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The Last Mountain Man #1
The Last Mountain Man
From his Missouri farm, the boy travels west. In his heart is vengeance. In his hand is a Navy Colt. By his side is the old mountain man named Preacher, who'll teach young Smoke Jensen everything he needs to know about fighting like the devil, and--when the time comes--dying like a man. Although his enemies have destroyed everything he's ever loved, they made one mistake.
205 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
William W. Johnstone
926 books1,217 followersWilliam W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling Western writer in America and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over 50 million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the Greatest Western writer of the 21st Century." Visit him online at WilliamJohnstone.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
July 1, 2007
Over the past four months I have been reading the Mountain Man series by William W. Johnstone. They are a throwback to the old west and come complete with rugged turrain, outlaws, Indians, and heroes. I enjoyed these books for the simple reason that I feel transported back to a simpler time when right was right, wrong was wrong, and there wasn't nearly so much gray. The reader gets to learn alot about what it was like for the men and women who broke open the territory but especially we get to cheer on an old fashioned hero or two. You will enjoy this trip back to the mid 1800's and you'll willingly cheer for the good guys who are interesting and funny characters, and hate the villains. Enjoy!
April 13, 2017
This book read like an old western dime novel. I think it carried every cheesy cliche imaginable. For some, I suppose this might be entertaining. It certainly is an action packed adventure with plenty of shootem up scenes. I just couldn't take it seriously. If not for a couple of mild sex scenes I would say this was a YA novel. This would have been enjoyable when I was a youngster but nowadays I think I'm much more of a Cormack McCarthy western guy.
September 6, 2021
Hum… I’m a little confused - The cover and name of this book is the exact audio edition I listened to, but the book description details are different. I wonder if Audio edition is different from the printed page??….I don’t know….This Title and Edition pictured, features Smoke Jensen (not Preacher) that finds, raises, and teaches a young orphan boy named Matt, the ways of the true Mountain Man. (Of course it was Preacher who taught Smoke Jensen the ways of a mountain man as a boy and the book mentions that).
This starts out with the most savage and vicious of outlaws robbing and killing Matt’s family leaving him for dead when he was 9 yrs old. He spent 3 yrs in an abusive orphanage before he was able to run away and escape. Smoke Jensen found the boy in the mountains nearly frozen and starved to death, whereby Smoke, nursed him to health, and taught him life’s important lessons, and the ways of the Mountain Man. Those lessons included how to shoot, pan for gold, how to handle revenge, and get justice. Matt didn’t know it at the time, but all those lessons under Smoke’s guidance, would lead him to be a legend in his own right. The time has come for Matt’s independence as he turns into a man. Before Matt leaves at the age of 18, he asks Smoke Jensen for a very special favor…. and the legend continues.
5 Stars (This audio was narrated by Jack Garrett. Personal preference: I would have enjoyed even if having been narrated by J. Rodney Turner)
This starts out with the most savage and vicious of outlaws robbing and killing Matt’s family leaving him for dead when he was 9 yrs old. He spent 3 yrs in an abusive orphanage before he was able to run away and escape. Smoke Jensen found the boy in the mountains nearly frozen and starved to death, whereby Smoke, nursed him to health, and taught him life’s important lessons, and the ways of the Mountain Man. Those lessons included how to shoot, pan for gold, how to handle revenge, and get justice. Matt didn’t know it at the time, but all those lessons under Smoke’s guidance, would lead him to be a legend in his own right. The time has come for Matt’s independence as he turns into a man. Before Matt leaves at the age of 18, he asks Smoke Jensen for a very special favor…. and the legend continues.
5 Stars (This audio was narrated by Jack Garrett. Personal preference: I would have enjoyed even if having been narrated by J. Rodney Turner)
January 3, 2013
I'm hooked. This rolls off the blocks at a steady speed and then charges to the end...which is more of a beginning as this series is still coming out after this initial book from 1984. Johnstone does an excellent job of portraying the area and time of the mid-west and west in the late 1800s. The characters are well drawn to the point of leaving you wanting more and thus wanting to buy more of the series. I will purchase more and I'm not even a fan of the western genre.
