Path of the Sun

A story of the huge brawling expansion of America in the 1880s features such prominent characters as rail magnate James Hill, future president Teddy Roosevelt, and labor pioneer Samuel Gompers

Fresh from the 1880s New York financial arena, and during a Philadelphia visit to his redoubtable grandmother, young Zack Horton is enlisted in the work of visionary railroad baron James Hill, who wants to claim statehood for territories in the West and Northwest. Others recruited by the wily Hill include Zack's boyhood friend Del Cummins, who manages the railroad owned by Zack and his grandmother, and beautiful suffragette and businesswoman Leah Page. The mutual attraction between Leah and Zack grows as they lobby for statehood, moving among historical and fictional characters on a hard, sometimes dangerous campaign trail. Dempsey ( What Law There Was ) has thoroughly researched his novel, which includes some interesting and lesser-known bits of Americana, and the denouement delivers on the heavily foreshadowed romance of Leah and Zack. The book is badly marred, however, by Dempsey's simplistic narrative, wooden style and flat characterizations. ( Dec.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Dempsey, the author of the Westerns What Law There Was (Tor, 1991) and Copper (Tor, 1989), presents a sweeping historical novel about the forging of America's railroad conglomerates in the late 19th century. Zack Horton's Philadelphia family owns the Boynton Dakota Western Railroad. Railroad mogul James Jerome Hill wants to buy Horton's line in order to fulfill his dream of connecting the country by rail through the creation of the Great Northern Railroad. This aspiration is complicated by the struggle for statehood of the Northwest territories and the political climate of the 1880s. Horton, his family history rich in Westward exploration, finds this exciting idea irresistible and decides to ally himself and his railroad with James Hill's vision. Along the way, Horton becomes involved with Leah Page, a supporter of the national suffrage movement and a successful businesswoman whose ambition matches Horton's. Together, they endeavor to make Hill's railroad empire a reality. Sprinkled with cameo appearances by Amos Pillsbury, Benjamin Harrison, and Samuel Gompers, this is an enjoyable but light historical novel suitable for all public libraries.
- Margaret Hanes, Sterling Heights P.L., Mich.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.