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Titus Bass #6
One-Eyed Dream: A Novel
One-Eyed Dream is the final volume in Terry C. Johnston's exciting trilogy of the rugged trappers and mountain men, Indian fighters, and hardy pioneers who battled for the future of this land--and won.
High in the Rockies lay the Bayou Salade, a lush beaver-rich valley so untouched that the few white men who had seen it called it paradise. But for Scratch Bass, his young partner Josiah Paddock, and the two Indian women they loved, this paradise would open up a hell of violence. Pursued by a vengeful Arapaho raiding party, Scratch will lead his small band through a flurry of arrows all the way to Taos itself. Yet the trail of blood will not end there. For in St. Louis an old enemy waits, and the time is ripe for Scratch to settle a ten-year score. Through the desert known as the Journey of Death to the rough-and-tumble town of St. Louis, Scratch and Josiah will defy the wilderness to bury the past--and a blackhearted killer--once and for all.
High in the Rockies lay the Bayou Salade, a lush beaver-rich valley so untouched that the few white men who had seen it called it paradise. But for Scratch Bass, his young partner Josiah Paddock, and the two Indian women they loved, this paradise would open up a hell of violence. Pursued by a vengeful Arapaho raiding party, Scratch will lead his small band through a flurry of arrows all the way to Taos itself. Yet the trail of blood will not end there. For in St. Louis an old enemy waits, and the time is ripe for Scratch to settle a ten-year score. Through the desert known as the Journey of Death to the rough-and-tumble town of St. Louis, Scratch and Josiah will defy the wilderness to bury the past--and a blackhearted killer--once and for all.
592 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
3 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Terry C. Johnston
77 books102 followers Terry C. Johnston was born January 1, 1947 in Arkansas City, Kansas.
Nineteen publishers rejected Johnston's first novel, Carry the Wind, before it was printed in 1982. However, this first novel was to gain the honor of receiving the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer's Award for best first fiction. Johnston is known for his eye for historical detail, and he is a stickler for accuracy. He is known for traveling and exploring down known and unknown dusty roads during the hot summer months, and traversing slippery, muddy roads and hiking through snow to stand upon a historical sight that he would tell his readers in an upcoming book. "Parking in the lower lot, I trudged up the hill to reach the spot where Colonel John Gibbon's infantry waited out the last hours before their attack on the unsuspecting camp. Standing there in the icy snowstorm I was totally overwhelmed by the sight of those skeletal cones of lodgepoles standing stark against the low, gray sky . . ." Some of the sites that he would stand upon were known to the world like the Little Big Horn Battlefield and others would be obscure to the average reader like the Weippe Prairie north of Lochsa. He is known to combine "a roaring good tale with fascinating insights into the lives and times of his principal characters, generally managing to employ his extensive knowledge to enhance a story rather than intrude upon it" (Whitehead, 1991). Johnston would say that he considered himself "not a literary writer but a storyteller." His desire was to reach and teach thousands if not millions of readers about the early western frontier.
He accomplished part of this goal, not only through his books, but through discussions given to elementary children, lectures at symposiums, and historical one-week tours "during which you will re-live the grit and blood, the tears and tragedy of the great Indian Wars." He would blend historical fact with human emotion to re-create the past during his historical tours each summer. One presentation he gave to a fourth grade class was about the Plains Indian culture. He held a discussion with a Honors English class in Castle Rock middle school about "research, writing, and editing that goes into producing two historical novels each year, when compared to their "term papers." He gave keynote speeches at seminars and lectures at symposiums. He traveled all around Montana to sign books for fans, and he signed the books at the local Albertson's in each town. He held radio interviews that "took me into cities, talking before audiences, I never would have managed to reach otherwise."
