The Undaunted : The Miracle of the Hole-in-the-Rock Pioneers

San Juan Pioneers #1

by Gerald N. Lund

The journey was impossible. But they had no other choice. At the call of their prophet, they left well-established farms and businesses to strike out yet again into the untamed wilderness. A small band of men, women, and children formed the 1879 pioneer company. Their mission: stand as a buffer between lawlessness and civilization. Their road: only what they created themselves, blasting out a perilous trail over slick rock and through desolate cliffs. Their hearts: UNDAUNTED When it comes to creating spellbinding historical fiction, nobody does it quite like Gerald N. Lund. In The Undaunted, he transports readers first to the coal mines of Yorkshire, then across the ocean and the plains to the territory of Utah, where, even in 1879, there is pioneering to be done. A little- known and perhaps even less- appreciated chapter in the Church s history comes to life in this gripping story of a stalwart group of Saints called to create a settlement to serve as a buffer between the established communities of Utah and the lawless frontier of the Four Corners area. Their challenge will be enormous but the biggest part of it just may be getting there in the first place. Skillfully interweaving historical figures and events with fictional characters, Gerald Lund takes us through the Hole in the Rock and over miles of uncharted country that even today is impassable without all- terrain vehicles. His account of the adventure, romance, and sacrifices of these undaunted pioneers will resonate with readers who love a good story as well as those who want to better understand the incomparable legacy and unconquerable faith of those valiant Saints.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Lds, Lds Fiction, Religion, Fiction, Historical, Church

804 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Gerald N. Lund received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University. He served for thirty-five years in the Church Educational System, and he served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2002 to 2008. He is a prolific and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction and is best known for his historical novels, including The Work and the Glory series, Fire of the Covenant, The Kingdom and the Crown series, and The Undaunted. He and his late wife, Lynn, are the parents of seven children.

Reviews

[Larene · Rating 2 out of 5]

800+ pages. I was undaunted myself trekking through this book.
The first 500 pages dealt primarily with his fictional characters. I liked the first 200+ pages (which took place in England), but got rather tired of them.
The characters didn't even start traveling to the Four Corners area until 500 pgs into the book. This untold pioneer story was fascinating --in fact I'd give the historical part 4 stars. I think Lund is more of a historian than a novelist.

One thing that was helpful with understanding the terrain traveled was Lund had pictures of that area on his website. Even with his written descriptions, it was hard to visualize the Hole in the Rock and other areas until I saw photos of it online.

If he would have shortened it and dealt just with the actual experience, I would have rated it higher. I also felt it ended rather abruptly: they arrive and it's done. Nothing about why most of the historical figures left or what their life was like once they reached there.

I appreciate Lund though for telling a story that I never would have heard of otherwise.

[Leigh Dethman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved Gerald Lund's way with words. He made the Restoration come to life for me with The Work and the Glory series, and now he's done it again with The Undaunted: The Miracle of the Hole-in-the-Rock Pioneers. Only this time, he made my own family history come alive. My ancestor was one of the four scouts on the Hole in the Rock journey. I can't imagine what these amazing pioneers went through. They thought they'd only be walking for six weeks, and ended up trudging along for six months. I can't even imagine the faith these people had to endure the horrible conditions. Even when it seemed impossible to go further, these pioneers found a way. This book is packed with great examples of faith and courage that we can all use these days.

If you liked The Work and the Glory series, you'll love this book.

[Saraelizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair, I haven't finished this book (although I did peek at the ending to make sure it ended the way I thought it would).
Honestly, I just couldn't do it. I like Gerald Lund as a historian, but not as a storyteller. The fictional characters were great at the beginning, but they got stale about halfway through the 800 pages and I became totally uninterested. And the playful banter-like dialogue was killing me!!! I remember that dialogue getting old in "Work and Glory" too. Anyway, I wish he would've gotten to the history sooner and spent less time on the fictional part.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this book was a solid 5, but the rest vacillated between 2 to 4 stars, so I'm going with an even 3 ... which was really disappointing because the beginning was soooooo good!

Gerald Lund is one of my favorite historical authors. He takes a fictional character/family and places them in real events that feel like they really could have been there. He also has great footnotes at the end of each chapter giving you more detail about what was fact and what was fiction in the chapter. You even get more historical info about certain things in that chapter if you are interested in knowing more. I love historical fiction because I get to learn about history in a more interesting setting, and I love that with Lund's books it is easier to separate out the fact from the fiction.

