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West of Sheridan
Set in northern Wyoming, this is a hard hitting and sometimes brutally honest story of two men in the days following a world changing event. A coronal mass ejection / solar flare wipes out modern technology and decimates the population. In one half of the story Jack is a 49 year old rancher who is stranded near Yellowstone Park. In order to get home he must cross 150 miles and the Bighorn mountain range. The other half of the story follows Mark, a 29 year old employee at a coal mine in Gillette. He needs to find a place to call home before winter sets in. Each of these men is faced with challenges and each is forced to make decisions that affect not only them, but the people they care about. As they both struggle toward Sheridan, in a land that is now lawless, the decisions they make define their character and their future.
636 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2012
6 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 29, 2026
I found a copy of this book in the game room at The Hideout in Shell, WY. I started reading it there and bought a digital copy when I left.
It look me nearly two years to finish it.after the first few chapters, it started to drag. And did so for a while. But when it actually really got going, I burned through it. My only real complaint is there is a fair amount of repetition throughout. Characters will pause to reflect on what’s happened, and then provide a summary of what we’ve already read. It could have been 100 pages shorter.
BUT, ultimately I loved the book. It’s set in my favorite part of the world and (for a while anyway) at one of my favorite places in the world: the aforementioned Hideout (seriously: look the up online. You need to go). I honestly think this is a book that kids should be reading in high school. There are so many moral lessons. We get to not only hear them, but see the repercussions of both good and bad decisions. The lead character is sort of a perfect “Dad.” He’s someone you’d go to for advice.
It took me a while but it was a great read.
It look me nearly two years to finish it.after the first few chapters, it started to drag. And did so for a while. But when it actually really got going, I burned through it. My only real complaint is there is a fair amount of repetition throughout. Characters will pause to reflect on what’s happened, and then provide a summary of what we’ve already read. It could have been 100 pages shorter.
BUT, ultimately I loved the book. It’s set in my favorite part of the world and (for a while anyway) at one of my favorite places in the world: the aforementioned Hideout (seriously: look the up online. You need to go). I honestly think this is a book that kids should be reading in high school. There are so many moral lessons. We get to not only hear them, but see the repercussions of both good and bad decisions. The lead character is sort of a perfect “Dad.” He’s someone you’d go to for advice.
It took me a while but it was a great read.
July 15, 2013
"Honor, respect, reputation, honesty - those words mean somethin' to a lot of people around here."
This is one of the best post-apocalyptic stories that I have read - and I've read lots of them. What an exceptional tale!
For me it didn't hurt that it took place in an area I'm familiar with and love in Wyoming. It rang so true. I can see Wyoming residents handling a TEOTWAWKI event in ways described in the book. There's a lot of strong, self-reliant people in Wyoming - with lots of guns and horses.
I liked that this wasn't just a disaster novel but a character study as well. Good vs. evil, strong vs. weak, principled vs. unprincipled.
The characters were well drawn and believable. The dialogue rang very true and read smoothly. There were strong women characters as well as strong men.
I thought the antagonist was portrayed clearly with motivation that was understandable, if not praiseworthy. I did think some of his acts were reprehensible and not all needed to be included in the story to get the point across.
I loved the protagonist - a man of morals and integrity, willing to stand up for what he believed in.
There were some minor editing issues but none that distracted me from the story too much. This is a long novel - over six hundred pages - but it flew by as I was reading it and I didn't want it to end. I would love to read a sequel to this book.
This is one of the best post-apocalyptic stories that I have read - and I've read lots of them. What an exceptional tale!
For me it didn't hurt that it took place in an area I'm familiar with and love in Wyoming. It rang so true. I can see Wyoming residents handling a TEOTWAWKI event in ways described in the book. There's a lot of strong, self-reliant people in Wyoming - with lots of guns and horses.
I liked that this wasn't just a disaster novel but a character study as well. Good vs. evil, strong vs. weak, principled vs. unprincipled.
The characters were well drawn and believable. The dialogue rang very true and read smoothly. There were strong women characters as well as strong men.
I thought the antagonist was portrayed clearly with motivation that was understandable, if not praiseworthy. I did think some of his acts were reprehensible and not all needed to be included in the story to get the point across.
I loved the protagonist - a man of morals and integrity, willing to stand up for what he believed in.
There were some minor editing issues but none that distracted me from the story too much. This is a long novel - over six hundred pages - but it flew by as I was reading it and I didn't want it to end. I would love to read a sequel to this book.
September 18, 2015
Couldn't put this book down for too long. Gives a glimpse of how life would be in the USA, if an EMP occurred as a result of a missile launched from N. Korea or Russia exploding in the atmosphere over the U.S. Read this book as an unsuspected occurrence brings down the Power Grid of a Mighty Nation. now on its knees to those countries who do not like us very much...Caught unaware but America & American's are resilient by nature. Thank Goodness!
August 27, 2012
I really am enjoying the Post-Apocalyptic Fiction genre, but this book is so much more than that. It has everything you want in a good book. Whether you're a fan of the genre or not, you will love this book. I give it 5 stars and will be recommending it to anyone and everyone.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews