The Trail Driver, Zane Grey
The Trail Driver, Zane Grey
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The Trail Driver
A Western Story

Author: Zane Grey

Narrator: Eric G. Dove

Unabridged: 7 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook (DRM Protected)

Published: 08/15/2017


Synopsis

From the bestselling novelist of the American West, comes a novel of romance, danger, and life along the trail.After his first successful venture of moving 2,500 cattle along the infamous Chisholm Trail, Adam Brite couldn’t resist the allure of a second drive. To prepare for his greatest and most dangerous prospect yet, Brite begins purchasing cattle at every possible opportunity he gets and searching for an able crew to aid him in the arduous journey from San Antonio to Dodge City. He recruits a diverse cast of characters all left penniless after the Civil War: Trail boss and veteran driver Joe Shipman; Alabama Moze, the cook; Hal Bender, a friendly brute; The Uvalde quintet, a strapping group all under the age of twenty; and Pan Handle Smith, a striking Texas outlaw who never sleeps.As they begin their journey north, Brite looks over the vast western landscape and his men attempting to herd the thousands of cattle from afar. In spite of the awe-inspiring scene, he grows fearful that Indians or inclement weather may make the excursion too dangerous with such a limited amount of drivers. As Brite begins to doubt the operation, a mysterious, young drifter named Reddie Bayne rides into their camp, and Brite offers him a job. Shortly afterwards, two unwanted guests arrive at the camp searching for the boy, and Brite quickly realizes that Bayne is not what he seems.In this classic western tale by Zane Grey, raging rivers, powerful storms, stampedes, treachery, trail rustlers, and Comanche Indian raiders threaten the outfit and their stock along the trail. However, the greatest surprise lies right within the outfit, when an unlikely heroine appears—a young girl disguised as a cowboy.

About Zane Grey

The prolific American writer Zane Grey was the pioneer of the Western literary genre. Grey produced well over 100 books, in which he presented the West as a moral battleground, where his characters were either destroyed or redeemed. His semi-outlaw heroes were his most enduring creation. He sold some 17 million books during his lifetime, and an estimated 100 Hollywood Western films have been based on his stories.

Born with the name Pearl Grey in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1872, Zane was the son of a farmer and part-time preacher. His mother was a second-generation Danish Quaker. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in dentistry in 1896 and practiced in New York City until 1904. That year, Grey wrote and self-published his first book, Betty Zane, after it was turned down by several publishers. The colorful frontier story was based on his mother's journal and eventually became a critical success. He married Lina Elise Roth, who encouraged him to become a full-time professional writer.

In 1908, Grey made a journey to the West with Colonel C. J. "Buffalo" Jones, who told him tales of adventure on the plains. This trip turned out to be a turning point in Grey's career. In 1912, Riders of the Purple Sage was published. It sold 2 million copies and was filmed three times. Grey's formula-in which a mysterious outlaw fights to protect the innocent and the good-shows up in many of his novels. In 1918, he moved to Altadena, California, where he lived for the rest of his life. Grey died on October 23, 1939.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Laur

Lol...wow...my first experience with a Zane Grey western. The constant cowboy thick drawl was a challenge from page one to end of book, but I couldn’t help but realize I was reading an author from another place and time. A very successful and famous author even of today. It reminded me of going to a......more

Goodreads review by Clayton

Never a dull moment with Brite’s band of drivers! One thing that set this book apart from some of his others was the abundance of characters within the story. Not only that, but they were more than just present in the story, each attributing to the obstacle or problem at hand. Things started to ramp......more

Goodreads review by John

Today, driving from San Antonio to Dodge City takes about ten and a half hours to traverse highways requiring an approximate 660 mile journey. An energetic driver can, more or less, accomplish this journey in a day. In the time of the Chisolm and Western trail cattle drives during the 1860's and 187......more

Goodreads review by Milt

I enjoyed this book more that most of his books.......more

Goodreads review by Ashley

Cheesy, and fraught with flashes of sexism and racism, this is classic Zane Grey, and still my greatest guilty pleasure as far as reading is concerned. I love the way Grey writes about the geography of the land, and how connected his characters are to their natural environments. In this book, I appr......more