As I said, the first part of the book (about 200-300 pages?) was amazing. I couldn't put it down and I was upset to know that this was a stand-alone book instead of a series because I loved the detail of the characters and their lives. However, the last half of the book was not so great. It felt too documentary-ish and just put the fictional characters into the historical situation. At this point I started wishing for the book to be about 300 pages shorter (contrasted with the start where I wished for more books to make a series). I lost connection with the situation and the characters. And for the last 150 pages or so, I was skip-reading pretty heavily to look for certain names that I thought would interest me more in the story again.

If you are fan of Gerald Lund, or hard-core into historical fiction then I think it's worth picking this book up. It just wasn't up to par with what I had come to expect from this author, especially after how much I loved the beginning of the story.

[Book2Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gerald N. Lund is a wonderful writer of historical fiction, and his characters are three-dimensional. I guessed right at the outcome of the romantic interest.
I think this could have been two books--the first in England, and the next in the badlands of Utah. It is divided into "books," but 800 pages may be daunting to some. I was captured by the story though, and it took less than 2 weeks to finish the book. The story is somewhat like the Martin Handcart Company's tragic and demanding pioneer trek, although this was better planned. Scouts sent ahead, etc.
I am not sure it was all worth it, although Mr. Lund's end notes seem to say it was necessary in the rough early West. I would have liked some photos of the area if that were possible. Even drawings of what they faced. That would have made it 5 stars.

[Cydnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Goodreads and Deseret Book!! I was so excited when I found out I had won this book. I have enjoyed all of the novels that I have read by Gerald Lund. I have a hard time just reading straight history, but through his fictitional families that same history comes to life. I also appreciate all of the notes at the end of each chapter telling me what is actual truth. I have heard bits of this story over the years, but had never studied it in depth.

I was overcome at times as I read their story, wondering if I would have the strength and faith that these pioneering people showed. To plan on a 12-week journey and have it take 6 months; wondering if your family would have enough to eat; watching your children, loved ones, and even your animal become thin and fatigued by the lack of nourishment; consolidating your worldly possessions into one or two wagon loads; starting a new life in the middle of nowhere [I've been to that corner of Utah, it's pretty bleak:]. I gained even more appreciation for these people as well as for the wonderful blessed lifestyle that I have.

The only thing that sort of 'bothered' me was the occasional inconsistency of dialect. John Draper would 'lose' his Yorkshire accent for an entire sentence; Jens Nielson's Danish accent would come and go. I know that this is picky- but my 'trivia-brain' would start to 'hear' their voice when I knew they were speaking, and it would trip me up when it didn't 'sound' right. [Another reason why my friend and I wnat to become semi-professional proof-readers!:]

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history, romance, pioneer-themes, LDS fiction, or just an all around good read. I believe this novel would be enjoyed by any reader, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Mormons:] or not. It is a great example of a group of people trying to be good Christians, following the directions of their church leaders, and placing their trust - and their lives - in God's hands.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't give 5 stars ONLY because Lund isn't the most artistic of writers. I was never able to get through more than 20 pages of the Work and the Glory, and this is more of the same Lund -- just with the most incredible story that every member of the church should read. I love the footnotes of actual journal entries, etc. The history with the Indians is fascinating and the sacrifices these pioneers made solely out of a desire to obey their leaders and except a calling is astounding. They weren't fleeing persecution to salvage a religion. They willing sacrificed a very comfortable peaceful life for one that was quite the opposite -- not to mention the sacrifice, faith and determination it took to get to their destination over impassable land. There are so many miracles and examples of faith and sheer determination. It's very cool. You will definitely be inspired. BTW, Jim Decker (a character in the book) is a G-Grandfather of mine. =) There is much restoration happening in Bluff, UT and it's becoming a hot spot for tourists. I recommend visiting if you're in the area.

[Kacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this years ago when I was 11 or 12? I don't remember. But I read it to earn an ice cream sundae XD. It was well worth it. It was really good!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may be my least favorite Lund novel. There was no need for 800 pages to tell this story! It would have been more entertaining if it were 300 pages shorter. The history included is fascinating and the real people who participated in were certainly brave and faith-filled and amazing. Reading this in 2022, I struggled with some racist & sexist terms and content - though they would certainly have been real in the context of that time and that place. (I'm referring to the treatment of Native Americans and women in general). I also struggled with the love triangle because it smacked too much of what happened in Lund's previous series The Work and the Glory with Lydia and Nathan and Joshua which was a twist I saw coming from the first scene with Abby and dreaded it, hoping I was wrong. I did like John and David Dickinson Draper (fictional characters) a lot and enjoyed learning a bit (just a bit) about the real people who went on that journey to the San Juan.