As I read, it struck me how the current PC generation would be offended by some in the book. The thing is that what happens in this book happens to us today, we just let it go, expect others (government) to protect us than actually attacking the problems. Johnstone in 1984 reflected how much of humanity has solved problems during the late 1800s and throughout the history of man. Most countries still solve such troubles the same way today.
Interesting to me are a few recent reviews of the book have that PC tinge. The idea that good and bad guys are old fashioned is a recent viewpoint by fellow Americans and certainly a new idea in the history of mankind. Johnstone's book brings one back to reality and that's something many Americans could use a good dose of.
As I read, it struck me how the current PC generation would be offended by some in the book. The thing is that what happens in this book happens to us today, we just let it go, expect others (government) to protect us than actually attacking the problems. Johnstone in 1984 reflected how much of humanity has solved problems during the late 1800s and throughout the history of man. Most countries still solve such troubles the same way today.
Interesting to me are a few recent reviews of the book have that PC tinge. The idea that good and bad guys are old fashioned is a recent viewpoint by fellow Americans and certainly a new idea in the history of mankind. Johnstone's book brings one back to reality and that's something many Americans could use a good dose of.
February 8, 2016
Very good western series. The story of Smoke Jensen, trained by the last of the mountain men as a boy. If you like men's adventure and westerns then you will enjoy the series. Recommended
May 3, 2013
Growing up I read almost everything I could get my hands on. From my church library, I read all the Janette Oke Christian historical fiction titles and all of the Louis L'amour books from my public library. I guess Little House on the Prairie and Caddie Woodlawn (one of my Top Ten books ever) prepared me for a life of reading historical fiction.
On the advice of one of our school's maintenance men, I interlibrary loaned this title. Ron said I would love it, and he was right! It's a quick, easy read, and a lot like every Western movie or book you've ever read. But I think that's why this author is a success. Sometimes we read to comfort ourselves. I love knowing that Smoke is going to get revenge. I love that he's the fastest draw in the West. And I love that when he loves a woman, he loves her completely and wholly.
How long has it been since you read a Western? If it's been awhile, try this series.
On the advice of one of our school's maintenance men, I interlibrary loaned this title. Ron said I would love it, and he was right! It's a quick, easy read, and a lot like every Western movie or book you've ever read. But I think that's why this author is a success. Sometimes we read to comfort ourselves. I love knowing that Smoke is going to get revenge. I love that he's the fastest draw in the West. And I love that when he loves a woman, he loves her completely and wholly.
How long has it been since you read a Western? If it's been awhile, try this series.
February 4, 2016
If you like western books, the Mountain Man series is one of the best ever written. Smoke Jensen is the fastest gun in the west, and the last of a dying breed of men forged from the harshness of the mountains in the American west. Great series, that led to multiple other spin-off series from characters introduced within this series, such as Preacher the First Mountain Man, Matt Jensen the Last Mountain Man and Blood Bond
June 30, 2024
Mr. Johnson writes great Western sagas.
This story begins with a father and son traveling west to find some outlaws who were in the Civil War with him.
They killed a fellow soldier, stole gold, and deserted the Army.
The boy was left with an old mountain man to raise and teach the mountain ways of doing things.
The father dies while away, and the old mountain man keeps the boy.
The boy has a natural talent for handling a handgun. He is a dead-eye shot with no remorse. And the stories about him travel fast across the West.
He takes a wife, and they have a child.
While he is away with the mountain man, something terrible happens to his family, and he is hunting for the men who have done the deed—the same men his father was hunting.
It's a great story with adventure, hate, love, and revenge.
This story begins with a father and son traveling west to find some outlaws who were in the Civil War with him.
They killed a fellow soldier, stole gold, and deserted the Army.
The boy was left with an old mountain man to raise and teach the mountain ways of doing things.
The father dies while away, and the old mountain man keeps the boy.
The boy has a natural talent for handling a handgun. He is a dead-eye shot with no remorse. And the stories about him travel fast across the West.
He takes a wife, and they have a child.
While he is away with the mountain man, something terrible happens to his family, and he is hunting for the men who have done the deed—the same men his father was hunting.
It's a great story with adventure, hate, love, and revenge.
June 26, 2021
An awesome western! I usually don't read westerns but after reading tons of UF and PNR I needed the change. Set in mid 1800s, it's full of action and lively characters. The setting is beautiful, rugged and unyielding as are the characters. Violent and tragic, this book introduces Kirby Jensen, who will become the legend known as Smoke Jensen, and his early years with Preacher, the last of the mountain man.
April 10, 2015
I don't usually read books in the western genre but really enjoyed this one. Especially enjoyed the characters Preacher and Smoke Jensen. As a 16 year old boy, Kirby Jensen who will eventually be called Smoke, is taken into the West after his father returns to their Missouri farm at the end of the Civil War. Kirby's father is set upon revenging the death of his older son Luke and goes west on the track of his son's killers. They meet up with an old legendary mountain man named Preacher and Kirby's father leaves him with Preacher to train in the ways of the wild. The rest of the book goes on to describe how Kirby earns the nickname of Smoke and goes out to become a legendary person in the West known for his lightning fast gun draw. Johnstone has masterfully created a portrayal of the way of life of the mountain men and traders who preceding settlers moving into the West. His character development was fascinating to me. Although I am not a big fan of shooting and killing, of which there is plenty in this novel, that part of the novel seemed secondary to the characters and life they represented in history.
January 11, 2010
Definately a book for a specific type of individual. Lots of shoot 'em up action with a heavy dose of the revenge motif. The book seems historically accurate and presents a balanced view of the opening of the west and the tragic fates of the many peoples that populated the pre-contact west. Although the book is Euro-centric the it makes no excuses for the white settlers/soldiers actions towards the natives and each other.
November 1, 2018
As always a great read from the Johnstone's. I love these books on Smoke, you always get an awesome read. Once you start reading you do not want to lay these books down. So I suggest you do not start one of these books close to bedtime. I look forward to these books, thank you William and Jo Johnston for an awesome read.
July 16, 2010
Smoke Jensen learns to be a mountain man and a gunfighter. He gets revenge on those who have wronged him.
Warning graphic violence and rape.
Warning graphic violence and rape.
April 23, 2023
I was in the mood for a western after watching some old John Wayne movies. This was a lot better than I expected. Although it was short, I found myself invested and I plan to continue with the series. It does start a little slow, but picks up quickly after about 20% in. I imagine the next installments will be even faster paced since this first novel needed to build up the characters and backstory. Also, this book is dark. I think trigger warnings are spoilers, but I will give a general warning that there are some gruesome scenes.
January 13, 2022
The same revenge plot that Johnstone would rehash endlessly. But if you read Johnstone you're probably not looking for originality, you're looking for violent, pulpy, gunslinging action and you will certainly find it here.
March 8, 2022
A bittersweet beginning to this series. Lots of good snarky dialogue. Witnessing a boy become a man. Lots of bullets flying, ending the lives of some very bad men.
May 19, 2022
This was a hoot! Loved it! Looking forward to the other 49 books in the series!
January 9, 2023
Outstanding western. I really liked the narrator Jack Fox. He did awesome job narrating this western. Over all great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2014
The first Western novel I may have ever read did not disappoint at all, and was exciting with every turn of the page. I originally wanted to read William W. Johnstone's "A Lone Star Christmas" right around Christmas, but got sidetracked and never got a chance to. It worked out better for me to read the first in the Matt Jensen series, which introduces Smoke Jensen's protege in dramatic fashion, which I assume a Christmas story would not have done as effectively.
This is not the most-unpredictable book ever written, but that's not why you would elect to pick it up in the first place. The book does a great job of establishing those basic Western tenets of honor and justice above all else. The two themes constantly arise from the biggest gunfights (and, there are a lot of impressive gunfights!) to the smallest moments between Matt and the people he meets, most notably, with the women in this story.
Naturally, you almost cannot have a great Western tale without a third tenet, of sorts, that being revenge. Matt has a reason to live, and Smoke gives him the tools to seek out that reason. The setup between good and evil is also written really well, because the villains are not just buffoons essentially waiting to get shot; they are cunning and desperate and you aren't ever entirely sure how they are going to react. The element of the unknown in that respect added a lot to Matt's journey, I thought.
Looking forward to reading another Western novel soon. Perhaps it will be the next book in the series. I loved the simplicity of the setting, where technology is not a giant crutch in advancing the story. In a Western, you have your voice, your word, your gun, a few dollars, a horse, and your mission. That's about it. And that's all you really need to tell a good story.
This is not the most-unpredictable book ever written, but that's not why you would elect to pick it up in the first place. The book does a great job of establishing those basic Western tenets of honor and justice above all else. The two themes constantly arise from the biggest gunfights (and, there are a lot of impressive gunfights!) to the smallest moments between Matt and the people he meets, most notably, with the women in this story.
Naturally, you almost cannot have a great Western tale without a third tenet, of sorts, that being revenge. Matt has a reason to live, and Smoke gives him the tools to seek out that reason. The setup between good and evil is also written really well, because the villains are not just buffoons essentially waiting to get shot; they are cunning and desperate and you aren't ever entirely sure how they are going to react. The element of the unknown in that respect added a lot to Matt's journey, I thought.
Looking forward to reading another Western novel soon. Perhaps it will be the next book in the series. I loved the simplicity of the setting, where technology is not a giant crutch in advancing the story. In a Western, you have your voice, your word, your gun, a few dollars, a horse, and your mission. That's about it. And that's all you really need to tell a good story.
January 9, 2019
Someone recommended so I gave it a try... typical western novel characters, old grizzly mountain man- tall, good looking main character with a cold glint in his eye- against every two bit low down good fer nuthin “hand gun” west of the Mississippi. Basically everyone in the book dies in a violent manner ( but of course they had it comin) only giving it one star cause it did hold my attention enough that I wanted to see how it ended
November 20, 2011
Your typical western book. Gunfights, horses, Indians, and the wild wild west. The book starts rather slow, but builds throughout and finishes with some good action. Overall the storyline and character development is rather weak. Its worth the read, but not a book I'd ever read again.
September 17, 2014
I love William Johnstone books
May 4, 2020
THIS IS A REVIEW OF GRAPHIC AUDIO'S VERSION OF THE BOOK, not the book itself. I wish Goodreads was set up to distinguish better between the two. I think I would have enjoyed a "read by author" version of this book. So here are the problems:
First, people who try to claim the Civil War wasn't about slavery annoy the living crap out of me. I once listened to a 3 hour NPR program about the Civil War hoping to fill out my knowledge on the subject. Instead I was repeatedly told that the Civil War wasn't about slavery. In response I googled the actual succession documents of the Confederate States and read Mississippi's. Essentially every sentence of that document was about Mississippian's right to own slaves.
This is relevant because the book starts with the end of the Civil War and the return of the MC's father from fighting for the Confederacy. Therefore the author spends a fair amount of time telling the reader things like "the family never owned slaves but the father still fought in the Civil War for a way of life". I have no doubt people rationalized their actions in that manner but it is completely dishonest.
Still, this is only a background issue. The real reason I couldn't enjoy this book is Graphic Audio. As has been the case with pretty much every Graphic Audio production I've ever listened they once again play sound effects over the narration, occasionally making those sound effect louder than the words. NOTE TO GRAPHIC AUDIO: BOOKS ARE WORDS! IF I CAN'T HEAR THE WORDS BECAUSE YOU ARE MIMICKING AN ATTACK BY NATIVE AMERICANS YOU HAVE FAILED TO DO AN EVEN MARGINALLY DECENT JOB.
Additionally, the performers read everything as if it is a high octane action sequence. Since I actually listened to the words I am confident that part of what the author sought to convey was the long periods of drudgery that would suddenly be punctuated by an attack or other dangerous aspect of mountain man life. Graphic Audio seemed to believe they were reading a Fast & Furious script where horses replaced cars.
Bottom line: Almost certainly this is the worst possible version of an otherwise good book.
First, people who try to claim the Civil War wasn't about slavery annoy the living crap out of me. I once listened to a 3 hour NPR program about the Civil War hoping to fill out my knowledge on the subject. Instead I was repeatedly told that the Civil War wasn't about slavery. In response I googled the actual succession documents of the Confederate States and read Mississippi's. Essentially every sentence of that document was about Mississippian's right to own slaves.
This is relevant because the book starts with the end of the Civil War and the return of the MC's father from fighting for the Confederacy. Therefore the author spends a fair amount of time telling the reader things like "the family never owned slaves but the father still fought in the Civil War for a way of life". I have no doubt people rationalized their actions in that manner but it is completely dishonest.
Still, this is only a background issue. The real reason I couldn't enjoy this book is Graphic Audio. As has been the case with pretty much every Graphic Audio production I've ever listened they once again play sound effects over the narration, occasionally making those sound effect louder than the words. NOTE TO GRAPHIC AUDIO: BOOKS ARE WORDS! IF I CAN'T HEAR THE WORDS BECAUSE YOU ARE MIMICKING AN ATTACK BY NATIVE AMERICANS YOU HAVE FAILED TO DO AN EVEN MARGINALLY DECENT JOB.
Additionally, the performers read everything as if it is a high octane action sequence. Since I actually listened to the words I am confident that part of what the author sought to convey was the long periods of drudgery that would suddenly be punctuated by an attack or other dangerous aspect of mountain man life. Graphic Audio seemed to believe they were reading a Fast & Furious script where horses replaced cars.
Bottom line: Almost certainly this is the worst possible version of an otherwise good book.
September 7, 2018
THEY MURDERED HIS FAMILY
Preacher has taken his last ride in his beloved mountains, later they find what's left of Preacher and Kirby/Smoke buries him and etched his name on a boulder in the mountains. Nicole gives birth to a man child naming him "Arthur" after Preacher whose birth name was Arthur. Before Preacher took his last ride he told Smoke what he had heard about him. There were bounty hunters and Smoke had a poster on "Wanted Dead or Alive" the bounty was three thousand raised to five thousand. Somehow these bounty hunters found where Smoke and Nicole lived by asking Indians who wouldn't tell them anything, but the whites certainly didn't hold back and were quite willing to give directions to their homestead. Well doggone-It if those vile bounty hunters found Smoke's cabin . Well those men commenced to rapping and they smothered baby Arthur. One of the bounty hunters Canning, who loved raping, just a justified psychopath, cut Nicole's throat and butchered her body by removing one of her breast which he would tan and use it as a pouch for tobacco. The frontier was horrendously horrifying, these men had np perimeters. Evil vile men who had no morals, probably didn't know what the word meant. Life itself was mean less to them, they lived for the moment, but that moment was coming quicker than they can think. Smoke Jensen hunted down those bounty hunters and killed everyone of them. One man he staked to an ant hill and poured honey all over him, the ants did the rest..Now he's heading to Wyoming to settle with three men who murdered his brother and made Smoke an outlaw. DEATH is on his way and no matter how many men are sent by these deserters to kill Smoke and retrieve the gold his father took from them, they'll NEVER know when he's behind them with forty four stuck in their backs..
Life is hard on the frontier, but you have to take car of business and not be afraid to die..like they say "Momma said knock you out."
Preacher has taken his last ride in his beloved mountains, later they find what's left of Preacher and Kirby/Smoke buries him and etched his name on a boulder in the mountains. Nicole gives birth to a man child naming him "Arthur" after Preacher whose birth name was Arthur. Before Preacher took his last ride he told Smoke what he had heard about him. There were bounty hunters and Smoke had a poster on "Wanted Dead or Alive" the bounty was three thousand raised to five thousand. Somehow these bounty hunters found where Smoke and Nicole lived by asking Indians who wouldn't tell them anything, but the whites certainly didn't hold back and were quite willing to give directions to their homestead. Well doggone-It if those vile bounty hunters found Smoke's cabin . Well those men commenced to rapping and they smothered baby Arthur. One of the bounty hunters Canning, who loved raping, just a justified psychopath, cut Nicole's throat and butchered her body by removing one of her breast which he would tan and use it as a pouch for tobacco. The frontier was horrendously horrifying, these men had np perimeters. Evil vile men who had no morals, probably didn't know what the word meant. Life itself was mean less to them, they lived for the moment, but that moment was coming quicker than they can think. Smoke Jensen hunted down those bounty hunters and killed everyone of them. One man he staked to an ant hill and poured honey all over him, the ants did the rest..Now he's heading to Wyoming to settle with three men who murdered his brother and made Smoke an outlaw. DEATH is on his way and no matter how many men are sent by these deserters to kill Smoke and retrieve the gold his father took from them, they'll NEVER know when he's behind them with forty four stuck in their backs..
Life is hard on the frontier, but you have to take car of business and not be afraid to die..like they say "Momma said knock you out."
January 3, 2022
Title: The Last Mountain Man (The Last Mountain Man: Smoke Jensen #1)
Author: William W Johnstone
Pages: 353
Year: 2018
Publisher: Pinnacle
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Kirby “Smoke” Jensen is a man born in turbulent times and a man who faces adversity with tenacity. If you haven’t heard of this character or read any books where he is the main or supporting character, you’re in for a treat. I have read all the Johnstone Christmas stories, The Jensen Brand and others where I learned how a young boy had to grow up quickly to survive.
Here is the first book that starts the trail of Kirby Jensen, learning how to live off the land and tell the difference between friend and foe. Emmett, Kirby’s father, returns after the war between the states to find that his wife is dead, his daughter has left the farm and Kirby has become a man. As the pair head west, they meet a man who is destined to play a major role in Kirby’s life, education, and future. The man they meet is named Preacher and from there the story takes off, with Kirby learning how to defend himself, taking a wife and then going after the men who done him wrong.
I really enjoyed reading about Kirby “Smoke” Jensen and how he came to be known as Smoke as well as who hung the moniker on him. Smoke can be a quiet man, letting others alone as he carves out his own path in life, but he won’t let others get away with taking what isn’t theirs! The novel is action-packed, high-octane thrills and the beginning of the most beloved character in Johnstone country! Grab a copy and enjoy the beginning of the adventures with Smoke, Preacher and others who come along throughout the man’s journey.
Visit the author’s website to learn more at https://williamjohnstonebooks.com
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
Author: William W Johnstone
Pages: 353
Year: 2018
Publisher: Pinnacle
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Kirby “Smoke” Jensen is a man born in turbulent times and a man who faces adversity with tenacity. If you haven’t heard of this character or read any books where he is the main or supporting character, you’re in for a treat. I have read all the Johnstone Christmas stories, The Jensen Brand and others where I learned how a young boy had to grow up quickly to survive.
Here is the first book that starts the trail of Kirby Jensen, learning how to live off the land and tell the difference between friend and foe. Emmett, Kirby’s father, returns after the war between the states to find that his wife is dead, his daughter has left the farm and Kirby has become a man. As the pair head west, they meet a man who is destined to play a major role in Kirby’s life, education, and future. The man they meet is named Preacher and from there the story takes off, with Kirby learning how to defend himself, taking a wife and then going after the men who done him wrong.
I really enjoyed reading about Kirby “Smoke” Jensen and how he came to be known as Smoke as well as who hung the moniker on him. Smoke can be a quiet man, letting others alone as he carves out his own path in life, but he won’t let others get away with taking what isn’t theirs! The novel is action-packed, high-octane thrills and the beginning of the most beloved character in Johnstone country! Grab a copy and enjoy the beginning of the adventures with Smoke, Preacher and others who come along throughout the man’s journey.
Visit the author’s website to learn more at https://williamjohnstonebooks.com
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
September 14, 2020
Kirby Jenson is sixteen years old when his father returns from the Civil War. With his mother and brother dead, his sister running off with some man, there's nothing left in Missouri for the father and son. They head west in search of a new life, though his father has other plans in mind. They run into an old mountain man going under the name Preacher, who vows to teach the boy about living in the Western frontier. Going under a new name, Smoke Jensen has one of the fastest draws in the West and vengeance is on his mind.