Nineteen publishers rejected Johnston's first novel, Carry the Wind, before it was printed in 1982. However, this first novel was to gain the honor of receiving the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer's Award for best first fiction. Johnston is known for his eye for historical detail, and he is a stickler for accuracy. He is known for traveling and exploring down known and unknown dusty roads during the hot summer months, and traversing slippery, muddy roads and hiking through snow to stand upon a historical sight that he would tell his readers in an upcoming book. "Parking in the lower lot, I trudged up the hill to reach the spot where Colonel John Gibbon's infantry waited out the last hours before their attack on the unsuspecting camp. Standing there in the icy snowstorm I was totally overwhelmed by the sight of those skeletal cones of lodgepoles standing stark against the low, gray sky . . ." Some of the sites that he would stand upon were known to the world like the Little Big Horn Battlefield and others would be obscure to the average reader like the Weippe Prairie north of Lochsa. He is known to combine "a roaring good tale with fascinating insights into the lives and times of his principal characters, generally managing to employ his extensive knowledge to enhance a story rather than intrude upon it" (Whitehead, 1991). Johnston would say that he considered himself "not a literary writer but a storyteller." His desire was to reach and teach thousands if not millions of readers about the early western frontier.
He accomplished part of this goal, not only through his books, but through discussions given to elementary children, lectures at symposiums, and historical one-week tours "during which you will re-live the grit and blood, the tears and tragedy of the great Indian Wars." He would blend historical fact with human emotion to re-create the past during his historical tours each summer. One presentation he gave to a fourth grade class was about the Plains Indian culture. He held a discussion with a Honors English class in Castle Rock middle school about "research, writing, and editing that goes into producing two historical novels each year, when compared to their "term papers." He gave keynote speeches at seminars and lectures at symposiums. He traveled all around Montana to sign books for fans, and he signed the books at the local Albertson's in each town. He held radio interviews that "took me into cities, talking before audiences, I never would have managed to reach otherwise."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 18, 2022
All three of the books of the Titus Bass series listed below are free for Audible-UK-Plus members.
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Alex Boyles narrates all the audiobooks and does it very well. He varies his tone to match the character speaking and the events occurring. His speech is clear, and he intones well the dialects of the Americans of widely varied backgrounds whom we meet. He doesn’t overdramatize. Violent episodes are listenable. Four stars for the narration.
If you put a songbird in a cage, might it not stop singing? Some individuals are best left free to wander the land. This is a hint concerning one of the central themes of the book.
Another theme relates to the necessity of resolving problems that have arisen in the past. Problems do not die of themselves. They must be confronted. They must be worked through. Ignoring problems allows them to fester and grow.
As with the other books in the series, there is much information concerning Native Americans and those who first explored and then “civilized” the American West. The Rockies and more specifically the Bayou Salade Valley, as well as Taos and St. Louis, are the places where the story plays out and about which the reader learns. The telling is rich in historical detail.
There is much violence. This is realistic but not to my taste.
In this story, knots are untangled. It is quite plot oriented. I am more focused on character portrayal, but by the time we get to this book in the series we already know who the characters are. With its focus upon plot, this book pleased me less than the first two. Also, I was sick and tired of the violence. Or maybe I was just getting bored. Series are rarely my cup of tea.
In real life not all problems are solved. In real life, contentious issues remain hanging. I don’t need stories to be tied up so neatly as this is.
I think I have made clear why I have given this book fewer stars. Perhaps you will react differently than I have.
*******************
*Carry the Wind 4 stars
*Borderlords 4 stars
*One-Eyed Dream 3 stars
*******************
*Carry the Wind 4 stars
*Borderlords 4 stars
*One-Eyed Dream 3 stars
***********************
Alex Boyles narrates all the audiobooks and does it very well. He varies his tone to match the character speaking and the events occurring. His speech is clear, and he intones well the dialects of the Americans of widely varied backgrounds whom we meet. He doesn’t overdramatize. Violent episodes are listenable. Four stars for the narration.
If you put a songbird in a cage, might it not stop singing? Some individuals are best left free to wander the land. This is a hint concerning one of the central themes of the book.
