In the Heart of the Rockies

by G.A. Henty

Determined to improve his struggling family's financial situation, sixteen-year-old Tom Wade leaves England in 1860 and sets out for the untamed wilderness of the American Far West. Arriving in the small western outpost of Denver, Colorado to mine for gold, he soon encounters Native American warriors, takes part in big-game hunts, and learns how to survive a mountain winter with nothing but resourcefulness and perseverance.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Fiction, Westerns, Classics

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1895

About the author

George Alfred Henty, better known as G.A. Henty, began his storytelling career with his own children. After dinner, he would spend and hour or two in telling them a story that would continue the next day. Some stories took weeks! A friend was present one day and watched the spell-bound reaction of his children suggesting Henty write down his stories so others could enjoy them. He did. Henty wrote approximately 144 books in addition to stories for magazines and was known as "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian." One of Mr. Henty's secretaries reported that he would quickly pace back and forth in his study dictating stories as fast as the secretary could record them.

Henty's stories revolve around fictional boy heroes during fascinating periods of history. His heroes are diligent, intelligent, and dedicated to their country and cause in the face, at times, of great peril... Henty's heroes fight wars, sail the seas, discover land, conquer evil empires, prospect for gold, and a host of other exciting adventures. Along the way, they meet famous personages... In short, Henty's heroes live through tumultuous historic eras meeting leaders of that time. Understanding the culture of the time period becomes second nature as well as comparing/contrasting the society of various cultures.

Reviews

[Riki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, though Henty is more than a little inconsistent on the issue of race. I was taken aback by the fact that he could create a narrative in which there was such a close bond between Straight Harry (a white) and Chief Leaping Horse (a "good" Indian), and simultaneously make offensively racist remarks about Indians who were considered "bad." The latter category consisted of individuals and tribes who chose not to cater to white interests.

Oh well, Henty died in 1902, and was very much a product of 19th century thinking

[Angie Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhhh... Henty's a bit off-brand in this one, and it shows. As much as I can grin over and mentally catalog all the usual Henty tropes, I really felt the lack of them here. To start with, the story only nominally belongs to Tom, as very few of the actions, decisions, or even ideas are in any way attributable to him, and he's very much an onlooker for most of the story. Which makes complete sense with as little experience as he has in the West by the time anything actually starts to happen, but--it doesn't make for much of a connection with him. Also, until near the end of the book, it felt like the most exciting incidents were things that happened in the stories of one of the various mountain men, which is fine but doesn't contain the same sense of danger or excitement when you know they got out of it somehow since they're sitting here telling the story. The action did definitely pick up in the last part of the book, but by the halfway point, I was honestly pretty bored, which is unusual for me with Henty. Also, aside from a few western cliches and a smattering of dialect, most of the dialogue came out sounding indistinguishable from a stock British character in any of his other books and time periods--to the point where I couldn't even follow the thread of who was speaking in some of the conversations. And the friendships that are usually one of my favorite aspects were almost entirely absent--for the amount of time that this party spent together, we barely got any kind of personal feeling at all. (Except some of the bits between Harry and the chief--really liked those.) Anyway--yeah. Just not on brand and therefore not my favorite. :)

Content--some derogatory names for Indians ("redskins" used in general conversation, "varmints" in anger or disgust, "dogs" for some particularly troublesome bands); some derogatory comments about Indian habits, etc., although also shown in a respectful light at times, and some Indians share in the adventure and are treated with full friendship; violence, including Indian attacks, and deaths; saddle horses slaughtered for other use in a desperate situation

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars & 4/10 hearts. This was an enjoyable, humorous read. Of course, being a western book there’s discrimination against Indians, drinking, smoking, & mentions of gambling & swearing, but overall it’s clean, minus some mild language (e.g., Lord, darned). All this takes of .5 stars. There is a lengthy mention of Mormons. I very much enjoyed the survival aspect, and I really found the humour very funny—which adds .5 stars. And I loved Leaping Horse and Hunting Dog! So overall, I enjoyed this story a lot. 

