The second book in this exciting series by Illinois author Tim Piper! I thoroughly enjoyed the first book—which was a great surprise since it’s not my usual genre—so I’m going into this book with high hopes!

Read: Jan. 14, 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction
Audience: General
Book contains: death of a close friend, near death experiences, loss of property, period typical racism, war/violence, arson, murder, attempted murder

Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca

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Had a Blast Reading This!

Jubilee Walker’s life is looking up. After his participation in the Powell Expeditions the last few years, his outfitting and adventure tourism business is taking off, and his marriage prospects to Nelly Boswell are positive. However, when he gets a new offer to accompany an expedition to Yellowstone, his world turns upside-down. Nelly is leaving for the East to continue her studies, their engagement is on hold, and Jubil finds himself in the middle of a tug-of-war for rights to business in the West.

There’s a lot more action in this book than the last, which is really saying something! I also appreciate the diversity of conflict in this book, not only including man against nature, but also man against man, as the preservation of natural beauty wars with humanity’s base depravity in the need of commercialism.

Again, the story is told from third person perspective with a focus on Jubil and his expeditions. He takes on a life of adventure, this time through the wilds of Montana and Wyoming. To go along with the narrative are a series of maps for the reader’s benefit.

Like with book 1, I read this book all in one day—start to finish without stopping! If anything, this book had even more action than the first as Jubil faces a true villain within his journey exploring and mapping what is to become Yellowstone National Park.

Jubil Walker is a favourite of mine as a man who does not sacrifice his morals for personal gain nor self preservation. He remains a pillar of stolid justice, keeping to his beliefs and the equality of all people, even if it means putting himself in danger. This way of life doesn’t always get him what he wants, and runs the risk of putting him and his loved ones in danger, but I admire the way he handles the pitfalls as they come.

Jubil meets a new range of characters on his latest adventures, and he encounters a collection of familiar faces as well—some he’s more pleased to see than others. While he gets along well with others, business competition for adventure tours and commercial expansion cause tension between him and number of men with black hearts, and it invites danger along with it. He’s already lost so much in terms of personal connections, so the new acquaintances don’t bode well for him and leave the reader in suspense from the start.

I’ve come to admire Tim Piper’s straightforward storytelling, as well as his inclusion of more vivid and descriptive scenes when one of his characters takes the reigns. Also, I’m not a history buff, but it’s clear in the writing that Piper has done his research, and he includes a list of recommendations at the end of the book for readers to further their understanding of the topics.

Again, the pacing was excellent. It combines the more thoughtful subjects of Jubil’s life with the dangerous, action-packed scenes. At no point was I bored with any drawling scenes of conversation, as each of the intertwining plotlines were connected in one way or another. Piper is not the type of author to waste words.

Another excellent tale that I’m proud to recommend to history buffs as well as casual readers with even the slightest interest in the topic. The subject matter is incredibly easy to approach; you don’t need to go in with a pre-established knowledge base of the area or even the time period.

Related Reviews:

Jubilee Walker Series Book 1: The Powell Expeditions by Tim Piper
Jubilee Walker Series Book 2: The Yellowstone Campaign by Tim Piper
Jubilee Walker Series Book 3: The Northern Pacific Railroad by Tim Piper
Jubilee Walker Series Book 4: The Montana Gold Mine by Tim Piper
Brian’s Saga Book 1: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain