I just couldn't stick with this. The circumstances and the characters that the main character encounters along the way were just surreal to the point of silliness. I saw no point to the surrealism.

I loved this book. It combined history and mythology and fantasy and good story-telling in a unique way. ( )

I found this a fun book to read, much in the nature of Tom Sawyer, as the protagonist sets out to find his brother after the Civil War and encounters adventure, mystery and situations along the way. The premises seem a bit coincidental, and things flow smoothly from one problem to another, but that makes it a good page turner. This is a good rainy day book. ( )

I cannot quite recall how I decided to purchase this book - in hardcover no less. I did not love it - just could not get into it. The premise is actually intriguing - a young Vermont boy goes on a quest to find his brother who disappeared at the battle of Gettysburg. Along the way he faces a band of killers and traces the secret path of the Underground Railroad using a mysterious stone carved with runes given to him by a runaway slave. He encounters alot of crazy characters and scenarios rich with grotesque Southern Gothic flavor. The prose and imagery are empirically quite good; literary in a rather Cormac McCarthy-esque horrifying fashion.

Why then did I not enjoy this? Well, the characterization was lacking - just could not make myself care about Morgan and his acquired side-kick Slidell. Just didn't get either one of them. And the band of villians with their outlandish personnae. What was the point? When all was said and done, they really played minor roles and were dispatched fairly easily. Something was just off about the storytelling for me - it did not feel authentic and I was glad when it was finally over.

Mixed feelings, I guess. I would not criticize someone for liking or even loving this book. But it just did not all come together for me despite having elements I love - Civil War, mystery, intelligent prose. Disappointing. ( )

In 1864, Morgan Kinneson , a seventeen year old is helping a runaway slave named Jesse through the Underground Railroad to freedom in Canada. Morgan was away hunting for food and on his return he finds that Jesse has been murdered. Sadden and grieving, Morgan travels south from the north through the battlefields of America to the Great Smoky Mountains, in search of his older brother Pilgrim, who is now absent from the Union Army. Morgan's wants to locate the favorite brother and renew relations with what little family and honor he feels he has left. He learns that Jesse's killers are looking for him, because he has a possession that they want. His walk to Gatlinburg becomes a chore of survival. Through the walk to Gettysburg and then to Gatlinburg, Tenn, he meets many characters, including a little girl and a nice woman who's left by her brother who builds her an attractive tree house on an island in a river. When Morgan meets a beautiful runaway slave girl, he and she get lost in a cave. The novel shows American life of the past. Evil lurks in the reality of war, but is a treat to read during Morgan's journey. In the Tradition of Mark Twain, a woman tries to protect the mountain. A very charming, homespun beautifully told novel. ( )