Lay the Mountains Low

The Plainsmen #15

by Terry C. Johnston

America's bestselling frontier writer combines his unique skills as both an acknowledged historian and a consummate storyteller, blending historical fact with powerful human emotions to vividly recreate the past for his millions of readers. In his most ambitious novel to date, Terry C. Johnston combines all the drama and gut-wrenching tragedy to tell the story of the Nez Perce War as a whole cloth, a complex tapestry of deeply wrought emotions and bitter betrayal. Johnston breathes life into little-known characters from this terrifying conflict that will leap out of the past with compelling urgency-page after page, everyone you will meet were real people at the most crucial point of their lives. This is a story of individuals, knitted together in a compelling mosaic of emotions that will sweep you up and carry you along at a gallop.

Despite one bloody skirmish after another, the Non-Treaty bands of Nez Perce still believe they can leave all the turmoil and killing behind in Idaho, fleeing General O.O. Howard's army across the Lolo Trail into Montana Territory. Looking Glass and the fighting chiefs lead their people to the "Place of the Ground Squirrels"-there to rest a few days while the women cut new lodgepoles, the children play for the first time in many weeks, and everyone celebrates leaving the war behind, rejoicing that they are on their way to the buffalo country.

But there in the Big Hole of southwestern Montana, a chill, misty dawn covered the advance of Colonel John Gibbon's Seventh U.S. Infantry as they stole down upon the sleeping, unsuspecting village...unleashing the bloodiest onslaught of the Nez Perce War!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Westerns, Historical

740 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 10, 2000

About the author

Terry C. Johnston was born January 1, 1947 in Arkansas City, Kansas.
Nineteen publishers rejected Johnston's first novel, Carry the Wind, before it was printed in 1982. However, this first novel was to gain the honor of receiving the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer's Award for best first fiction. Johnston is known for his eye for historical detail, and he is a stickler for accuracy. He is known for traveling and exploring down known and unknown dusty roads during the hot summer months, and traversing slippery, muddy roads and hiking through snow to stand upon a historical sight that he would tell his readers in an upcoming book. "Parking in the lower lot, I trudged up the hill to reach the spot where Colonel John Gibbon's infantry waited out the last hours before their attack on the unsuspecting camp. Standing there in the icy snowstorm I was totally overwhelmed by the sight of those skeletal cones of lodgepoles standing stark against the low, gray sky . . ." Some of the sites that he would stand upon were known to the world like the Little Big Horn Battlefield and others would be obscure to the average reader like the Weippe Prairie north of Lochsa. He is known to combine "a roaring good tale with fascinating insights into the lives and times of his principal characters, generally managing to employ his extensive knowledge to enhance a story rather than intrude upon it" (Whitehead, 1991). Johnston would say that he considered himself "not a literary writer but a storyteller." His desire was to reach and teach thousands if not millions of readers about the early western frontier.

He accomplished part of this goal, not only through his books, but through discussions given to elementary children, lectures at symposiums, and historical one-week tours "during which you will re-live the grit and blood, the tears and tragedy of the great Indian Wars." He would blend historical fact with human emotion to re-create the past during his historical tours each summer. One presentation he gave to a fourth grade class was about the Plains Indian culture. He held a discussion with a Honors English class in Castle Rock middle school about "research, writing, and editing that goes into producing two historical novels each year, when compared to their "term papers." He gave keynote speeches at seminars and lectures at symposiums. He traveled all around Montana to sign books for fans, and he signed the books at the local Albertson's in each town. He held radio interviews that "took me into cities, talking before audiences, I never would have managed to reach otherwise."

Reviews

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a tough read, not only because the subject matter of the Nez Pearce War is such a sad and bitter story, but because the author would soon die after the work was completed. I have become an enormous Terry Johnston fan largely because of the magnificence of the Plainsmen Series. The books are 16 large volumes of historical fiction covering the breadth of the Plain's Indian Wars. Interestingly, the Battle of the Little Bighorn is not covered as the author dealt with that Battle in his three volume Son of the Plains series. I have read all but one. Terry Johnston was a prolific and amazing writer. He wrote westerns the way that westerns were meant to be written and the way I wish I could write. His focus on historical accuracy and creating characters who thought and behaved as actual 19th century persons truly thought and behaved is brilliant. It is my understanding that after he completed "Lay the Mountains Low" Johnston was diagnosed with cancer and died. He had one more book entitled, "The Broken Hoop" remaining. It is so tragic that the book remained unwritten. RIP Terry C. Johnston.

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do not begin this book unless you have a good deal of time. Terry Johnston, as in all the Plainsman Series does extensive research on the subject. The history from both sides, white and red, is fascinating and the addition of a series of letters from a wife of an Army doctor adds the air of history. However, this is a novel and is lacking character development. In my previous efforts in this series, Seamus was the character that drove the plot. He was clearly fictional, but you could relate to him. He lacks that character in this book. That is the reason for an average rating. If you are interested in the plight of the Nez Perce, this is definitely a must read.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry C Johnson is a remarkable author of Western American historical fiction. His details in recounting the struggle of the American Indian and the Army are amazing. A definite good read.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now we're getting to books I can honestly say I enjoyed!

[John Watt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble getting started on this one- sometimes books with a boatload of characters bog me down. This book was well researched and I like Johnston's writing style. The length of the novel mirrors the travel time in the Old West prior to the Iron Horse, it took a while to reach your destination.

[James]

Excellent read Long but you will feel that you were there!