Dark Trail

by Hiram King

Returning home from the Civil War only to find out that his family had been captured and put on a slave train, Bodie Johnson embarks on a dangerous journey to find them and will let nothing stand in his way. Original.

374 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the immediate aftermath of Lee's surrender at Appomattox, confusion and chaos find an escaped slave Bodie Johnson, at the time volunteering for Union forces fighting the South, separated from his enslaved family in Virginia. He's learned that his former owner had shipped them west on a train to keep them from being freed. Now Bodie is on a "Dark Trail" (1998), heading west towards Texas with a six-shooter and a strong horse.

A third of the way into this story the narrative shifts to a group of freedmen working for their former owner transporting wagons of cotton from Texas to Mexico for sale, and among these freedmen are a couple of characters named Boots and Amos.

Then another narrative stream starts with Boot's sister Bertha, who turns out to also be a sister to Bodie, working on a ranch in Texas for her former owner's older brother. This is the family that Bodie is tracking down, and they have another younger brother who is being held captive by Comanches for ransom that they are trying to raise and deliver.

While "Dark Trail" starts with an Odyssey- or Cold Mountain-style baseline narrative with a lone hero on an epic quest to return to his family, it eventually just turns into a commentary on the evils of racism in the 1860's and these heroic siblings who won't roll over for it.

It stumbles with its shift off of the protagonists' storylines and gets into repetitive sequences pitting racist morons and politicians against all black persons. Bigwigs in Texas and Mexico, Klan organizing, backwards white hillbillies picking fights with the Johnsons and losing, then we see the Johnsons blamed and the pattern therefore continues when witnessed by more backwards white hillbillies.

And keeping it spoiler-free, the ending is such a stupid one for a tale like this - it doesn't come from the central storyline at all.

Verdict: "Dark Trail" is a good western adventure when it focuses on its main tale, that of family, heroism, and perseverance. It strays from that narrative in the back half and suffers as a result. Still, points for the Bodie and Boots characters who I wish "Dark Trail" could have been more about.

Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: R

[Clifton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bodie Johnson is determined to find his family after the Civil War. While Johnson is looking for his family they have their own battles to overcome to survive in a harsh and hostile environment. I really enjoyed this book, I felt it was well written with strong characters and it did a good job of describing the harsh realities of the time.

[Rebecca W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating book that shows the power of love, sense of protection, and risks one would take for his family.

[Max Bakke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightning with the blam blams.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about former slaves trying to survive immediately after the end of the American Civil War. There are a few truly evil characters but the majority of characters are believable complex. I didn’t know much about the Reconstruction Era before reading this novel. Seeing this period through the eyes of black (northern free and southern former slaves), Native American, Mexican, white (Union and plantation owners), and mixed race people was very instructive in learning why integrating the south back into the Union and securing civil rights for blacks failed during this period. I wish someone made this into a miniseries as the characters and their stories are compelling as well as educational.

[Fenixbird SandS]

There are several with this title or Dark Trail within the title.
You can search any of 3 ways on www.goodreads.com l) title 2) author or 3) ISBN


Dark Trail (Paperback)
by Hiram King
publishedApril 29th 2008 by Leisure Books (Mm)
bindingPaperback, 384 pages
isbn0843961295 (isbn13: 9780843961294)

THE DARK TRAIL... book one of a post apoliptic western about a Gunfighter and his telepathicly linked companion, a friesian stallion named casper. A treasure hunt leads to far more the pair expect. What they discover sets them off on a path to a fantastic new world.



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Wolves: I have worked with Wolves and Wolfdogs for well over 30 years now in Rescue, training, and public education. Anyone whos intrested in sharing thier lives with one should know that Wolves and Wolfdogs make VERY poor pets, however, for those who love and understand them, they can be wonderful companions.