Continuing our study of the United States of America, I recently read my sisters, “Captain Bayley’s Heir” by G. A. Henty.

George Alfred Henty was an Englishman who lived from December 8, 1832 – November 16, 1902. He was a married man with children. Mr. Henty was the author of at least 144 books, many of which, if not all, are written to impart real history to the reader. His works include “For the Temple”, “Won by the Sword” and “In the Reign of Terror”. For reasons best known to himself, Mr. Henty chose to use his first initials and his last name for a pen name thus becoming known as “G. A. Henty”.

“Captain Bayley‘s Heir” was first published by Blackie & Son, London in 1889. My mother bought this book for us recently – our first Henty book in material form! Our book was published by Preston/Speed Publications. The “Introduction” assures us that the spelling, grammar and punctuation remain the same as they appeared in the original versions. This book is 22 chapters in length and 302 pages.

“Captain Bayley’s Heir – A Tale of the Gold Fields of California” takes place in the late 1840’s. Frank Norris, a young man living in England, is falsely accused of theft and instead of facing out the charge, is convinced to flee from the country. He goes to the United States, arriving in New Orleans, where amidst many adventures, he follows the gold rush to California. But the weight of the false accusation, still clinging to his name back home and estranging him from his dear Uncle and beloved cousin, hangs heavily on Frank. Will they ever accept him again? Can he ever win back their affection if he were to return to England? Is his cousin Fred, a rival for his Uncle’s favor and fortune, the real thief? Will he ever be able to clear himself?

This book recounts the difficulties of a caravan traveling across the frontier, the dangers of Indian attacks, the uncertainties of mining for gold and the state of towns such as San Francisco and Sacramento during the gold rush. Mr. Henty also includes the process included in mining for gold and the dangers of transporting large portions of it to other areas. Contrary to what some others have said, I found learning about the gold rush to be interesting and though occasionally dull, it was not boring. :)

This book was very informative and enjoyable to read. I would highly recommend it.

To the KING be all the glory!

When my sisters and I finished “Guns of Thunder”, it was not long before we began the second book in Douglas Bond’s Faith and Freedom Trilogy, “Guns of the Lion”.

Douglas Bond is a contemporary author living in Washington State. He lives with his wife and six children. He is a teacher of English and history and his books are the product of extensive research. Besides the Faith and Freedom Series, he is also the author of the Crown and Covenant Series which includes, “Duncan’s War“, “King’s Arrow” and “Rebel’s Keep”.

“Guns of the Lion” was published by P & R Publishing in 2008. The book contains 42 chapters and 255 pages. Besides the story, the book also contains a timeline in the back, that marks the significant events in history at this time. “Guns of the Lion” is part two of the Faith and Freedom Trilogy. Part one is entitled “Guns of Thunder”. Book Three has not yet been published..

“Guns of the Lion” begins with our hero from the first book, Ian M’Kethe, on his way to college with his Indian friend, Watookoog. Grandfather Malcolm gives Ian a letter received from Ian’s cousin, Gavin and tells him to read it on the way … Thus begins the adventure! The majority of the book is the narrative Gavin has sent to his relations. In the letter, we travel back to Scotland and England in a time of war and rebellion. The Glorious Revolution has passed in Britain, some years since. King George the I reigns where the house of Stuart previously sat. An ambitious descendent of the royal family – known as Bonnie Prince Charlie – wants to regain the throne of his fathers. So, gathering around him as many of the Scottish men as he can, Prince Charlie prepares to war against King George. During this time, Gavin, is conscripted against his will, to serve under King George. Caught in a war, he does not thoroughly agree with, Gavin does not know which side to truly support – especially when spying for King George, he is again conscripted against his will … To serve under Bonnie Prince Charlie! To betray one or the other would mean certain death – not only to himself but to those dear to him. Be prepared! This book ends with a cliff hanger!

My sisters and I really enjoyed this book. (Even though it was thoroughly difficult to read 99% of the book – narration included – with a Scottish accent!) Mr. Bond is a talented author and really knows how to captivate the attention of the reader. One of my favorite characters (besides Gavin) was Laurie, a young Englishman who becomes as a brother to Gavin. His wit and apparent cheerfulness, are amusing and refreshing in the more intense portions of the book.

I would highly recommend this book!

To the KING be all the glory!

A few months ago when we received our Vision Forum catalog, my sisters and I were excited to find that Douglas Bond, author of the Crown and Covenant Series that my sisters and I so enjoyed, has written the first two books of a new series called the Faith and Freedom Trilogy. I bought the books in our next order and the day after our “U. S. Meal”, I started reading “Guns of Thunder” by Douglas Bond, out loud to my three sisters. (Joshua is usually there too but I think the only thing he pays attention to is the rhythm of my voice and the idea that if he catches me off guard, he just might be able to snatch the book out of my hand! :)

Douglass Bond is a contemporary author living in Washington State. He lives with his wife and six children. He is a teacher of English and history and his books are the product of extensive research. Besides the Faith and Freedom Series, he is also the author of the Crown and Covenant Series which includes, “Duncan’s War“, “King’s Arrow” and “Rebel’s Keep”.

“Guns of Thunder” was published by P & R Publishing in 2007. The book contains 42 chapters and 255 pages. Besides the story, the book also contains a timeline in the back, that marks the significant events in history at this time. “Guns of Thunder” is part one of the Faith and Freedom Trilogy. Part two is entitled “Guns of the Lion”. Part three, I think and hope, is to be published this year.

