Fort on the Firing Line

by Blaine M. Yorgason

By award-winning author, Blaine Yorgason. ISBN 1-57345-525-3. From the front "In Fort on the Firing Line, book two of the Hearts Afire series, best-selling author Blaine M. Jorgason reopens a little-known chapter of Church history (LDS, Mormon)--the story of the Saints who were called to settle near Hole-in-the-Rock as a buffer between the larger LDS settlements and the outlaws and marauders who inhabited that desolate country... If you enjoy historical fiction, or if you'd simply like to immerse yourself in a compelling series that brings to life the struggles of the early Latter-day Saints, you won't want to mis Fort on the Firing Line."

417 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Blaine M. Yorgason was born in Sanpete County, Utah. He attended Brigham Young University and received both a BA and MA in History. Blaine and his wife Kathleen have 7 children and numerous grandchildren.

Reviews

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is Book Two in Yorgason's series about the Hole-in-the-Rock and Bluff pioneers. My interest steadily grew from the start to the finish of this particular book. At first, it seemed to be a passive continuation of history with Yorgason's obvious effort to teach gospel doctrine in the conversations -- particularly between the husband and wife who are the ficticious central couple of the three-book series. However, the trials of the Bluff settlers truly approach ultimate unbearability and should be understood and appreciated. Yorgason's research is thorough and it becomes striking and extremely interesting as the story of the Pahutes' massively big horse-stealing and murder raid begins in Colorado and sweeps through southeastern Utah ending in the ambush of a posse' on the LaSal Mountains east of Moab. Several Indians and several posse' members were killed in the resulting day-long battle. A couple un-armed young men from Moab were killed because they left their cattle and curiously hurried to learn the source of the gunfire. After learning somewhat about this battle when we lived in Moab and from earlier reading, it was eye-opening to learn about the months and weeks leading up to the culminating events. The miracle of how the Bluff pioneers retreived their horses (essential for their survival) without firing a shot is a faith-promoting story appropriate for campfire circles. More great campfire stories include the calm use of sacred power by Thales Haskel, Indian missionary and interpreter, to influence the lives and behavior of the superstitious Indians, whose understanding was so foreign. I look forward to Book Three and am curious about the "Prequel - To Soar with the Eagle" in the series, which appears to have been written after Books One, Two, and Three.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is more of the history of the "Indian Mission" Missionaries.

[Beve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I like his writing. Looking for book 3 in the series now.

[Laurie D'ghent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just couldn't make myself finish it--reads too much like a history text, for my taste, and was really depressing.