Another theme relates to the necessity of resolving problems that have arisen in the past. Problems do not die of themselves. They must be confronted. They must be worked through. Ignoring problems allows them to fester and grow.
As with the other books in the series, there is much information concerning Native Americans and those who first explored and then “civilized” the American West. The Rockies and more specifically the Bayou Salade Valley, as well as Taos and St. Louis, are the places where the story plays out and about which the reader learns. The telling is rich in historical detail.
There is much violence. This is realistic but not to my taste.
In this story, knots are untangled. It is quite plot oriented. I am more focused on character portrayal, but by the time we get to this book in the series we already know who the characters are. With its focus upon plot, this book pleased me less than the first two. Also, I was sick and tired of the violence. Or maybe I was just getting bored. Series are rarely my cup of tea.
In real life not all problems are solved. In real life, contentious issues remain hanging. I don’t need stories to be tied up so neatly as this is.
I think I have made clear why I have given this book fewer stars. Perhaps you will react differently than I have.
*******************
*Carry the Wind 4 stars
*Borderlords 4 stars
*One-Eyed Dream 3 stars
*******************
*Carry the Wind 4 stars
*Borderlords 4 stars
*One-Eyed Dream 3 stars
November 10, 2025
I've finished the last book in the original trilogy, aka the 6th book of the series. I have to take a break from Titus Bass. Johnston's sentence structure is wearing on me. Sentence structure that is repeated ad nauseum. Sentence structure like this. I also found the sentimentality of this book kinda forced and unbelievable.
March 30, 2022
Our intrepid mountain men with families make their way to Bayou Salade, a beautiful valley of bounty and beaver. It is here that Scratch wanted to make a home, make babies, and enjoy life. Of course, such fairy tale dreams rarely come true. They spent the winter in Taos, planning to return to Salade in the spring. The resurfacing of an old offense causes Scratch to travel to St. Louis to right the wrong. Of course, Josiah would go with him, ha also had an issue to resolve in St. Louis. The crossing of the Jornada nearly doing them in. I believe that would be the “Jornada del Muerto” desert, i.e. Journey of the Dead Man, a wholly inhospitable place that takes about a week to cross. St. Louis is a dangerous place and full of surprises. Additional information sends Scratch to Bentfort. From Bentfort back to Taos where the journey will end for now. I enjoy this series, the characters, and the story. It’s a shame Audible is missing so much of the series. I’d like to follow more of Titus Bass and experience more of a time that will never be again.
January 7, 2016
I think that I like this 3rd book of the trilogy best of all. I was so involved with the characters that I could hardly put it down. The author describes an surprising amount of human emotions thru his characters. Love, sex, brotherhood, partnership, and revenge are woven amongst the trappers lives. Its just a great story.
January 21, 2022
Meticulously researched, historically accurate, and beautifully written, One-Eyed Dream is a window into the past. The book uses historically correct period vernacular language that unfortunately includes liberal use of the N-word. While correct from a historical vernacular view, it is definitely off-putting to the modern reader.
January 30, 2024
I’d call this series the gifts that keep on giving.
Even after six volumes (out of nine) the action and adventure haven’t grown tiresome.
I’m still right there in the thick of the action with the characters, the way a good historical fiction book ought to
make you feel.
5/5.
Even after six volumes (out of nine) the action and adventure haven’t grown tiresome.
I’m still right there in the thick of the action with the characters, the way a good historical fiction book ought to
make you feel.
5/5.
October 26, 2019
Interesting bits of history. Got to be a little unbelievable with how the hero beats the odds. Second in trilogy was better.
August 4, 2022
Love the Titus Bass series. Cannot get enough. A little too detailed on describing Titus's life experiences, still makes you want to keep turning the pages.
June 30, 2013
I debated 3 or 4, but it is well written and well told. I think that out-weighs the parts I didn't like.
June 20, 2014
a good western read
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews