Last Trail » (Revised)

The father of the western novel, Zane Grey (1872 - 1939) was born in Zanesville, Ohio. He wrote 58 westerns and almost 30 other books. Over 130 films have been based on his work.

The American Revolution is over, but the violence continues in the Ohio Valley. Jonathan Zane and Lewis Wetzel are in constant action trying turn the tide. But just when the beautiful Betty Sheppard convinces Jonathan to give up his lonely war, she is captured, and taken into the unknown wilderness.

School Library Journal

YAHelen Sheppard and her father left Williamsburg, VA, to start a new life in the Ohio Valley. Her father's friend, Col. Ebenezer Zane, met them at Fort Henry after a terrifying close encounter with Indians that ended peacefully when two bordermen, Jonathan Zane and Lew Wetzel, stepped out of the forest to rescue them. Helen is intrigued by Jonathan Zane and he with her. As the story unfolds, this love affair mingles with the tale of the early days of the Ohio Valley. Indian resentment against the encroaching white men, an obsessive lover, horse rustlers, and plain folks trying to build homesteads out of the wilderness are brought to life by Grey's fine storytelling skills. This is a reprint of the last volume of the author's "Ohio River Trilogy," published in 1909; however, the book stands alone. An interesting foreword written by Grey's son, Loren, tells much about the writer. A good story that would make great historical fiction reading for an American-history assignment.Linda A. Vretos, West Springfield High School, Springfield, VA