“Guns of Thunder” opens in the year 1740. The setting is Wallop, Connecticut. “Gun’s of Thunder” is actually a sequel series to the Crown and Covenant Series. The main character, thirteen year old Ian M’Kethe, is the great-grandson of Duncan, one of the main characters from the first series. In the colonies, rumors of war, between the English and the French, is becoming more prevalent. The rumors say that the French will have American Indians for allies… what will that mean for the colonists? Will the Indians be brutal towards them? When King George’s War is declared, all seems to stay quiet and calm for a season, then the Indians start massacring innocent colonists. The war is coming closer. By the time Ian is eighteen, battles have been fought and blood spilled. Ian’s cousin, Roland is a prisoner of the French in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. Ian decides it is time he went to war, so with the blessing of his grandfather, mother, sister and brother, he goes but… will he be of any use… will he survive… and above all, will he be able to find and rescue Roland…?

My sisters and I really enjoyed “Guns of Thunder”. It is not as intense as the Crown and Covenant Series but it is well written and immensely interesting. Through it all is woven the story of Ian coming to a real relationship with Christ and accepting His covenant for himself, not just living off of his Grandfather’s faith. As with the other series, this book has historical characters such as, Jonathan Edwards, skillfully woven into the story.

I would highly recommend this book!

To the KING be all the glory!

Because of the Christmas season, I decided it would be a good time to reread the Charles Dickens Christmas classic, “A Christmas Carol” to my younger sisters. I read it to them sometime last year and was unprepared for how much they would enjoy it a second time through! They love to watch the movie but I think they like the book even better.

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England on February 7, 1812. He and his wife Catherine, whom he married in 1836, had ten children. His first novel appears to have been “The Pickwick Papers” published in monthly installments in the year 1836. He was a prolific writer and wrote many novels including, “Bleak House”, “A Tale of Two Cities” and “Martin Chuzzlewit”. Besides his novels he also wrote short stories, poetry and plays. He died on June 9, 1870 at the very young age of 58.

“A Christmas Carol” was first published in 1843. It was published by Chapman and Hall less than a week before Christmas. It was titled: “A Christmas Carol in Prose being A Ghost Story of Christmas”. Seems to be a rather interesting way of naming the book but fitting all the same. The book that I read this story from was completely unabridged (I do not like it when books are abridged!) and published by Gramercy books. The copyright is 1982. It is 56 pages in length (more of a short story than a novel).

“A Christmas Carol” is an interesting story about a unpleasant, greedy, old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge, who hates Christmas (and seems to hate just about anything or anyone pleasant about him as well.) On Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, his old business partner now five years deceased. Jacob in turn promises Mr. Scrooge that he will be haunted by three other ghosts, one at a time, namely Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future. Reluctantly, Mr. Scrooge receives them and they start on their mission to teach him a lesson about – himself.

This book was a enjoyable book to read. Mr. Dickens style is very engaging not to mention amusing. Though Mr. Scrooge is so “out of sorts” all the time, you find yourself laughing at his crusty remarks and actions just because of the way they are written!

I would highly recommend this book!

To the KING be all the glory!

Closely following “The Lion of the North“, my sisters and I commenced “Won by the Sword” by G. A. Henty. The reading of both of these books, was part of our study of both France and Germany.

George Alfred Henty was an Englishman who lived from December 8, 1832 – November 16, 1902. He was a married man with children. Mr. Henty was the author of at least 144 books, many of which, if not all, are written to impart real history to the reader. His works include “The Cat of Bubastes”, “Bonnie Prince Charlie” and “The Lion of the North”. For reasons best known to himself, Mr. Henty chose to use his first initials and his last name for a pen name thus becoming known as “G. A. Henty”.

“Won by the Sword” was first published by Blackie & Son, London on June 1, 1899. Thanks to our Pastor’s family, I was able to borrow a printed copy of this book, instead of relying on our Palm. It was published by Preston/Speed in the year 2000. They assure the reader in the “Introduction” that the spelling, grammar and punctuation remain the same as they appeared in the original versions. The book contains twenty one chapters and is 373 pages in length.

“Won by the Sword – A Story of the Thirty Years War”, continues and finishes telling of the war, begun in “The Lion of the North”. The death of Gustavus Adolphus had dealt a severe blow to the protestant side of the war. The Austrian Catholic Emperor Ferdinand, who wanted control more than anything else, was winning. France, though predominately Catholic, realized the dangers that would threaten themselves if the persecuted protestants lost and Ferdinand won, so they decided to assist the former in the war. In the midst of all this, Mr. Henty places a orphan, Scottish lad of fifteen named Hector Campbell. Finding favor with General Turenne because of his vast knowledge of the “art of war”, he employs Hector as his aide-de-camp. In less than four years, Hector rises to the position of Colonel in the French army. Due to his ability to think and act quickly and command his regiment well, he becomes a military hero to many – but not to all. When danger threatens the Cardinal of France, Hector secretly aids him but what will happen if those who caused the danger find it was Hector who thwarted them?

This book was very long and full of the accounts of the battles fought in the latter part of thirty years war. The battles were for the most part, retold in a manner interesting and informative, though if you did not remember the French, Austrian and Italian names of the general’s and colonels  in the opposing armies, you just might become a little confused when their regiment joins and changes the course of the battle!

As a fun side note: I read this book to my sisters as usual giving each character an accent depending on their nationality… I was astonished at how many accents I had to attempt in one book! I used Scottish, French, Italian, German, English and Irish. I confess there were a few times when the Frenchman sounded Scottish and the Italian sounded French because I forgot what accent went to what character!

This book was very informative and enjoyable and I would highly recommend it.

To the KING be all the glory!