts" with a dead pan face.

Noah Gates is also similar to Hamilton Robb in that they are both pure Westerns. The main characters are honorable men who have had to defend themselves in tough situations. Both men chose an honest path rather than become tainted by hard times and turning sour when things would go wrong. Both chose to defend what was right in spite of the lure of the temptation to take advantage of the situation. In other words, these men served as good role models. They possessed integrity. So this is a good, clean read in spite of the roughness and desperation of certain circumstances. Going after cattle rustlers and thieves was a touchy situation where right and wrong created fuzzy lines from time to time. For example, Noah faced a moment when his life was threatened. He was forced to defend himself; there was no one around who could do it for him. Hesitating could have proven fatal.

The story's action intensifies mid way through the book. It's a well-written historically accurate fiction that kept me on the edge of my seat. After a mildly adventurous foray into the gold fields of Colorado, Noah returned and bought a farm. Then he married Dora, whom we met earlier in the book. The farm is nestled in the foothills of the Rockies, in Canyon View. The colorful characters in this town include Hamilton Robb. Shortly after the wedding, Noah aligned himself with some of the local ranchers who had lost livestock, in the search for the thieves. I enjoyed the interplay between the ranchers. Some of the best humor was in that segment. Overall, the book is enjoyable. If you are interested in stories of the Old West, you should pick up this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from CKN Christian Publishing on behalf of the author. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."… (mehr)

Have you ever read a book that at one point elicited a response like, "Oh, I remember doing that!" or "Yep, been there, done that, and have the t-shirt for it," or others like those comments? Deja vu? or "Ah! I know what that's like". Or how about this, "Yes, sadly, that is true"? Those were some of my thoughts as I read through this book, twice. That's because if you have ever been intertwined with the inner workings of a congregation of Christian believers whose church has seen better days and better times, you understand the angst of trying to bring it back to life. Oh, I'm not talking about the church building. That doesn't really matter so much; it's the inner soul of a church fellowship, the collective group of people where the total becomes greater than the number of its parts--individuals.

This is the story of a man who loves God better than himself. He has been approached by a person with God's interest at heart. And this older member has asked Jonathon McCann to take on a two-year project, to attempt to bring the old congretation with its few remaining members back to life, to impact the neighborhood again, for the Lord. Jonathon was not a preacher or a pastor or a reverend or a Father. He was just a godly man, a husband, a father of children, a friend, a coworker. He was even a businessman. How could he possibly attempt such a hurculean task? That's what this book is about. For me, since I have been close to this type of experience, seen its attempts, prayed for those who have tried, and cried over the failures and the hurts, this was a riveting read.

This may not be interesting reading for all persons. This story definitely has a target audience. But I hope you'll give it a chance. If you've ever been a member of a group of people who love God, honor Him, and want to dedicate their lives to Him, then you may have shared some of the experiences found in this book. It will touch your heart and perhaps encourage you to look around and see where you fit in. It certainly touched mine and helped me gain some new perspectives.

My favorite parts of this book involved times when a few people's souls were mended from past hurts and slights. These were not the prettiest parts of the story, but certainly central to what Jonathon was trying to do and central to what God is always doing, because His entire message to us humans is about reconciliation. Sometimes the right thing to do is the toughest thing to do. The writer skillfully portrays some of these crucial moments with sensitivity and heart.

There are also amusing incidents, crazy times, silly people, angry people, vindictive and unforgiving people in this story. A fellowship of Christian believers is like a family. You will always have a wide variety of members like this. They are part of this story and crucial to the plot. This is certainly a memorable book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from CKN Christian Publishing on behalf of the author. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."… (mehr)

The best description of this book I can think of is a Western Plus. What I mean by that is that there is a strong element of historical fiction, focusing on the period where much of the West was still pre-state territories--around the mid-1800's. If I could tack on a subtitle to this book it might be 'The Making of a Man.'

Still, that tagline doesn't quite fit. There are actually two men who come face to face, and the contrast is stark. One is pompous and proud, unfriendly to a fault, arrogant, a cattle rancher from Texas. His name says it all, Big Bob Stanton. His life theme seems to be: trample or be trampled. The main character is from Arizona, a former deputy sheriff, a talented gunman who hung up his belt, invested in a small ranch and lived a life of a good neighbor, helping others handle the hardships of life, hard-working, tough as steel and yet humble and friendly.

There is a face off, staged by one of the worst blizzards in 1888. In history, this blizzard was known as the Children's Blizzard or the Schoolhouse Blizzard, because it came on in mild January temperatures while children were just being released from schools across the territory. Winds kicked up 50-foot mountains of drifts and temperatures dropped suddenly to 40 below zero F with nearly no visibility during the high winds. Hundreds died, many of them children on the walk home, with heroic stories of teachers saving some of their children.

The horrors of this storm is the pivotal point of the story. It's where the focus is on the character development of two men and their people. This is where the story becomes riveting. While the outcome of this showdown is fairly obvious from the beginning, it's how it is fleshed out that makes the story worth experiencing while reading. The author is meticulous enough in the details of ranch living in the Old West to make this read fascinating without becoming as dry as sawdust. Those are signs to me of a great storyteller, a great writer.

On top of those characteristics, the story is chuckle worthy. It's not a funny tale, because the hardships of living in that time period keep out such ill-timed humor, but the book was filled with moments I could chuckle over. Tongue in cheek statements, moments of the ridiculous, sarcastic observations are all appreciated with a bit of dry wit.

This is a man's western, written from a man's point of view and with an intended audience of men who enjoy a good historical fiction. I'm not a man, but I enjoyed this book anyway. There were plenty of serious moments and even tragedies, but it has a great ending, filled with hope for the future, the satisfaction of overcoming a huge obstacle. I think women can enjoy this book too. There is even a hint at a romance.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from CKN Christian Publishing on behalf of the author. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."… (mehr)