Conjuror's House: A Romance of the Free Forest

by Stewart Edward White

Conjuror's House is a Hudson Bay trading port where the Fur Trading Company tolerated no rivalry. Trespassers were sentenced to "La Longue Traverse"--which meant official death. How Ned Trent entered the territory, took la longue traverse, and the journey down the river of life with the factor's only daughter is admirably told. It is a warm, vivid, and dramatic story, and depicts the tenderness and mystery of a woman's heart.

Genres: Fiction

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1903

About the author

From about 1900 until about 1922, he wrote fiction and non-fiction about adventure and travel, with an emphasis on natural history and outdoor living. Starting in 1922, he and his wife Elizabeth "Betty" Grant White wrote numerous books they claimed were received through channelling with spirits. They also wrote of their travels around the state of California. White died in Hillsborough, California.

Reviews

[Heather Oakman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually really enjoy this author and this style of novel. However, this one was a bit off for me. The description of the romance between the two characters was pretty one-sided an was a little over the top with the female surrendering herself to the clearly superior but benevolent male. This is saying a lot, since traditional roles usually don’t bother me at all in this period/setting of novels. This one just took it to another level. The story revolves around The Long Journey, which is euphemism for an unspoken order to kill a person who has become troublesome to the company. It is set in Northern Canada, and obviously based on a real company (The Hudson's Bay Trading Company) and while the story clearly condemns the practice, it also seeks to excuse it a bit. There are also themes about tradition and the struggle to give up one way of life and embrace modern changes. The story was an interesting read, but probably not going to be one of my favorites.

[Jessica Fleming · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I find myself annoyed by the love story part of the whole story. The girl was annoying and had to be naive. The man was not at all lovable and yet she threw herself at him. Is this the way the author sees love? Nonetheless it was interesting for a short read.