Wind Walker

by Terry C. Johnston

The saga of frontier mountain man Titus Bass was first chronicled by author Terry C. Johnston in the bestselling trilogy Carry the Wind, Borderlords, and One-Eyed Dream. In Dance on the Wind, Buffalo Palace, and Crack in the Sky, Johnston set down the stirring adventures of Bass's early life. Now the unforgettable epic concludes with the story of this legendary hero's autumn years that was begun in Ride the Moon Down and Death Rattle.In this breathtaking climax, Bass, the hardy survivor of a world now gone, prepares to fight his magnificent final battle.Fleeing the bloody aftermath of the Taos Rebellion, Titus Bass leads his family north, hoping to winter with the Crow people. But wagons filled with overland emigrants in search of new homes have already begun to trek across the vast untamed frontier. The wild and free world of the mountain men is quickly fading into the past. Even the famous Jim Bridger, whose trading post sits on the emigrants' Oregon Trail, must contend with arriving Mormons under Brigham Young, who view the region as their Promised Land to be cleansed of all nonbelievers. For Titus Bass, the journey north is sadly eventful. He must save an old friend from death and rescue his daughter Magpie from cutthroat traders. He must find a way to free a wagon train of innocents from its unscrupulous leader, his murderous assistant, and the band of violent toughs who enforce the leader's will. Most important of all, Bass must come to terms with his long-lost daughter Amanda, bound with her husband and children for a new home ... in a faraway land that Bass himself will never see. When Bass eventually arrives in the land of the Crow, he finds old friends -- and old ways -- dying out. Determined to live out his final years in peace, Bass soon comes to realize that even on the changing frontier, enemies lie in wait, old dangers lurk, and survival is never a certain thing. But still to come is the greatest lesson of all -- that dearer by far than his own life are the lives of his friends and loved ones.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Westerns, Fiction, Historical

657 pages, Kindle Edition

About the author

Terry C. Johnston was born January 1, 1947 in Arkansas City, Kansas.
Nineteen publishers rejected Johnston's first novel, Carry the Wind, before it was printed in 1982. However, this first novel was to gain the honor of receiving the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer's Award for best first fiction. Johnston is known for his eye for historical detail, and he is a stickler for accuracy. He is known for traveling and exploring down known and unknown dusty roads during the hot summer months, and traversing slippery, muddy roads and hiking through snow to stand upon a historical sight that he would tell his readers in an upcoming book. "Parking in the lower lot, I trudged up the hill to reach the spot where Colonel John Gibbon's infantry waited out the last hours before their attack on the unsuspecting camp. Standing there in the icy snowstorm I was totally overwhelmed by the sight of those skeletal cones of lodgepoles standing stark against the low, gray sky . . ." Some of the sites that he would stand upon were known to the world like the Little Big Horn Battlefield and others would be obscure to the average reader like the Weippe Prairie north of Lochsa. He is known to combine "a roaring good tale with fascinating insights into the lives and times of his principal characters, generally managing to employ his extensive knowledge to enhance a story rather than intrude upon it" (Whitehead, 1991). Johnston would say that he considered himself "not a literary writer but a storyteller." His desire was to reach and teach thousands if not millions of readers about the early western frontier.

He accomplished part of this goal, not only through his books, but through discussions given to elementary children, lectures at symposiums, and historical one-week tours "during which you will re-live the grit and blood, the tears and tragedy of the great Indian Wars." He would blend historical fact with human emotion to re-create the past during his historical tours each summer. One presentation he gave to a fourth grade class was about the Plains Indian culture. He held a discussion with a Honors English class in Castle Rock middle school about "research, writing, and editing that goes into producing two historical novels each year, when compared to their "term papers." He gave keynote speeches at seminars and lectures at symposiums. He traveled all around Montana to sign books for fans, and he signed the books at the local Albertson's in each town. He held radio interviews that "took me into cities, talking before audiences, I never would have managed to reach otherwise."

Reviews

[Betty Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautiful and heart wrenching. It is the last of a 9 part series, following Titus Bass through the Rocky Mountains he loved in the early 19th century. Not something I would normally pick up. The action was fierce. The world Terry Johnston created was so rich, I felt like I was there. This series left me with a little different view of life and death and the world in general.
Since this was the final book, Johnston wraps the series up with Titus fighting his last battle. As hard as it was to read through the tears, it ended like it should. I don't always feel that way at the end of a long series. I cried so hard, my eyes hurt the next day. Over a series of books. It was worth every tear and someday, I will happily pick these books up again.

[Nathan Velson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I'm finally having to say goodbye to Ol' Scratch after probably well over 5000 pages, but I think this was the most moving and my favorite of the Titus Bass novels. Though the writing can be uneven, and the dialogue certainly not PC (although historically accurate in the context), these stories of the mountains and the development of Titus's character over the course of his life make this a series well worth looking into for any serious fans of westerns or historical fiction. The evocations of the grandeur of the mountain west make me want to pack up my bags and head into the hills.

[Joe L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I’m saddened that it’s the end of the road for both this character and series.
I’d be happy to go back to the beginning and read it all over again, which I may in a few years. I now own hardcover copies of all 9 volumes in the series.
So many great characters here and so many villains.
Sad there were no more books with these characters, maybe the story of one of his children moving on in life, but it wasn’t to be.

I’m thankful for taking a chance on “dance on the wind” after seeing a copy at the library back in 2021.

What a ride. Thank you Terry. I’m proud to now own all 31 of your books.

[Hugh Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

First, allow me to say that I am a fan of the late Terry Johnston, particularly his wonderful 'Plainsman' series.
That said, I have to qualify this title as one of the most utterly boring I have ever suffered through the reading of. In my 63 years of life (and probably 58 years of reading) I can honestly say I have never given up on a book due to desperation This came close.
The action, if you choose to call it that, is buried in the avalanche of mundanity. We get page after page of description of blacksmithing duties. We hear about his family history (previously covered ad nauseum in early volumes in the series).
In short, this book was a complete waste of my time, and it took a lot of my time trying to struggle though it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a remarkable reading for me. It was interesting to read about the early trappers and the way they indigenous people and the early trappers lived, worked with each other and the spiritual thinking.

[Maryanne]

Wind Walker 12082006 Terry Johnston

[Andy2302 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first of his I ever read, his last novel. Trappers, Indians and the great Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. "Today is a good day to die." 5 Stars