I would recommend this book to die-hard Lund fans and those who desperately want to learn about the Hole-in-the-Rock pioneers. If you're just interested in the history, there's probably a shorter nonfiction book that would teach you what you want to know.

[McKay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the true historical facts in this book and the research and time that was put into it, but I was hoping for more about the ordeals and challenges involved in the lives of these remarkable individuals and less about the fictional love stories in the lives of the fictional characters. I understand that this is a historical fiction novel, but I would have enjoyed more facts about the realities of the real people that were the miracle of the Hole-in-the-Rock trail and passage to the San Juan.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off: I'm not a big fan of Gerald Lund's fiction. I know there are lots out there who absolutely loved The Work and The Glory. I just couldn't get into them. I started the first one three times before I finally decided I wasn't going to waste any more effort on the series. (My husband felt the same.) So given that this 800 page behemoth of a book was going to garner a huge investment of my time I started it with some reservations.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The writing wasn't really deep, so it was a very easy read. And as would be expected from Mr. Lund, it was very clean. But, almost from the beginning I kept thinking it could have been a much leaner, tighter book. The whole first section before David and his father came to the United States could have been done in a chapter, still been interesting and set the stage for what followed.

I found myself being a little resentful that the book was so long, and then wondering at myself for feeling that way about a book. I actually enjoyed the annotations at the end of each chapter almost more than the actual text. (Never mind that I had to prop the book on a pillow in my lap to read it and still got a cramp in my hand due to it's size.)

But the ultimate result was that I enjoyed the book. I managed to read it in about 5 days, feeling some pressure because it was from the library and there were multiple hundreds of people waiting in the queue for the book. I pretty well immersed myself in the story for those 5 days and wanted very much to see it through to the end.

It gives one pause to really think about what those courageous pioneers did with their lives. We really cannot truly understand their sacrifices or hardships given the comfort of our times. Noting the quote in the preface by David McCullough that reminds us while it is history for us, it was the present for them. Would that we all could be so strong and enduring.

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never read any of Gerald Lund's other books, so I wasn't familiar with his writing style and his approach to historical fiction. I am generally turned off by books of this length and only read this one because one of my husband's ancestors was involved with the Hole in the Rock mission and was featured in this book. Thus, all of my husband's family has read the book and have a vested interest in it.

To me, the book was way too long and did not hold my attention. I nearly quit reading several times, and only felt like the last 200 pages or so were at all interesting. That left me with 600 pages of tedium. I felt that the love "triangle" was especially lacking, as it seemed that the girls' attitudes and personalities changed toward the end in order to accommodate the final result that Elder Lund planned. Couldn't he have kept their personalities consistent from the beginning, or did he feel that we'd then be disappointed that David ended up with the girl who'd initially been portrayed as inferior?

I also felt that this mission didn't warrant an entire book. The telling of the story made me more likely (rather than less, as I believe was his intent) to question the wise-ness of undertaking the expedition in the first place. And, really, although the mission took much longer than anticipated and the construction of "roads" was an impressive feat, I don't think that it really made good storytelling. Which, I suppose, is why it was necessary to include 500 pages of backstory on the fictional characters...

It's not a terrible book (my husband's family enjoyed it), but definitely one I cannot recommend based on my experience reading it.

[Beth Given · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Kingdom and the Crown taught me and strengthened my testimony. The Fire of the Covenant made me cry. I read and enjoyed The Work and the Glory -- twice. So when I saw that Lund had written some new historical fiction, I knew I'd be reading it soon.

And I enjoyed it. This is a little-told story about a group of pioneers I didn't know anything about, settling in a tiny community (Bluff, Utah) that's still just as tiny today. Some of the stories from their trek had me shaking my head in amazement -- what a remarkable journey, full of tender miracles. As an added bonus, there's a few hundred pages devoted to the life of coal miners in Yorkshire, England -- that part was really interesting.

All that said, this book could have been half the length it was. It was just way, way too long. By the end I got the feeling that since Lund has established himself as an very thorough storyteller (the kind that only writes fat books), he made this particular story more "epic" than it actually was, especially when it came to the fictional characters. (I hope that comment doesn't downplay the courage of these pioneers, but really -- 800 pages?? By the time I'd finished I'd practically forgotten the beginning.)

I did like this book and found it worth reading, but it's definitely not Lund's best.