Might be wrong to do this but whenever I read a Western, I usually compare it to Louis L'Amour who was author that started my interest in the genre. That means the downsides to this book was language, a mild sex scene and rape scene. Even though I'm an adult, I don't particularly care for books that elaborate on adult scenes. At least these scenes were mild so it's not like The Trailsman series or something like that.
Overall the book was ok, I guess, not sure of what to say. It didn't end happily like most Westerns but the ending is setting up a series that I'm interested in continuing. This is not the first Johnstone book I've read and it was a spinoff series combining his iconic characters. Out of them all, I decided to read Smoke's journey as he was only character I enjoyed because he has a moral compass. He isn't like Preacher who would slept with any woman and pay no mind to the children he left behind. And for that alone makes me like him more as a character.
Might be wrong to do this but whenever I read a Western, I usually compare it to Louis L'Amour who was author that started my interest in the genre. That means the downsides to this book was language, a mild sex scene and rape scene. Even though I'm an adult, I don't particularly care for books that elaborate on adult scenes. At least these scenes were mild so it's not like The Trailsman series or something like that.
Overall the book was ok, I guess, not sure of what to say. It didn't end happily like most Westerns but the ending is setting up a series that I'm interested in continuing. This is not the first Johnstone book I've read and it was a spinoff series combining his iconic characters. Out of them all, I decided to read Smoke's journey as he was only character I enjoyed because he has a moral compass. He isn't like Preacher who would slept with any woman and pay no mind to the children he left behind. And for that alone makes me like him more as a character.
August 9, 2023
This is a dual story of Matt Cavanaugh, a young boy orphaned at nine years old, and the generosity of Smoke Jensen who found and took him in. Matt was constricted to an orphanage for three years until finally escaping. Smoke found him in the middle of winter under an overhang, taking him to his cabin and nursing him to health. Matt told Smoke of his Father, mother, and sister killed by bandits. He managed to escape into the rocks with his father’s rifle killing two of the raiders. After a year with Smoke, Matt decided to head out looking for the men that killed his family. The town was called Gehennah, a robber’s roost with no law. A very good story. I like William W. Johnstone the more I hear from him. His narrator, J. Rodney Turner is excellent. Some of the best westerns I’ve listened to.
November 21, 2019
A dime store Western written in 1984 about a young boy name Kirby who would grow up to become a legendary gunfighter in the Wild West called Smoke. He is trained by an old mountain man named Preacher who is not only helping him learn to survive on his own, but is helping him track down the men responsible for his brother's death in the Civil War.
This series is wildly popular among the old-timers in the library I work at and I've been recommended to read it several times. It's not bad at all, very quick pacing and some excellent action scenes keep you hooked. It's very predictable in some places and some things that are really, really messed up caught me off guard. Good book to waste an afternoon on.
This series is wildly popular among the old-timers in the library I work at and I've been recommended to read it several times. It's not bad at all, very quick pacing and some excellent action scenes keep you hooked. It's very predictable in some places and some things that are really, really messed up caught me off guard. Good book to waste an afternoon on.
December 27, 2017
If you like a bloody shootup in which the outlaws, rapists, robbers and in general "bad guys" get their comeuppance then this is the read for you. Mountain Man "Smoke" Jensen smokes dozens of "bad guys" using any means at his disposal. From hidden pointed sticks and boulders blasted by dynamite, to rifle and revolver fire, this amazing fellow reaps vengeance on men of little worth in the wild days in Western America. Cheered by townsfolk, lawmen and fellow "do-gooders" we have here a tale most resembling the spaghetti Western movies of the 60's and 70's. It is fun to read but not to be take seriously (obviously).
April 19, 2019
the last mountain man is a early western about a young man named Kirby Jenson who leaves his home to travel with his father in search of the men that killed his older brother. as these two travel west, they meet a man called preacher and he helps them with an Indian attack. The young man will be one of the most famous gun slingers in the West with the help of preacher. The story is well written with well developed characters and great descriptions of the scenery and the time and setting. if you like westerns, this is the series for you. first in the series and a great way to spend the afternoon outside on the deck getting lost in the high lonesome with Smoke Jensen.
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