If you like western novels, or just plain great storytelling, this will be one of the best books you will ever read. Wheeler is a great developer of interesting characters, and has a flair for putting them in compelling situations.Take the best parts of The Searchers and Tony Hillerman's novels and you've got Badlands.

Harry Hansen's book was the first I read on the Civil War and it sparked me to read more. The battle descriptions are some of the best I have ever read, especially Hansen's handling of Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg. This book takes you into the minds of the generals and common soldiers who waged the war and explains their actions in a clear and concise way. Not overly wordy, but having enough description to keep it interesting, this book is perfect for anyone who is just getting started on the Civil War, as it also digs into the political, social, and historical influences that caused the war. Another great feature is that the book is not biased towards either of the contingents, and gives a straight report without overly critizing either side. All in all, an excellent book that I highly reccommend to anyone with an interest in the conflict

Richard S. Wheeler proves with every new book that he is the undisputed master of the historical novel of the American West -- a fact known to his colleagues in Western Writers of America, Inc., who have awarded him three Spur Awards for his work, and this year will bestow on his their Owen Wister Award for lifelong contributions to the history and literature of the West. In THE FIELDS OF EDEN, Wheeler takes the reader to the Oregon Country of the 1840s, a time when this immense, primitive, breathtakingly beautiful territory is ruled by England's venerable Hudson's Bay Company, a hegemony being challenged by the arrival of emigrants seeking a chance at a new life. The author's unforgettable cast of characters include the O'Malleys, John and Mary Kate, who come from an Irish village and endure the heartbreaking journey to the Pacific with a simple dream of making an honest living and rising above the grinding poverty of their beloved home country; Rev. Jasper Constable, who brings his family to Oregon with lofty motives--to bring God to the natives--and who is as unaccustomed to physical labor as he is to disillusionment; Abel Brownell, married to Felicity and father of two, who has been lucky all his life, making money with no effort and hoping to make a fortune out West with his gift of gab and carefree manner; and Garwood Reese, whose dream is the most ambitious of all: to convince others that he is the savior of Oregon, the man who will eject the British and their French-Canadian cohorts and establish white American supremacy in the Northwest. In his efforts he is aided by his sister-in-law Electra Reese, whose husband drowns in the Columbia River rapids and who, with her own predatory agenda, wastes no time grieving. The one man who both aids and stands in the way of this disparate party of dreamers is the "White Eagle" of the Oregon country, Doctor John McLoughlin, chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, a physical and intellectual giant torn by his allegiance to the British Crown he represents and his innate humanity toward the starving, trail-worn emigrants struggling into his domain. Wheeler is no mere "story-teller" -- all his books (among them, SIERRA, AFTERSHOCKS, SECOND LIVES, THE BUFFALO COMMONS, SUN MOUNTAIN, MASTERSON, BADLANDS) elucidate some element of the American character -- often a failing, more often an understated nobility -- and while the reader may not realize it while caught up in this master's stylish narrative, there is a gentle moral in every book. THE FIELDS OF EDEN is grandly-conceived, flawlessly written, and unfailingly moving: hallmarks of the work of this American master.

If anyone were to gather names for the top five western writers of all time, Richard S. Wheeler would undoubtedly be among them. His tale spinning genius and esteemed talent with language unfolds again in FLINT'S HONOR, Wheeler's third book detailing the adventures of warring journalist, Sam Flint. Flint arrives in Silver City Colorado-a town wedged between the walls of a rocky gulch-to defend the honor of a prostitute, whose death had been treated smugly in the Silver City Democrat. Searching the boomtown for a place to set up his press, Flint finds no vacancies, and against his better judgment has to settle for a room in a house of ill repute. Rather than recognizing Flint's new Silver City Sentinel as a worthy competitor, Digby Westminster, the editor of the Democrat plays Flint's positioning for all it's worth, and dubs the new paper The Bawdyhouse Bugle. Flint soon learns that the licentious editor has another foe, Achilles Balthazar, a powerful and despicable mine owner known for his ill treatment of workers and ability to read peoples minds-especially idealists like Flint. Flint finds himself amidst the politics and greedy maneuvers of both men, having only the power of words as his defense. Ready to sum up his losses at any moment, Flint is joined by a gypsy printer, Jude Napoleon, who not only adds spice to Flint's conflict, but provides him with the extra energy and wit needed to help bring down the two men, who like the mammoth walls that parallel the city, hold the whole town captive.

This is my first read book by Richard Wheeler. I was very moved. The accounts of the West for this gold rush town seemed vivid in my mind as I read. Very emotional ending. Sadly Fabulous! This book speaks to a person's heart!

As a collector of local ghost books, I picked this up on a trip up the California coast. Senate is really the most entertaining author in the genre, rivalled only by Hans Holzer. In contrast to other regional ghost tale collectors, Senate presents his tales in the first person, as he and his colleagues investigated them. This is in contrast to the typical method of simply presenting the direct accounts of regular folks who've had paranormal experiences. It makes the book much more engrossing and at times quite creepy. The volume is slim and so are the accounts, but especially if you are drawn to fictional ghost stories, this book will definitely satisfy.

As someone who reads a lot of military history, I have to say this book keeps you in the action! Written from the point of view of the Marines fighting on Iwo Jima and the Japanese defending it, you're kept in the heat of the battle. Richard Wheeler's graphic descriptions of death, life, and sometimes humor in this "10 Day operation" will amaze and shock readers into seeing why "uncommon valor was a common virtue". The book is not a grand strategic overview of all the forces in the operation. It does give the reader a look at the preparations the Japanese made, the Army Air Corps' use for the island, and the maneuvers the various Marine divisions did, or tried to do. Also contained is a complete background on the famous flag raising. The book is really the story of the individual Marines and how they lived and fought on the island. Marine's names and backgrounds abound due to the author's first-hand knowledge. For anyone that saw Saving Private Ryan this is the Pacific version. A must read for anyone interested in the Pacific campaigns of World War II, the war in general, or the Marines.

This is one of the best books I have read about the Civil War. This book takes you right into the battles from Antietam to Chancellorsville.I love the maps and illustrations. This book is an eyewitness account of these battles. I would highly reccomend this book to History and Civil War Buffs.

I am an engg student involved in mosix project.I found the book really cool.It gives an insight of mosix. In all A good book to be on your table if you want to try out mosix

This book reports the Pacific campaigns of the United States Marine Corps during World War II. The narrative kept my attention throughout and I found it hard to put this book down. It is one of the best accounts I have read about the USMC in WWII. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an overview which portrays the Marines' sacrifices during their brutal island hopping strategy which was instrumental in America's ultimate victory over Japan ending WWII.