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband and I have traversed the front section of this pioneer trail down through the hole in the rock which now ends at Lake Powell. It is dumbfounding to me how this group of pioneers created a "road" down through this rugged country and to think that the Hole part of the trail wasn't even the worst. We have also traveled through much of the country surrounding Blanding and Bluff and Comb Ridge is as imposing as is described in this book. Truly, this group of pioneers were undaunted in their efforts to forge their way through rough, rugged, country to settle the San Jaun region/four corners region of the U.S. Their "stickity tooty" is inspiring.

It was enjoyable to have the author take the historical information from real people and combine it with a few fictional characters through whom he tells the story.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Gerald Lund! I was hooked by him in Work and the Glory, Fire and the Covenant and the Kingdom & the Crown series. This was another great historical novel. He makes you believe in his characters so much. Robert's great, great, grandparents were on the main expedition through Hole in the Rock - the Lymans. So this book as been a great experience for all of his family. His Aunt has a rod iron bed from them that had to be cut off and shortened because it was too large to be brought through the narrow passage way. I don't know that whole story but would love to hear it.

Great read of such courage and inspiration!

My favorite quote in the book is from Bishop Jens Nielsen: We must go through, even if we cannot.

I need to remember that when I think my life is hard and I waiver.

What faith in the Lord to persevere when no one thought they could.

[Spring Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on! It could have been about 400 pages shorter and been a way better book. I liked the characters, but the story was way too much whether in the mines or on the trek across the Southern Utah desert. And then for all the long story the ending was rather abrupt and left us wondering how life was for the people once they settled in Bluff. I just wasn't that impressed. In fact, I skipped around for most of the last half of the book just to be done with it!

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent detailed report of the missionaries called to the San Juan Mission. Way TOO much detail made reading a laborious task. I was looking for names of relatives in the book. My great, great, great grandfather Issac Behunin named Zions Canyon. He is mentioned in the book. The faith and commitment of the early pioneers is an amazing testimony and example.

[Rosalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished a marathon reading session and loved this book. (I got it in the mail on Friday and now it's only Sunday afternoon.) Anyone who has ever lived in San Juan County or had the opportunity to travel even a part of the Hole-in-the-Rock trail should read this.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the first half of this book. It was interesting and engaging. I felt like the characters kind of fell apart once the love triangle got under way and it kind of drove me crazy because it felt like the author changed his mind halfway through the story and the characters were wishy washy and not true to the details previously shared about them.
But overall, it was an interesting story, albeit kind of anticlimactic that they suffered through a really rough adventure and there weren't any major stories about why it was so vital for them to make that move. I have a hard time with suffering for no reason.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me over a year and a half to read (this book was HUGE), and I feel people need to be undaunted to finish it. ha!

I really loved learning the history of the struggle these pioneers faced. I kind of want to go see these places, but the road isn't there anymore, so that's tricky. As usual with his books, the fictional story wasn't my favorite, but he did trick me on the love story and kept me guessing.

[Kassie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book a lot! It took me a bit to get into it (lots of unnecessary details at the beginning it seemed) but I loved it more and more the further I got into it, and the story is absolutely incredible and inspiring (and very informational!)

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me a really long time to read but I enjoyed it. I always like historical fiction and I felt like I learned a lot about church history and the events during this time period.

[Makenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books that make me want to do my own research, and this was one of them! Then I found that my own ancestors had made this trip! What an incredible story!

[Barbara Brodhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing story of the pioneers at that time and what they accomplished to make a road to San Jaun. Worth reading.

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous read...a good reminder that our lives are easy compared to what these people went through. They were tough and full of faith. I’m excited to read the next book.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but the predictable fictional story line and family distracted from the amazing real people in the story. I would have preferred a more non-fiction version with a real person or family as the main character(s) we follow through this harrowing journey, an historical fiction memoir, if there even exists such a genre.

[Bertha Ivins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The author does a ton of research and puts together a story that makes you feel like you are there. Now I want to go and see the places he talked about.

[Rachel D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time I’ve read this one, and it had more meaning for me this time. Gerald Lund does a great job creating fictional characters and setting them within true stories. Since experiencing Trek and walking where our pioneer ancestors walked I have a much greater appreciation for them and all pioneers everywhere.

[T.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the historical perspective gained from reading this, and it does have some lovely spiritual moments, but it was difficult to stay engaged. The historical bits are often too long and distract from the fictional characters' story. The segues feel choppy as if a history book was spliced with the fiction. It's still worth reading, though.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. I am amazed and stand in awe of these pioneers and their drive and dedication to the Lord in the midst of mind-blowing hardships. So grateful for them.