Big Stone Gap & Beyond: A Novel

by John M. Vermillion

Felix Forthright Fox: descended from fighters and coal miners. Troublemaker in school, little interest in schoolbooks. But combine an aptitude for practical engineering and a nose for business with unmatched work ethic, and the result was commercial success. As his holdings grew, his enemies became more resolute in stopping him. Everyman and absolute individual in the same person. Whether in his coal mines or on his wilderness preserve, opponents sought to block his every move, often through violence. The United Mine Workers put a bounty on his head, and threatened his family. Eco-terrorists aimed to burn his ranch to the ground, as he was vying to construct the first wind farm in Virginia. This is the saga of Felix Fox, a man who loved large and made brilliant use of the heart and mind God gave him. Read to understand why his family’s story is perfectly instructive for our times .

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2022

About the author

John M. Vermillion was a field soldier for more than 20 years. After military service, he worked internationally in various civilian capacities for the next 12 years. Following is a synopsis of "Flathead County", the sequel to "Blue Gunder".

Blue Gunder was a top NFL draft pick and Dallas Cowboy—until a medical matter beyond his control ended his career. Now he’s Sheriff of Flathead County, Montana, married to Dee, the veterinarian behind Blue Skies Veterinary Clinic.
On Halloween night, Blue walks into a scene designed to be remembered: a dead game warden in the northern forest near the Canadian border—three elk arranged in an arrow aimed at the corpse. Hours later, in the far southeast corner of the county, a rancher shows Dee three horses she immediately knows were poisoned.
Two incidents, connected, but how? And they’re only the beginning. As the cruelty spreads and the messages sharpen, Blue and Dee are forced to ask who in Flathead County benefits from fear—especially now that a mega-wealthy newcomer has arrived, buying influence as easily as land. And when Blue unearths a rare earth bombshell, the Feds intervene.

Reviews

[Ashley Mitchell]

Interesting storytelling tone and foundation

Big Stone Gap & Beyond is a semi-biographical fiction by John Vermillion. I had mixed feelings about this book overall. I’m not much a fan of having lists of characters and their relations at the beginning or end of books—if you don’t have the time or desire to flesh a character out, then they can probably be left out. Also, in the first chapter, Vermillion introduces the Ancient Author, who sort of bluntly states what is ultimately Vermillion’s reason for writing the book, but it’s not super well incorporated into the rest of the book. That on top of typos made it less than perfect to me.
However, I found his use of Butterfly Effect to introduce Fox’s story interesting, and liked that it was based on the life of a friend, Jerry Fraley. It was a rather smooth transition from the Ancient Author’s intro, to the start of Fox’s story (that will ultimately unfold) in the 1700s, to Fox’s father, to he himself.
Also, what I suspect to be the author’s actual conversational tone leaks into the storytelling, which makes it pleasant to read overall.

[Conscientious]

Big Stone Gap & Beyond by John M. Vermillion is a story of a man of great significance who knew the problems in the world and he was ready to fix them. Felix Forthright Fox came from a background of warriors and coal mines. He was never able to fit in a school as his mind has seen beyond what is out there. Wielded with the best aptitude for engineering and a skill for business made him a commercial success. This story tells us about a man who overcomes enemies and resistance and pushes forward with his excellent work.
 
The author's narration is apt in terms of voicing the character's persona and struggles. This story shows us how people will harm and try to stop positive work for their own profits and agenda. I really enjoyed how the author transports the readers through the story with his impressive writing style. I recommended this book for its tremendous story of how good will triumph evil.

[Mayra]

John M. Vermillion, the author of Big Stone Gap & Beyond, has taken the story of a remarkable man, Jerry L. Fraley, and fictionalized him along with his story. Jerry is Felix Forthright Fox. However, the main character was not the only person he inserted in the story. His ancestor, Colonel John A. Tate, was as important historical figure as seen in the novel. Despite this, the court proceeding described in the narrative never took place, for example.
Most of the situations Felix is involved actually occurred in a way, but the author had to twist the chronology to make the narrative flow. A point to highlight is that the uncles mentioned did exist, and they did have the names they were assigned.
I really enjoyed learning this after reading the novel. In my opinion, it gives a wonderful plus to such a nice story. I had a pleasant time while reading it. I give this book 5 well-earned stars.

[Guy Wheatley]

The book opens, closes, and is divided by a strange narration I found distracting. We supposedly start out reading the words of some immortal being who relates the tale. A front portion of the story is separated from the back portion by the reappearance of the supernatural narrator. The other chapters read much more as Third Party Omnipotent. Without the unusual narration technique, I’d have given this 5 stars and been waiting breathlessly for the movie that should be made from it.
The first several chapters start out in the 1700s and chronicle the lives of the eventual main protagonist’s ancestors. We follow this family through both fortune and famine, joy and sorrow. It closely follows the coal industry in the Virginia area. Author Vermillion is unapologetic for his contempt of progressives, and frequently takes them to task. He strongly supports the coal industry.
Characters were well developed and the story moved smoothly. This is an enjoyable read.

