The Chalk Train & Others Tales: the Harper Chronicles, Volume One [Print on Demand (Paperback)]

Daniel Elton Harmon (Author)

Product Details

• Print on Demand (Paperback): 160 pages
• Publisher: Trafford (2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155212990X
• ISBN-13: 978-1552129906
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,485,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stories!, December 22, 2001

By 

Joseph H Pierre "Joe Pierre" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chalk Train & Others Tales: the Harper Chronicles, Volume One (Print on Demand (Paperback))

Although this is the first book of fiction by Daniel Elton Harmon, it is far from his first published work. He has written more than thirty non-fiction books.

This is a fascinating collection of eight short stories, each featuring his late-nineteenth-century newspaper reporter hero, Harper. They held my interest to the end.

Harmon is a skilled writer, and I look forward to reading more of his work. He is a yarn spinner of the old school, reminiscent of Samuel Clemens or Booth Tarkington, who revels in story telling for the sake of story telling. A modern troubador. He lives in Lexington, South Carolina where he is well known not only for his writing, but also for his music making with his small folk music band, according to the book's introduction.

There are eight short stories in the book, all of which are quickly read and very entertaining. This is a wonderful book to read for your own pleasure, or to give as a gift. I recommend it highly.

Joseph Pierre,

author of The Road to Damascus and other books.

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Isn't Long Enough, June 13, 2003

By 

Elizabeth ", Zumaya Publications LLC" (Austin, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chalk Train & Others Tales: the Harper Chronicles, Volume One (Print on Demand (Paperback))

These days, anthologies tend to either be collections of the year's best something-or-other or compilations of literary short stories intended to elevate and edify. Both have their place in the scheme of things, but I suspect I'm not the only one who misses anthologies that contain just good entertainment.

If that's the case, may I offer for your amusement a slim little volume of tales by journalist Daniel Elton Harmon and featuring an historical counterpart of the author's by the name of Harper. Mr. Harper is a reporter for the fictitious Columbia, S.C., CHALLENGE in the almost-civilized era of the 1880's. The first compilation of his adventures, THE CHALK TOWN TRAIN & OTHER TALES, is billed as volume one of The Harper Chronicles, and those of us who like nothing better than a rollicking good yarn will be waiting impatiently for volume two.

The title story pits Harper against a notorious sociopath, back before such people actually had a diagnosis. "The Chalk Town Train" is a story of corporate injustice, unadulterated evil and justice administered with more than a touch of irony. Indeed, the purveyance of justice is a recurring theme in the eight stories that comprising the book, with our man Harper using his skill and insight to ferret out the truth, sometimes when no one else can.

Mr. Harmon has a superbly deft hand with the short story, and his characters are sharply drawn with a few adept strokes. From first word to last, each of Harper's adventures proceeds without a stumble, and the reader who can stop after reading just one must have a will of iron. His style is crisp and effortless, setting scenes with an economy of language that likely owes much to the author's own career as a journalist.

Indeed, the only real flaw in THE CHALK TOWN TRAIN is that it's over too soon, and before the appetite is satisfied.