Road to Reckoning

by Robert Lautner

A novel that hits right to the heart of fans of Cold Mountain and True Grit. Set in 1837, this is the remarkably poignant story of 12-year-old orphan Thomas Walker and his treacherous journey home through the wide open lands of America. 'I, to this day, hold to only one truth: if a man chooses to carry a gun he will get shot. My father agreed to carry twelve.' Young Tom Walker cannot believe his luck when his father allows him to accompany him on the road, selling Samuel Colt's newly-invented revolver. They will leave behind the depression and disease that is gripping 1830's New York to travel the country together. Still only twelve years old, Tom is convinced that he is now a man. Fate, it seems, thinks so too ...On the road west the towns get smaller, the forests wilder, and the path more unforgiving. A devastating encounter cuts their journey tragically short, and leaves Tom all alone in the wilderness. Struggling to see a way home, he finds his only hope: ageing ranger Henry Stands, who is heading back east. Tom's resolve to survive initiates an unlikely partnership that will be tested by the dangers of the road ahead, where outlaws prowl.

• ISBN10: 0007511310
• ISBN13: 9780007511310
• Publish Date: 30 January 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 24 February 2015
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: The Borough Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 240
• Language: English

Reviews

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

I originally read Road to Reckoning because I thought it would be interesting to read of the birth of the revolver, even if from a fictional standpoint. That portion of the novel was very interesting and caught my eye but it was the characters that drew me in.

Even though told as an old man, I enjoyed hearing the story from a twelve year old point of view and saw Thomas grow up before his time, with the tragedies he faces, whether it be the threat of asylum of running for his life by a man with no teeth, his innocence and naivety of a child is slowly chipped away. Thomas is a likable kid, who like Dorothy, only wants to go home and because of that I routed for him all the way.

Henry Stands is our Rooster Cogburn of the story. A crotchety man, who like an unwilling guardian feels obligated to get Thomas home safe from harm. Henry Stands was rough around the edges, but like the Grinch who stole Christmas had a heart in there somewhere.

In the musical, The Sound of Music Captain Von Trapp confesses his love for Maria by stating: "That night at dinner, when you sat on that ridiculous pine cone." The almost instantaneous love between Captain and Fraulein is how I would best describe my liking for Mr. Stands. While on virtue he may not be in the same line as Maria, he was still a player that as a reader I cared deeply about no matter what his motives.

Like the depth of Thomas Walker and Henry Stands, the descriptions of there surroundings were deep to. I could feel the wooden revolver in my hand and the cold air on my back, transporting me into their world. Everything was so vividly placed that it took very little imagination on my part.

The conclusion hit me like a train. It happened quickly, unexpectedly, and nearly knocked me over. As I said above of the vast descriptions, I was felt to be kneeling next to Thomas Walker away from danger and only hearing and seeing shadow. But that was enough because the aftermath was laid out in a way that was shockingly grotesque and was glad to not have witnessed it first hand.

Like Dorothy who clicked her heels three times, Thomas finally makes his way home but with several more forks in the road than the girl in pigtails, ending on a bittersweet note.

Road To Reckoning, was a devilish good read that I would highly recommend.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review