A Favourite Quote: “‘You don't drink spirits, chief, or I would go and get a bottle from the fort.’
“‘Leaping Horse is not a madman,’ the Indian said scornfully, ‘that he should poison his brain with fire-water.’”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘“Going to camp here?” says he.
“‘“Waal,” I says, “I dunno, as I haven't made up my mind about it. Maybe I shall, maybe I sha'n't.”
“‘“I allow it would be better for you to move on.”
“‘“And I allow,” says I, “it would be better for you to attend to your own affairs.”’”

*review to be updated*

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting and educational read, but not my favorite Henty. I did like the setting in Colorado a couple hundred years ago; Tom joins an uncle and together they strike a rich mine, outwit and escape hostile indians, navigate the Colorado river, make it back alive, and eventually live happily ever after on the proceeds of their mine. Not too much nobility of purpose although the characters were morally upright, as always in Henty's books.

For learning about the discovery and exploration of Colorado, the book is great. But don't expect the drama of "The Lion of St. Mark" or "In Freedom's Cause".

[Malachi Cyr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite Henty's ever. The characters didn't feel flat, and the story was fun and engaging the whole way through. It didn't even pause in the middle of the story to relate the "historical" part of a battle or something, entirely separate from the rest of the story (which is a complaint I usually have with Henty). Also, there was no romantic interest, so it broke out of the typical "find a girl, rescue the girl, marry the girl" pattern of G. A. Henty's writing. The only complaint I have is that the characters, while nominally Christian and very moralistic, have no real relationship with God that effects their lives, which is usually true of Henty books, unfortunately. So, I would recommend it to anyone who likes Historical/Action-Adventure and can read in between the lines to fill in the biblical worldview that is almost there but not quite.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a long tedious read aloud with my 13yo son. I personally didn't think the characters or the story line was all that engaging and though it was interesting to see the the era's blatant biases (especially when discussing the "Mormon Situation" and Native American Indians) I found myself rolling my eyes may times during the book. I have enjoyed others of Henty's books a lot but this one I really could not recommend.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Adventure Story.

I enjoyed this book a good deal. Made me think of when I was reading James F. Cooper. Nothing like a good western with good guys and bad guys.

[ferretpatrol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good Henty, that I enjoyed more than usual. It's more realistic than your average henty, with a very good story.

[Seth Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book more than five stars I would. What a wonderful tale! Full of adventure and very well written. Loved every page!

[Will Harrub · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is certainly one of GA Henty’s most exciting and action packed books that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. While many of Henty’s books delve too far into descriptions of war events and other happenings that can tend to make his books a drag at times, this book does no such thing.

This book offers action-packed chapters and much more dialogue than your average Henty, which adds to the readability in my opinion. It’s 19 chapters of enjoyable stories of Indian attacks, wilderness wanderings, and mining for gold.

The only complaint I can muster is that there’s not a ton of diversity to the story once you get 50% through the book. Multiple Indian attacks and trekking through the Rocky Mountains pretty much sums up the last half of the book. Again, however, the constant action and enjoyable dialogue more than make up for this one flaw and warrants a 4 star rating for this excellent read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked every part of this adventure except the scene in which the prospectors had to kill their horses and use their skins to make canoes. Except for that sadness it would have been a five-star book.

[carl hirschel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read about adventure

I really enjoyed the story. The pacing was on and it kept me interested. Just the thing you need before heading to bed for the night. Not your typical shooter up western but more of an overview of a grand adventure.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I quit reading about 2/3 of the way through. all they did and talked about was getting chased by Indians. no other real plot.

[David Leavitt]

Great book!

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Thought the book was okay but i did like it it had very interesting parts to it and it was fun to read

[Katherine Griessmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to go to Colorado after I read this book.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great adventure masterfully told

Absolutely loved this book, it was simple and almost wholesome in the freedom that was available back in the 1800s.

[Amy Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good adventure book with stories about mining for gold and fights with Indians. Wonderful book for boys.

[Ishtiaque Alam Russel · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many things to know afresh from this book. A great read for me this year. Highly recommend it to mountain man book fans and frontier life book readers.

[Marcy W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about Colorado. First half was hard to read but then became faster.