Beyond the Rio Gila
A Novel
Published on 22. September 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
394 pages
979-8-9853988-0-9 (ISBN)
Description
Beyond the Rio Gila is, quite simply, a compelling coming-of-age story that brings history to life. It's highly recommended reading that should be in any collection strong in historical novels.
-D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
An epic adventure of hardship and endurance, Beyond the Rio Gila follows Moses Cole, a young Virginia farmboy, who runs away from home to join the First Dragoons and their expedition from Pennsylvania to California during the Mexican-American War. He discovers mentorship under a fellow private, Abner Black, a former professor chased by personal demons. A concurrent journey by Latter-day Saints fleeing religious persecution-the Mormon Battalion, which includes four laundresses, two of whom were pregnant-soldiers through the longest march in U.S. infantry history. Their stories converge in the daunting wilderness of the American southwest, where man was not master of the landscape, and the sanity, courage, and perseverance of each is tested.
Based on events preceding the American Civil War, this literary historical novel places readers in the vast frontiers of the west ablaze with battles over land, religion, and politics.
As an enthusiastic history buff, I was captivated by the retelling of this epic military expedition and its significance in the unfolding formation of the United States.
-Susan Brown, Pacific Book Review
-D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
An epic adventure of hardship and endurance, Beyond the Rio Gila follows Moses Cole, a young Virginia farmboy, who runs away from home to join the First Dragoons and their expedition from Pennsylvania to California during the Mexican-American War. He discovers mentorship under a fellow private, Abner Black, a former professor chased by personal demons. A concurrent journey by Latter-day Saints fleeing religious persecution-the Mormon Battalion, which includes four laundresses, two of whom were pregnant-soldiers through the longest march in U.S. infantry history. Their stories converge in the daunting wilderness of the American southwest, where man was not master of the landscape, and the sanity, courage, and perseverance of each is tested.
Based on events preceding the American Civil War, this literary historical novel places readers in the vast frontiers of the west ablaze with battles over land, religion, and politics.
As an enthusiastic history buff, I was captivated by the retelling of this epic military expedition and its significance in the unfolding formation of the United States.
-Susan Brown, Pacific Book Review
Reviews / Votes
Infused with historical and military detail ... this is a rich story of everyday soldiers.-The Denver Post
This tale of two battalions as they cross the deserts of New Mexico into southern California provides an exciting story of survival. -Historical Novel Society
...a scrupulously researched book...attention to
detail is meticulously thorough... the profusion of factual information
brings...this not-so-widely-known time in history to life. As an enthusiastic history
buff, I was captivated... -Pacific Book Review
A compelling coming-of-age story that brings history to life. It's highly
recommended reading that should be in any collection strong in historical
novels and early Mormon history alike. -Midwest Book Review
With his debut novel, Hibbard stakes a claim in the lineage of adept chroniclers of the American West, such as A.B. Guthrie and Richard S. Wheeler . . . while rising to dazzling heights with unforgettable characters and pulse-quickening drama. -Big Sky Journal
This deeply researched depiction of the U. S. military's longest march, told in evocative prose, brings a little known yet uniquely American story to life. -Montana Historical Society
Scott G. Hibbard offers us an
astonishing, vivid, meticulously researched morality allegory... an elaborate
tapestry made authentic as Hibbard nails period dialogue, inner and spoken that
is consistently and completely credible. I've not appreciated the fights humans
pick in such unforgiving landscapes so thoroughly since Cormac McCarthy's Blood
Meridian. -Tom
Harpole, author of Regarding Willingness
Scott Hibbard...understands the past
is a foreign country and knows the gritty reality of the nineteenth-century
West in his bones. He has a positive genius for plotting and pacing forgotten
but compelling stories inhabited by believable, engaging characters whose charm
and humanity are sure to win your heart. -Will
Bagley, historian and author of The Mormon Rebellion, with David L.
Bigler
Scott
Hibbard's...gorgeous writing puts the reader right there, whether surviving on
mesquite beans, panting through a parched throat across the scorching desert,
or giving birth in primitive conditions. -
Margaret Rodenberg, author of Finding Napoleon: A Novel
Scott's...writing
does what every good writer wishes: It lifts you off the page. -Yvonne J. Seng, author of Men in Black Dresses
Beyond The Rio Gila will transport
you to a time in our history that Scott Hibbard skillfully breathes new life in
to...his compelling characters come alive in a flowing narrative that places you
firmly in each scene. -Mike Torreano, author of The Reckoning, The Renewal, and The Trade
Fine writing and a gripping story...with hardship and
danger you can feel in your teeth. A deeper level touches the courage and
vulnerability of the women... In the tradition of greats like A. B. Guthrie and
James Welch, by an author born and raised a Montana rancher. -Neil McMahon, author of Lone
Creek and Dead Silver
Beyond
the Rio Gila is not just a historical novel; it is classic, a well-crafted
story with sophisticated characters, a smartly written plot, and humor that
sinks its teeth to the very core of the reader. -Five
Star review by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Beyond
the Rio Gila is a highly literate piece of compelling historical fiction... The
exquisite prose...lends an incredibly authentic voice to this intrepid tale... A
wonderful and complex historical recollection. - Five Star review by
Joel R. Dennstedt for Readers' Favorite
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 215 mm
Width: 139 mm
ISBN-13
979-8-9853988-0-9 (9798985398809)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Scott G. Hibbard is a fourth generation Montanan where his family has owned and operated a cattle and sheep ranch for over one-hundred years. Scott attended public school in Helena and received a B.A. in English Literature from Williams College and two graduate degrees, an M.F.A in Creative Writing and an M.B.A., from the University of Montana. He worked for the family ranch for a number of years, and while continuing his involvement with the ranch he provided management and consulting services to other ranches. He lives near Helena, Montana.