Beyond the Smoke [Paperback]

Terry Burns (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2009

When Bryan Wheeler s parents are killed by Comanche raiders, he wonders how he will survive without them. With a few supplies, two guns, and his mother s Bible, he sets out to create a new life for himself in the western wilderness. During his travels he meets new friends, including an eccentric trader, a Texas ranger, and an orphan girl. But enemies lurk in the West, too, forcing Bryan to make difficult choices to survive.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: JourneyForth (January 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591669294
• ISBN-13: 978-1591669296
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,556,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry is an agent with Hartline Literary http://www.hartlineliterary.com as well as writing inspirational fiction. As a writer he has over 40 books in print including 10 novels. He has a new series from Port Yonder Press entitled "The Sagebrush Collection" of his collected short works and the first released March 2010 entitled "On the Road Home." A Young Adult entitled Beyond the Smoke won the Will Rogers Medallion, a delightful historical fiction entitled "Saint's Roost recently released, and a new book "A Writer's Survival Guide to Publication" also from Port Yonder Press was developed out of the month long course he held for ACFW. He is working on getting all his titles available on Kindle including the popular Mysterious Ways Series. A popular speaker at workshops across the country, a bookstore of his available works as well as a regular blog can be found at www.terryburns.net. He's a member of the Association of Author's Representatives (AAR).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good YA western fiction, June 26, 2010

By 

Judy H. Burford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beyond the Smoke (Paperback)

Great YA book for young people who like western fiction. Your young person can read it without fear of encountering anything objectionable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This western has too many weaknesses, June 16, 2009

By 

E. J. (Shenandoah Valley) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Smoke (Paperback)

Sixteen-year-old Bryan Wheeler and his parents were traveling to Oregon when Comanches attacked their wagon train and slaughtered everyone except for Bryan, who was away tracking a rabbit. On his own, Bryan struggles back to more civilized territory, meeting up with a slightly odd professor named Harold Donovan and his orphaned ward, Carol Sue Finney. The professor welcomes Bryan, who thinks that traveling with the professor might be the solution to his problems--until Bryan accidentally humiliates the lawmen in the town of Turkey Creek. The town sheriff and muncipal judge are determined to make Bryan pay, no matter the legal bounds of their authority. Only Bryan's wits--and a Texas Ranger named Clay Davidson--can keep the lawmen from doing their worst.

"Beyond the Smoke" reads like a poorly written version of one of Gary Paulsen's Francis Tuckett westerns. Burns clearly researched the West (apparently this book was set just after the Civil War, before the federal government created Oklahoma in an attempt to punish the Indians for how many of them sided with the Confederacy), and the details he includes about daily life on the frontier go a long way towards making his book work. Unfortunately, some of his dialogue is weak, especially where the professor is concerned. Burns, in an attempt to make the professor sound educated, overdoes some of the vocabulary, causing the professor seem too distant to be the caring man he obviously is. Other pieces of dialogue are somewhat awkward, with the characters sometimes making long statements most people would only write. And Bryan's internal struggles are not very well expressed. We know him, but not closely enough. We never really begin to understand who Carol Sue is inside, despite her large part in the book. The best-drawn character is probably Davidson, whom we understand despite the fact that he shows up less than Bryan, Carol Sue, or the professor.

Younger teens and readers who just like adventure stories may enjoy this book. But if you prefer to spend your money on well-written fiction, I would advise you to skip it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One young man's adventures in the wild west., January 12, 2009

By 

Novel Teen (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Beyond the Smoke (Paperback)

Review by Jill Williamson

Bryan Wheeler is out hunting dinner. He shoots a nice rabbit and takes it back to the wagon train only to find everything destroyed and everyone killed--including his family. Comanche raiders had attacked while he was out hunting and they could come back anytime. Bryan quickly gathers a few supplies and sets out to find a safe place. He meets plenty of trouble on his journey including a violent slave owner, a young Indian boy, and a town with a sheriff set on giving him trouble. Will Bryan ever find a real home again?

Beyond the Smoke is the exciting story of one young man's adventures in the Wild West. I enjoyed following Bryan as he made his way to a new life. No matter what he encountered, he always acted with integrity. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a great adventure.