The Long Ride

by Del Pratt

It's 1865, and a band of renegade deserters left over from the American Civil War abduct newlywed Judith Johansen and head to the wilds of Rupert's Land, soon to become Western Canada. They are about to find out that they have made a huge mistake. Judith is the granddaughter of Moses Munro, a wily old mountain man who survived as a trapper in the Rocky Mountains during the 1820s and '30s. When Moses finds out that Judith has been kidnapped, he-along with his son Captain William Munro (Judith's father) who has just returned home from serving in the Civil War, and his grandson Jimmy (Judith's younger brother)-head out on the trail, hellbent on rescuing her. And no matter how far they need to ride, or what they encounter along the way, they will not stop until they have brought Judith safely back home. "While the main characters in The Long Ride are fictional, the background details in the story are historically Governor William McTavish, the Indigenous tribes, the places, the trails, the forts, even the dilapidated scow of a ferry at Fort Garry! I'm hoping this book will whet the reader's appetite for learning more about this fascinating time in Western Canadian history, while enjoying a rollicking adventure story with plenty of action." - Del

Genres: Westerns

196 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 28, 2023

About the author

Del Pratt is a semi-retired cattle rancher. He and his wife Sheila live on the family ranch that his great-grandfather homesteaded in 1910, northeast of Oyen, Alberta. Along the way, he has trained horses, driven a school bus, spent a winter chaining seismic lines (back before GPS), ran a custom fencing business, and worked as a seed specialist for a forage seed company - all to raise a family, and support his ranching habit.

Reviews

[Lisa Horsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author hoped this book would inspire curiosity about Western Canadian history when it was known as Rupert’s Land, and it did just that. The story centers around a fictional family where outlaws kidnap a young wife and almost kill her husband. Her grandfather, father and brother set out to bring her home. The grandfather known as Moses is quite a character, and the brother Jimmy gains much experience on the trail. The weapons, native tribes, political events occurring shortly after the Civil War were all very well researched. The story was predictable, but very exciting nonetheless.

I learned a lot; Little Crow’s broken treaty, “seeing the elephant”, Hudson Bay Company, a brigade of carts, Metis people, pemmican, the Carlton Trail, kepi hats, camping on the east side of water in case of prairie fire spread by prevailing westerlies, carts caught in a buffalo herd taking two days to work to the edge of the herd, Rocky Mountain House, Bay Co vaccinated thousands of Creed, Ojibway and Metis; shining times; weaving baskets to collect chokecherries to prevent scurvy.

“You shoot and move off to one side. Shoot and move. Always move after you shoot.” Advice to Jimmy from Moses. After their first shootout, Moses asks Jimmy.”How long do you think the shooting lasted?” “I don’t know. Half an hour or more, I reckon?” “About five minutes,” Moses answered. Gaining experience.

“Anyone who tells you that a shoulder wound is not serious doesn’t know what they’re talking about.” The movies sure make that look like no big deal!

[Stacy Blomquist · Rating 1 out of 5]

Save your money and watch John Wayne in the Searchers instead. Set in Western Canada, the setting offers lots of historically accurate details about the forts, trails and weapons of the time period, but that's the only plus I found in this novel. The narrator is Jimmy Munro, the youngest of the 3 family members who set out to recover the kidnapped newlywed, Judith Johansen. The characters are flat, lacking any personality. The criminals are truly evil, yet Judith never suffers the "fate worse than death" despite being in their clutches for over a month and a half. The writing is stilted, with more telling than showing.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters were gripping. I cared what happened to them. The story was moving. I wanted to know what happened from start to finish. The story mattered because I cared about the characters. It became a gripping saga of adventure in my head, and it was hard to put down. One of those stories that you binge read because it is so good.

[Bart R. Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Read

The Long Ride is an excellent historical western placed in the heart of the emerging west. Detailed research has gone onto this novel as you explore along the Carlton Trail, Fort Ellice,Qu’ Appelle and the Assiniboine.

[Barb Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed

I enjoyed this book. Liked how many things went in-depth about, I like that. The Mountain men of years gone by were tough old birds! They lived by an unwritten code of honor.

[Lindsey Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy read. Really cute story. A heavy focus on the type of weapon used, which is more descriptive than I normally read. Would highly recommend for someone looking for an interesting western.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

175 pages. Not a lot of depth. But a fun tale that takes immerses you into 1860’s US/Canadian west.

I would give it 5 stars on its own merits, but can’t give such a short story more than 3.