Trapper's Moon

Buckskinners #2

by Jory Sherman

Sequel to the Golden Spur Award winner The Medicine HornLemuel Hawke and his fifteen-year-old son, Morgan, are used to hard work and a hard life—they'd scratched out a living as farmers on unforgiving land. But nothing prepared them for the dangers of the trail they follow west, heading for the rich fur-trapping grounds of the Rocky Mountains.Nature threatens the Hawkes with storms, floods, and deadly cold—but Nature's fury is not the only peril father and son must face. As they follow the trail laid by those who went before, so others follow an unscrupulous fur trader out to claim other men's wealth as his own; a man bent on avenging his murdered brother; a woman scorned.Luckily, Lem and Morgan have a band of trappers and mountain men whose gruff exteriors mask fierce loyalty and hard-won wisdom...and the Indians who see in young Morgan the beginnings of a powerful strength of spirit.Praise for Jory Sherman"Trapper's Moon takes us on a rough but exhilarating journey of discovery with a colorful group of trappers and Indians, bound for the Shining Mountains. It is quite a ride."—Elmer Kelton, author of The Good Old Boys"A vigorous look at the world of the mountain men of the old West."—Publishers Weekly"Jory paints word pictures with remarkable skill. His characters come to life against a rich historical background."—Janet Dailey, author of Aspen Gold

Genres: Westerns

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1994

About the author

Jory Sherman was born in Minnesota and grew up in West Texas, Louisiana, and Colorado. He was a magazine editor for a time and had some of his work published, including some poetry, short stories and articles. Sherman had a friend who owned a publishing company and asked him to write a novel for the company. From that offer came five more novels, all written in one year. He wrote the supernatural mystery series, "Chill," which was somewhat revolutionary for the times, but which earned him an eight book contract. He then came up with the idea for "Rivers West," a series which had each book written by a different western author. Then came the "Baron Saga," the first of which was "Grass Kingdom" which earned Sherman a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize in Letters. Sherman has also won the Spur Award for his contribution to Western Literature.

Reviews

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a frontier/mountain man story that just doesn't seem to have a purpose. It is the second in the series and follows Lemuel Hawke and his son Morgan into the Rocky Mountains where they plan to trap beaver. Along the way they meet all kinds of bad blokes who want to kill them for one reason or another. A lot of the fights seem just to fill in pages and I never did find an overall reason for the story. Well written, but goes nowhere.

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lem Hawke and his son Morgan, now 15, are continuing their travels west after the events that closed the prior story "Medicine Horn" (my review #817), partly motivated by learning the fur trade along the Missouri River in 1815 and also motivated by a desire to escape their pasts. As they get mixed up with a number of different fur-trading outfits, all with hidden agendas and less-than-honorable business methods, the two make friends and enemies with a number of characters and find themselves being hunted by a tough Spaniard who blames Lem for his brother's death.

Verdict: "Trapper's Moon" (1994) is a boring frontier western.

Jeff's Rating: 1 / 5 (Bad)
movie rating if made into a movie: R

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly about the long trek to the mountains with father and son seeking beaver.
Along with various other fellows and being followed by the guy who wants to kill the father.

[Steve Ring · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just a string of unlikely events and conflicts with no real plot or purpose. I did not finish it.

[Joseph Dorris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Trapper's Moon is second in the series by Jory Sherman of Lemuel Hawke and his son Morgan as they drift toward the Rocky Mountains and a life of fur trapping. This book stands alone; however, the reader will gain insight into what drives Lemuel if he can first read The Medicine Horn. Young Morgan, respectful of his father, pursues a dream he does not understand, but both journey toward what eventually becomes a shared destiny. Again, with great detail and attention to geography and history, Sherman paints a rich picture of life as it was in the early 1800s to the heyday of the fur trappers. He captures strong action with a plot that is believable and compelling. A very fine example of the Western genre.