Rolling Home
Ghosts along the Oregon Trail, Book #5
by David Fitz-Gerald
Climb aboard! Don't miss the heart-pounding climax of the Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail series. Rolling Home is the final installment.
In the heart of the rolling village, dissent brews as the stubbornest naysayer refuses to continue the journey. With an ominous early snowfall and memories of the ill-fated Donner Party haunting the pioneers, Dorcas Moon faces a new wave of challenges. Just when she believes things can't get worse, a disastrous river crossing claims their wagon and submerges their belongings.
As the rolling village approaches the final leg of the journey, the looming threat of outlaws intensifies. The notorious bandit known as The Viper and his ruthless brothers are determined to rob the greenhorns, sell their stock, and kill every last one of them. The pioneers had heard tales of their brutality, but now, with Dorcas' daughter kidnapped and Dorcas captured, everyone is in danger.
What will become of Dorcas Moon, her family, and their friends? Will anyone survive the perilous journey?
Rejoin the expedition and witness the thrilling end to a gripping saga.
What is your dream? I remember being confused when Agapito asked me that question. I never knew that traveling through a desolate wilderness would suit me so completely. Though a couple of days’ sojourn would be welcome, I’ll miss the trail when our journey ends. Is it my ideal to journey endlessly, helping people pursue their dreams?
After months on the road, it almost seems impossible that the end is so near. The road has been rough for Dorcas Moon and her family, but all those who travel have experienced the pain of loss and hardship. As they near their destination, the travellers face dwindling food supplies and heavy hearts, burdened by the loss of loved ones left behind.
David Fitz-Gerald concludes his epic five-novel “Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail” series with the thrilling finale, Rolling Home: A Pioneer Western Adventure.
The travellers in this series have been aware of the dangers they face, but their determination to reach their destination and realise their dreams keeps them moving forward. Until now, talk of outlaws had been the least of their worries; but they now have to face this new threat. A group of outlaws, led by a man who calls himself The Viper, have been trailing the wagons for weeks, and they are no longer satisfied by sitting, watching, and stealing a horse here and there. Their sights are set on a fortune, and they need the entire caravan to achieve their goals. The previous books foreshadowed the outlaws’ actions, setting the stage for their open attack on the wagons. It was satisfying to see the drama and action delivered after four books of anticipation.
Just like the journey preceding this novel, not everyone makes it through the trials and tribulations, and this novel unfortunately maintains this trend. Embarking on the Oregon Trail meant acknowledging the possibility of never reaching your destination. The characters understood this, but accepting it was a different story. No one can influence the outcome of the journey, nor could you stop terrible things from happening to those you love, all you could do while on the Trail was hope and pray.
From start to finish, Dorcas has been a character unlike any other. She is a force unto herself, whose opinions will not be swayed and who is unafraid to speak her mind or act on her own intuition. She has proven time and time again that she does not need protecting, that she is just as capable, if not more so, than some of the men in the caravan. However, as much as she may be able to live on her own, that does not necessarily mean that is what she craves. Even before the death of her husband, Dorcas’ eye had caught that of Agapito, the assistant wagon master, but she knew such a pairing was impossible. Agapito was a man of the plains, not the kind of person who would settle down and be satisfied with remaining in one place forever. Plus, his heart still yearned for people lost in his past, and promises to the dead are difficult to break. But as their journey started to draw to a close, Dorcas’ chance of letting Agapito know how she felt was starting to fade away. Dorcas’ character is what makes this series such a success. Her defiance of societal norms, refusing to fit into their prescribed moulds, made her a truly memorable person. Throughout everything the caravan has gone through, she has stood by her friends, and given what she can whenever an opportunity arose to do so. She is not a character to use others’ misfortune to give herself a boost, but rather one to offer a hand and pull them back to their feet. Her depiction is incredibly human, and she truly feels alive within the pages of this series.
The supernatural elements woven into Dorcas’ family, while not central to the series, contribute to the plot’s intricate complexities. Rose’s abilities to converse with the dead, and her tendency to allow her mind to fade from the present world, and wander off by herself has certainly caused issues throughout the series, but as Dorcas slowly learns why Rose acts as she does, her powers begin to prove helpful. To lose a loved one on such a perilous journey is almost impossible to deal with, for there is no choice but to leave them behind and move on. Rose offers comfort to mourners, using her skills whenever possible. She converses with the ghosts along the journey and does what she can to lift the spirits of those still able to put one foot in front of the other and continue the trek. Additionally, her brother, Andrew, helps the caravan where he can, although he is not always sure of what his premonitions show. He can sense danger before it arrives and offers each novel a sense of terrible foreboding, but it is not always clear what it is that Andrew is predicting, and not always possible to put the foresight to use before disaster strikes. The inclusion of supernatural elements in this series certainly elevates it and allows the reader an additional understanding of just how dangerous the Oregon Trail was to traverse, and just how many dreams came to an end on the side of the road.
Rolling Home: A Pioneer Western Adventure (Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail Book 5) by David Fitz-Gerald brings a close to a truly thrilling and compelling series. Once again, Fitz-Gerald has brought both history and the supernatural to life, and the resulting five-part saga of Dorcas Moon’s journey along the Oregon Trail is an absolute success.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Ellie Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club
The title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Series Trailer Link:
David Fitz-Gerald writes westerns and historical fiction. He is the author of twelve books, including the brand-new series, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail set in 1850. Dave is a multiple Laramie Award, first place, best in category winner; a Blue Ribbon Chanticleerian; a member of Western Writers of America; and a member of the Historical Novel Society.
Alpine landscapes and flashy horses always catch Dave’s eye and turn his head. He is also an Adirondack 46-er, which means that he has hiked to the summit of the range’s highest peaks. As a mountaineer, he’s happiest at an elevation of over four thousand feet above sea level.
Dave is a lifelong fan of western fiction, landscapes, movies, and music. It should be no surprise that Dave delights in placing memorable characters on treacherous trails, mountain tops, and on the backs of wild horses.
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