The Darkest Path: Bear's Story

by Jeff Hirsch

Set nearly a year after the conclusion of Hirsch’s 2013 book The Darkest Path — a survival adventure following a former child soldier named Cal Roe caught in the midst of the 2nd American Civil War — this short novel continues the story entirely from the point-of-view of Cal’s faithful dog, Bear. After a tragic loss in the family Cal entrusted him to in The Darkest Path, Bear feels compelled to recall his past — from being brought up on an Arizona farm by an idealistic but conflicted young woman, through the violent rise of The Glorious Path, to the moment he finally meets his friend Cal in the desert. In both the past and the present Bear struggles to survive and find his place in the world while trying to understand man's violence and the loss he seems to experience at every turn. Part prequel and part sequel, The Darkest Bear’s Story is a fast-paced and exciting ride for readers twelve and up.

Genres: Young Adult

214 pages, Paperback

Published December 23, 2016

About the author

Here are some things about me.

I live in an extremely Brazilian section of an extremely Greek neighborhood—Astoria, Queens, which is just to the right of Manhattan. (That's as you face Manhattan. If you were, say, lying on your back in the middle of Central Park with your head in a northerly position, we would be to your left) I live there with my wife who has a blog and our two cats who do not. One day I hope to have a very large dog that I can name Jerry Lee Lewis.

I used to write plays (I actually have an MFA in it, which is currently number 8 on US News and World Report's annual list of the top twenty most useless masters degrees) and now I write books for teens. I've written two. One was about a girl who wanted to be a rock star and could graciously be called a learning experience.

The second, is The Eleventh Plague and it comes out Sept. 1, a fact I still find pretty amazing.

Reviews

[Myles Hood · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this heartwarming story, the sequel to "The Darkest Path" by Jeff Hirsch, we get the backstory to the beloved companion of Cal, Bear, a Doberman Pincher who's life before his rescue by Cal remained a mystery, until now. A generally slower paced read with plenty of genuine moments, the narration from a dog becomes a huge asset as it gives a new perspective on not only every day life, but the events of the civil war taking place as well. Since Bear is a dog, he has gotten himself into plenty of situation which humans could not, making his perspective invaluable to the greater narrative. With a limit in dialogue the story makes up with its imaginative description which truly brings you into the story and puts you in Bear's paws. This story is far more lighthearted than its predecessor and far shorter, making it an excellent read for casual readers who consume stories in smaller portions. My personal experience was very heartwarming and satisfying as I read the first book and NEEDED to know what happened to my favourite pooch. I only wish for another sequel and that the story was longer.

[Andrew Redford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Darkest Path: Bears Story is a story about the world through the dog bear. The story begins with Bear's elderly owner passing away leaving a hole in his heart. Bear has two human sisters in there teenage years. The sisters and Bear quickly grew an inseparable bond. They did everything together. However, one night while they were at a party they saw the horrors of the harsh camps set up by the army. The war was quickly approaching them.

During one of the sisters birthday party's the sister became friends with a senators son. A group of soldiers had set up camp in the yard of the family farm. But, this was to the senators despair and his son convinced Bear's sister to attack the base. Even though the Bear loved his family dearly he decided to run away. This decision lead Bear on an exiting, page turning story through the harsh desert.

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Darkest Path so when I saw that there was another book about Bear, I had to read it. I thought this book did an excellent job detailing where Bear came from. I felt like I was seeing out of Bear’s eyes when reading this book. Unlike The Darkest Path where I felt like I was left kind of figuring out my own ending, this novella brings a good ending to The Darkest Path’s story.

[Riley Bauer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book - I absolutely loved The Darkest Path, but this book just fell short. I didn’t have any problems with it not tying into the main novel - I actually liked that part, but there were some glaring typos and the plot just didn’t seem to want to go in one direction. Even though it was “Bear’s Story”, I felt like Bear was barely even a part of this book.

[Suzanne Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended by one of my students, a one day read that ties loose ends of the previous book in the series.

[Maria De Jesus Leija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read

This book had me captured from the start. Amazing . Great characters great story. Book one is also a must read