[Saya J]

Gripping!


“Big stone gap and beyond” is such an absorbing novel you will not regret reading or buying it! The main character Felix Fox is such a strong but also relatable person. He is an inspiration for any troublemaker in school and he shows that you can always make in life. Nevertheless, he also embraces a hard work ethic which is definitely needed, in order to succeed.
While his wealth grows rapidly so do his enemies and enviers. Which is sadly very close to the reality of life.
I personally loved reading this life story and it made me rethink many things of my past, present and future. It reminded me to use the skills I was given at birth, appreciate what I have and to never give up. I really enjoyed this novel with all my heart!

[Aneley Sánchez]

A good novel based on real events!

The author of Big Stone Gap & Beyond is John M. Vermillion. He has written some thriller and suspense books but, in this case, he offers us a strong novel based on real events, with a little of fiction to make the story even more interesting. The book starts introducing each character of the story. It was a really good idea because there are many characters and, in this way, I could understand the story better.
It follows the life of Felix Forthright Fox, a hard-working man who became successful despite his childhood difficulties. This put him in the sights of many people. It is a very good story of action and power. The story is complex but it's so engaging that I read is quickly. I enjoyed it!

[S Tyty]

Big Stone Gap and Beyond is a biographical fiction that does not disappoint. It tells the story of Felix Fox and his family life and endeavours, his past and how he uses life lessons for his own benefits.
The narrative leaves little life messages all along, some of them more imperceptible than others. After reading, appreciating life seems easier.
As regards the characters, I can say they are all wonderfully developed, so much so that they seem real. Their emotional, personal and even physical descriptions with movements and gestures make characters look more real and more memorable. We, readers, get to trust them and understand the nature of their way of acting and seeing things. I liked the way they have been described, using action, rather than just mere descriptions.

[Dani Savante]

This story really touched me deeply and it managed to captivate me from the very beginning. Its protagonist, Felix Fox, comes from a family of hard mine working tradition and has a great vision of the world and particular capacity to understand its future necessities. When he elaborates and tries to put into practice an important project that he considers extremely necessary and urgent, he finds a great resistance form his opponents who frequently resort to violence to stop him.
I felt surprised and delighted by the quality of this read. The characters are very well constructed. As soon as I finished this great book, I recommended it to all my friends who, I am sure, will enjoy it as much as I did.

[Märtha Custis]

If you ever wanted to get a taste of the hard lives of the coal miners in the United States, then John M. Vermillion’s Big Stone Gap and Beyond: A Novel is a perfect book to read.
Following the fate of the Fox family through the early years of the United States up until Felix Fox who decides to change the course of the family, the book is full of emotion and history.
I liked the way the author made the characters relatable and human—full of flaws and mistakes like rest of us.
Overall, a fascinating story and moving tribute to the miners who built the United States, Big Stone Gap and Beyond is a great read for lovers of historical fiction.

[Evelyn]

“Big Stone Gap & Beyond” is a delightful read written by John M. Vermillion whose talented mind caught all my attention.
The story is based on the life of Felix Forthright Fox whose aptitudes, unmatched ethic and decisions along the way, gave him commercial success.
One of the things that I liked the most about the book is the fact that the main characters are presented at the very beginning in alphabetical order. This is amazing!! Personally, I tend to get lost when many names appear in a piece of work and I believe that it’s more than useful to get this information at hand.
I highly recommend it since it didn’t disappoint me.

[Ivan M]

After reading "Awful Reckoning" and loving it, I decided to continue reading more from John Vermillion. "Big Stone Gap and Beyond" is not related to that story; this book follows the story of Felix Forthright Fox (or triple F), a descender from a family of coal miners. Showing talent in the business from an early age in a company that is worldwide criticized over the world, he will find many enemies along the way to success.

I loved the story and the characters presented in this novel, I also enjoyed that this novel was made inspired on real people; even though it is fiction, it gives a sense of reality to the writing.

[Jessica]

Incredible story of Mr. Fox

This is the incredible true story of Felix Fox, a troubled young man with an aptitude for engineering and business. Using his smarts he quickly built a name for himself in Virginia's mountains. Set upon by other who wished him to fail such as the workers union, Mr. Fox shows true grit and courage in the face of adversity. The author's passion for his subject is clear to see and it is an interesting bit of American history. I cannot say if there are any inaccuracies, but the story was well written and I liked it.

[Liz]

"Big Stone Gap & Beyond" is a novel written by John M. Vermillion, where we meet Felix Forthright Fox, a descendant of wrestlers and coal miners. Many want to get him out of the way as his holdings grow, but he wasn't going to stop until he built the first wind farm in Virginia.
One of the things that I liked the most about this book is that from the first pages the author gives us a detailed list of characters; I think this is a highly valuable resource since it helps us to know them better.
I definitely recommend this story full of adventure and learning.