Prey for Survival

by S. Bradley Stoner

Prey for Survival by S. Bradley Stoner is no tale for the faint of heart. The wild, beautiful, brutal wilderness of the Canadian Rockies is the setting for this story of life that is both wonderful and dangerous - and where extreme brutality exists side by side with exquisite beauty. It is the real world where Jedidiah Smith Marsh has run to escape society and his haunted past. As a trapper he finds the isolation and solace he seeks, but he is never free from the haunting memory of his beloved Cassie. The winter bear, Ursus horribilis, the horrible bear, the grizzly, is master of the forest. The bullet meant to kill him only wounds him, and he becomes a dangerous and deadly marauder. In this book the creatures, both man and animal, are as they are, needing no excuses nor explanations for their existence or the mode of it.

221 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1989

About the author

S. Bradley Stoner, the author of wilderness adventure and outdoor humor novels since 1980, recently saw his first children’s book published. He retired from a 35 year career in environmental consulting a couple of years ago to pursue his passion for writing on a full time basis.

His love of the wilderness coupled with the disillusion borne of a limited employment market in the early 1970s inspired his first book, Prey for Survival, originally published by Wilderness Adventure Books in 1980. A sequel, The Blackwitch Legacy followed soon after, although it languished for years after his career took off before he published it as an e-book. These fast paced books, set in the stark beauty of the Canadian Rockies, spin tales of the joys, dangers, personal torment, and ultimate redemption of living in the wilderness.

Semi-retirement and retrospection led to a fictionalized recounting of the journey from childhood to adulthood through the eyes of an inveterate fisherman in Fishing and Other Misadventures. And the eye-popping experiences of fatherhood has spawned a series of ideas for children’s books, with the first of the series, Beau’s Dragon, released in February 2014 by Sage Words Publishing.

Stoner received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Environmental Biology in 1971 and plenty of advanced education in the school of life. He has six books to his credit, four fiction and two non-fiction books (under his real name).

When not busy at the computer writing, researching, or on social media, Steve loves to spend his time with family, reading, traveling, working in his shop, and fishing... never forget fishing! He lives in San Antonio, Texas with his soulmate and wife of 23 years, and his youngest son who is finishing a degree in film.

Reviews

[Zoe Saadia]

Reading "Prey for Survival" made me want to buy a plane ticket, to fly to Canadian Rockies and spend there months on end and more, in the wonderful wilderness of those ridges and woods.

What a place this book recreates! It made me feel right there, in the tranquility of the woods, among the snow-covered ridges and the dense timber, on the lone clearings and glades. The wonder of those woods and the danger, it's all there, presented in the enjoyable way of a beautiful story line, through most unexpected points of view, sometimes.

It was a pleasure to follow the story of pleasant, believable characters, and the less pleasant ones, too. I recommend this read highly.

[Anita]

A man living in rugged wilderness is a story in itself. Each day brings challenges and he is truly alive as he does what needs doing in order to survive. He interacts with those in a town that is a couple days away a couple times a year, getting supplies and sharing in friendship. A young woman enters the scene through a series of mishaps. There are men without morals to be dealt with, too, and many animals both dear and dangerous ones. Much of the story is about what is happening inside the minds and hearts of the characters, including the grizzly bear. I found it all fascinating, especially when placed in the beauty and power of the environment. I'm ready for the sequel to see what comes next. Excellent book!