WWRW: The Sackett Saga Goes On...and on...

Linking up a couple of days late with the darling of the airwaves, Jessica.

Kyle continues to grace us with his knowledge of all things Louis L'Amour and Old Testament...

"2015 - The Year of the Sacketts continues...

What's that sound I am hearing? Why it sounds like the blogosphere hankering for another installment of my book reviews of Louis L'Amour's epic saga of the American frontier family: The Sacketts.

As you will recall, we left off last month with some adventures of Yance and Kin Ring Sackett in The Warriors Path. Now the stories pick up again with their younger brother Jubal in L'Amour's novel Jubal Sackett.  A loner from a young age, more at home in the woods and wilderness than in the company of others, Jubal seems to have inherited the wandering spirit of his father and and an ingrained desire to see what lies beyond the mountains. In the Bible, Jubal, son of Lamech and brother to Tubal-Cain, is said to be the father of all who play the harp and lute but that has nothing to do with our story.

Jubal Sackett sets out from the family home in the Appalachians of North Carolina to cross the Great Plains and eventually reaches the Rockies. Jubal is an expert tracker and woodsman, and well known to many of the local Indian tribes, one of which enlists his help to go in search of their Sun or Princess.  The story follows the adventure of Jubal as he sets off to find this princess, meeting challenges, friends and enemies along the way. The Sackett families tend to run long on boys, raised to be self-reliant with strong morals and fierce loyalty to the family. Jubal is no exception. He is a steadfast friend, thoughtful pondered, and natural leader. The Sacketts do not fear the wilderness nor the Indians, but rather recognize that one must know and understand one's surroundings in order to survive. This novel also introduces a strong female leader in the character Itchakomi Ishaia, the Natchez Sun that Jubal comes to respect and eventually love. Like the rest of the Sackett line of books, Jubal Sackett is an enjoyable read of historical fiction and in paperback form will always fit perfectly snug in the back pocket of your Wranglers. 

This fourth novel is the last novel of the early Sacketts, when we return next month we will continue with the fifth novel, Ride the River, which takes place about 200 years later in the hills of Tennessee."

WWRW: Another Guest Review Installation from The Year of the Sacketts

Linking up with the classy and sophisticated Jessica for this month's WWRW.

Kyle has graciously offered to guest blog once again! And I am happy to share with all of you his wit and intelligence:

2015 - the Year of the Sacketts continues...

If you remember from our last Post, this year we set the goal to read all of Louis L'Amour's novels about the fictional American frontier family, the Sacketts. Well, so far the year is off to an excellent start as we are nearing the end of the first quarter and I have completed 31.25% of my goal. This puts me 6% ahead of schedule! I am not sure if this What We Are Reading Wednesday blog offers any prizes but if they do I feel quite certain that I am a shoe in for whatever prize is offered. 

So, in our first blog on this topic we were introduced to the Sackett family by way of Barnabas Sackett in the novel Sackett's Land. In To The Far Blue Mountains, we continue to read about his adventures in settling the frontier in a very wild new land.  Barnabas, his wife Abigail, and their group of comrades settles in the area of Shooting Creek, NC. Barnabas and his mates quickly earn the respect of the local Indian tribes for their fighting skills as well as their trade. Barnabas fled England to the New World looking for a land where he could raise a family and where his children could be free to blaze their own trails, away from the rigid class system of England. Barnabas and Abigail have four sons (Kin Ring, Yance, Jubal, and Brian) and one daughter (Noelle) and in this way the mighty Sackett clan is born.

Following the death of Barnabas, the tale continues with his sons Kin Ring and Yance in The Warriors Path. In a tale similar to the kidnapping of the daughter of Daniel Boone, a pair of young women are kidnapped and the girls parents send a plea to the Sacketts to come to the rescue. The younger girl is the sister to Yance's wife, and in a recurring theme throughout the series when one Sackett is in trouble the rest will come running. Kin Ring and Yance set out to New England to pick up the trail, and quickly learn the kidnapper are not Indians but rather slave traders. With the skills of men raised in the woods, the Sacketts quickly hunt down the kidnappers but the adventure continues as Kin Ring tracks the villains to colonial Jamaica. The action is non-stop as the Sacketts work to bring the villains to justice. The books are works of historical fiction, so again they seek to bring in real life occurrences and characters such as Samuel Maverick to lend credence to the tale. The writing is highly stylized and entertaining. I recommend these books to left- and right-handed readers alike as I think all readers will find something to love. 

And, check back again for reviews of the next few books in the series.