The Canyon of Bones (Skye's West) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Richard S. Wheeler (Author) "It was time to take another wife..." (more)
Key Phrases: lodge cover, blue dawn, chief trader, Mister Skye, Mister Mercer, Fort Benton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Spur Award–winner Wheeler adds this splendid 15th volume (after Fire Arrow) to his superb Skye's West series about redoubtable mountain man Barnaby Skye. It is the late 1850s and Skye, a deserter from the Royal Navy, and his Crow Indian wife, Victoria, agree that Skye should take a second Indian wife to produce a son. Skye marries Blue Dawn, a beautiful, young Shoshone woman, and the trio is hired to guide brash English explorer and journalist Graves Duplessis Mercer to see a mysterious canyon full of dinosaur bones. Skye, happy with two wives, doesn't care much for Mercer, whose arrogance and selfishness endangers the whole party. The details of Skye's courtship and wedding are hilarious, and the fieldcraft the group must employ to survive the harsh wilderness is suspenseful and instructive. Wheeler is one of the best western authors around today. He doesn't rely on epic battles or gunfights to tell his stories, relying instead on fascinating characters, vivid imagery, subtle action and carefully drawn historical detail. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
One of western fiction's most enduring and affable characters is Barnaby Skye, once a press-ganged British seaman, now a mountain man living among a Crow Indian tribe. In his umpteenth adventure, Skye meets another Englishman, Graves Duplessis Mercer, an alternately maddening and likable journalist modeled after Sir Richard Burton, who travels the world in search of shocking stories with which to regale the prim Londoners back home. After much wheedling, Skye agrees to guide him to a graveyard of ancient, monstrous bones. As the story ambles along, they navigate all manner of hiccups and hardships, including devastating prairie fires, superstitious natives, and Mercer's near-incessant whining that he'd really much rather uncover hidden pygmyesque polygamous cannibal tribes or other such sensationalism. Overall, this is genial, character-driven western writing with plenty of action and appreciation for Native American customs. Skye's foul-mouthed Crow wife, Victoria, is absolutely delightful, and even his cantankerous horse, Jawbone, has more personality than most western leads. Not just for fans of the series, this will appeal to anyone in search of solidly adventuresome tales. Ian Chipman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (January 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765351730
• ISBN-13: 978-0765351739
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #362,135 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, February 5, 2008

By	Evan the Dweezil (A Place-Sort Of, Montana) - See all my reviews

I don't typically read Westerns. However, I am attracted to books with titles that I like. I decided to take this one home and give it a shot. I was absolutely amazed at Mr. Wheeler's abilities to combine very real characters with the descriptions of their actions and surroundings.

Barnaby Skye is a rich and quirky hero, his wives make for a fabulous trio and interesting portrait of the melding of cultures in pre-Civil War America.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Writing in an Overlooked Genre, May 25, 2009

By	Kregg Jorgenson "Writetrak" (Seattle) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There's a certain snobbery that easily dismisses westerns, which is a pity actually, because the genre is rich with history, storyline, and action/adventure the likes of any good thriller writer can envy. Such is the case with THE CANYON OF BONES by Richard S. Wheeler.
With this Barnaby Skye continuation we find him getting older and wondering if he should take a second Indian wife. We also find him taking on a Sir Richard Burton kind of figure who wants to record the significance of the Canyon of Bones, and of course, the trouble and danger that goes along with it.
It's easy to see why Wheeler is a five-time Spur Award winner just as it is easy to see that he's a talented writer whose work transcends genre. This isn't hack writing or a simple plot or storyline. No, this is real talent and the kind of book that aspiring writers need to be reading if their goal is to become a professional writer worthy of the title. You want something original? It's here. You want action/adventure? It's here too! You want history, romance, and a look into the complicated human condition? Then open the book and start reading.
The next time you're in a bookstore stop and open a few books in the 'western' section and see what I mean. Grab a handful of books by different authors, Wheeler among them, and see if they don't measure up to anything that's on the popular racks today.
If you start with Wheeler and his Barnaby Skye series you're in for a long treat.
Good stuff here.