The Gates of the Mountains

by Will Henry

Tells the perilous story of the Lewis and Clark expedition across the American northwest as seen through the eyes of Francois Rivet, a young half French Canadian/half Pawnee novice boatman who accompanies the explorers.

Genres: Westerns

245 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Also wrote westerns as Clay Fisher.

Henry Wilson Allen (September 12, 1912 – October 26, 1991) was an American author and screenwriter. He used several different pseudonyms for his works. His 50+ novels of the American West were published under the pen names Will Henry and Clay Fisher. Allen's screenplays and scripts for animated shorts were credited to Heck Allen and Henry Allen.

Allen's career as a novelist began in 1952, with the publication of his first Western No Survivors. Allen, afraid that the studio would disapprove of his moonlighting, used a pen-name to avoid trouble.[3] He would go on to publish over 50 novels, eight of which were adapted for the screen. Most of these were published under one or the other of the pseudonyms Will Henry and Clay Fisher. Allen was a five-time winner of the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America and a recipient of the Levi Strauss Award for lifetime achievement.

Henry Wilson Allen was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Allen died of pneumonia on October 26, 1991 in Van Nuys, California. He was 79.

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 2 out of 5]

In 1804 Frank Rivet is the nephew of a notable French trader who is believed dead but may have been captured by Indians in the Northwest. Despite Frank's young age, he is a crafty and able riverman on the Mississippi River when Captains Clark and Lewis are seeking hands for their upcoming exploration of the newly-purchased Louisiana Territory. Frank makes his own plea to attend the trip but, despite Clark's friendly sponsorship, is turned down by Lewis, so Frank stows away and once he is found finds a way to tag along the trip.

"The Gates of the Mountains" (1963) has the feel of a good, old-fashioned youngster river exploration adventure tale with a well-handled historical context. Our protagonist Rivet, the half-French half-Pawnee American, puts up his own fair share of capable moments and achievements, coming of age and learning on this journey that starts with so much excitement but turns potentially deadly when they enter Teton Sioux territory and beyond.

A mid-novel highlight is Rivet's meeting with his maternal grandfather, and then we meet Sacajawea, which brings about some young love quadrangle romantic interludes.

"The Gates of the Mountain" keeps its strong plot through about the three-fourths mark, though without a lot of the usual thrills or twists we might get from such a caper, before there's a subtle tone shift when Frank finally separates from the expedition and makes his way into Shoshone territory and deals with the Indians there. I kept forgetting what was happening and lost total interest.

Verdict: An interesting coming of age tale with a young American protagonist who tags along with the Lewis & Clark expedition before learning about Northwest Indian culture and heritage. The novel's treatment of William Clark is first rate, but otherwise it drags a bit and is not enjoyable when all is said and done.

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

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The historical scope of the expedition really shines through here. Henry's novels do such a fantastic job of making you feel like you're there.

[Cws]

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