Road to Reckoning - Softcover

Robert Lautner

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007511302 ISBN 13: 9780007511303

Publisher: The Borough Press, 2015

Synopsis

“Remarkable...A novel about a young man reaching for manhood after the killing of his father and about the invention and selling of Col. Samuel Colt’s revolving pistol, and the way it changed the West. Those who love True Grit will love this” (Michael Korda, author of Hero).

One does not travel the path to vengeance alone

Twelve-year-old Thomas Walker has never left New York City. His father, a traveling salesman hoping to earn money by selling Samuel Colt’s recent invention, the “Improved Revolving Gun,” takes young Thomas with him on the road. But even the world’s first true revolver cannot save them from danger, and what starts as an adventure soon turns into a nightmare.

Thomas soon finds himself alone, and must rely on his own wits, courage, and determination, as well as a wooden replica of the Colt revolver, to protect himself. Luckily, an encounter with a surly ex-ranger, Henry Stands, leads to an improbable partnership, and the two set out in perilous pursuit of vengeance. That is, if they can escape the thieves who lurk around each trail, river, and road—and who have already stolen so much from Thomas.

In the spirit of The Sisters Brothers and True Grit, this spare, elegant, and emotionally resonant story conveys—through a boy’s eyes—a beautiful father-son story, as well as the fascinating history of how the birth of the revolver changed the course of violence in America. Road to Reckoning offers a window into the history of the American West and the heart of a boy yearning for love.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Lautner was born in Middlesex, England, in 1970. Before becoming a writer he owned his own comic bookstore, and was a wine merchant, photographic consultant, and recruitment consultant. He lives on the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales, in a wooden cabin with his wife and children.

Review:

A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best Book of the Year

Like "True Grit,” this novel stars a youngster who travels across the Wild West with a crusty adult. But this tale’s hero is a boy, and the author’s eye for detail and ear for dialogue show the large amount of research that a good novelist will undertake. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Best Book of 2014))

“[Road to Reckoning] is drawing inevitable comparisons to Charles Portis’ True Grit. . . . What the two books most have in common is elegant writing and an air of historical authenticity. . . . Unforgettable characters give the book an unexpected staying power.” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

“A novel you won’t soon forget. . . Provides a harrowing glimpse into a period of America that history books have tended to neglect.” (Free Lance-Star)

“A well-written literary novel. . . . I could picture the events happening as if I were watching a movie. . . . [Lautner] has shown the land and people of early 19th-century pioneer America with historical accuracy. It will probably be on my list of the top 10 books I’ve read this year.” (Historical Novels Review)

“Tailor-made for the movies (think True Grit). . . . Lautner’s swiftly moving tale reanimates a forgotten era and location in American history.” (Penthouse Magazine)

“A thrilling, violent, dangerous piece of old-fashioned storytelling, that is also humane and unshowily moving.” (The Times (UK))

"Lautner's is a tale of guns and grit that will remind most readers of Charles Portis' modern classic True Grit, with Henry Stands a stand-in for Rooster Cogburn. None of this is to discount the frontier charm of Road to Reckoning or the appealing voice of its protagonist, Thomas, a worthy successor to Mattie Ross." (Booklist)

“An interesting tale from an unusual era . . . Great stuff. Lautner manages character maturation sans the usual sentiment associated with wide-eyed narration. It’s also a superior historical novel offering an unexpectedly keen window to a dim corner of American history.” (Library Journal)

"Twisty, gripping. . . Robust. . . Wears its meticulous research lightly." (Kirkus Reviews)

“Lautner impresses . . . with a crackling coming-of-age revenge tale set in the lawless wilderness of pre-Civil War Pennsylvania. . . . Thomas recounts these formative events of his youth through the hindsight of adulthood with wisdom that makes him an appealing narrator with a knack for a poetic turn of phrase. The descriptions of the wilderness and cities of 19th century Pennsylvania feel particularly alive and specific. . . . The story is a comforting pleasure with many rewards.” (Publishers Weekly)

“If you love famous westerns like All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy or Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry you must read Robert Lautner’s Road to Reckoning.” (Oxford Royale Academy)

“Lautner’s ear for dialogue and eye for detail [are] so remarkable. . . . We’re indebted to Lautner for a dandy story.” (St. Louis-Post Dispatch)

“Lautner knows how to a turn a phrase, and his novel is a delight to read, to pause and go back, and read again just to feel the flavor of the words as they move forward off the tongue. I am interested in seeing what he writes next.” (The Oklahoman)

"This quiet triumph of a novel, a sad and impeccably nuanced tale set against a finely drawn landscape of early pioneer America, left me just amazed and delighted; it will surely establish Robert Lautner as a storyteller of the first order." (Simon Winchester, author of The Men Who United the States and The Professor and the Madman)

"Not a single needless word in Road to Reckoning, a beautiful gem of a novel, exquisitely written and swiftly plotted. Featuring an unforgettable character on a hero's journey, it packs an old-fashioned emotional wallop." (Kathleen Grissom, author of The Kitchen House)

"Road to Reckoning is a rare feat of storytelling. Robert Lautner has created something truly wonderful in the character of Thomas Walker—whose steady, strong voice I won't soon forget—and the vivid world he inhabits. This is a literary thriller in the best sense, simultaneously gritty and tender, rousing and lyrical." (Silas House, author of A Parchment of Leaves and Clay's Quilt)

“Remarkable ... A novel about a young man reaching for manhood after the killing of his father and about the invention and selling of Col. Samuel Colt's revolving pistol, and the way it changed the West. Those who love True Grit will love this." (Michael Korda, author of Hero)

"Robert Lautner has written a compelling, poetic page-turner that really impresses with its precision and heart. . . . In Thomas Walker and Henry Stands he has created characters who live in the memory long after the book is closed. In their relationship I read hope, and honor: a boy seeking his father and a man finding the father within him." (Stephen Kelman, author of Pigeon English)

"As simply told tales go, this is one of the best. It shares with its hero a plain eloquence and a determination and a grace rare in the world and in books. Give Road to Reckoning to every man you know and they'll thank you for it.” (Joshua Ferris, author of The Unnamed)

About this edition

• Publisher: The Borough Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0007511302
• ISBN 13: 9780007511303
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240