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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A coming-of-age novel, October 27, 2002
This review is from: The Reckoning (Paperback)
The Reckoning is one of the better historical coming of age books I've read in a while. An 1800s Wyoming rancher, Will Sherman, visits his sister in New York to cope with the death of his 19-year-old son from a horse accident. He is accosted by a young Irish street thug in a robbery attempt. After coldcocking the young man, he suggests to the judge that the young man, Tom Callaghan, be sentenced to work on Will's ranch for a year. They depart New York for the wide open spaces. Tough Tom finds more than he can deal with between Will's headstrong daughter, Ellen, and a developing range war. The reckoning comes between Tom and the range war enemies of his benefactor. The author is a very competent writer. The plot was excellent, leaving the reader hanging until the very last sentence. The pace moved quickly and setting, characters and dialogue were most descriptive and unique. This is a good book for lovers of westerns, historical novels, and especially young adults who learn how it's possible to rise above an abusive past and a life of street crime. We rated this book a high 4 hearts. Bob Spear, Heartland Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
totally believable, superbly well written, absorbing to read, January 15, 2003
This review is from: The Reckoning (Paperback)
When I was in my teens in Ireland, I devoured every Zane Grey western that I could find. When the movies came to town I was there: riding, in my imagination, alongside Hopalong Cassidy, John Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Alan Ladd, Roy Rogers, Guy Madison ..... Later in life my reading interests changed. I haven't read a western in years until 'The Reckoning'. I won't reprise the story or the plot in this review. I see that others, like The Midwest Review, have done that very well. No - I just want to convey my satisfaction to John McLain for a most absorbing read, for a Western better than those of my youth, for a real story of 'The West', truly of the America of my youth and of my imagination .... enough then to have started my romance with America, to lead eventually to my pioneering journey to America, to lead to becoming an American ... Yes, 'The Reckoning' is totally believable, superbly well written, absorbing to read, a classic of the genre. Pat Mullan
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A very human portrayal, February 9, 2003
This review is from: The Reckoning (Paperback)
I like the people in this novel, and that's one of the main tests of a book for me--whether or not I care what happens to the characters. John McLain has written a very strong story of love, fear, pain, and hope, and he's done so with an extremely strong eye for detail (especially interesting given the time in which the action takes place), as well as a willingness to present the sometimes-brutal sides of reality without flinching. All in all, this is a great read that flows smoothly and quickly, pulling you along to its unexpected climax. Very nicely written.
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