Wilderness Fiction

Cora Miller is fiercely independent and stubborn to a fault. Betrayed more than once by men she thought she could trust, she's learned to rely only on herself. As the oldest of four siblings, she feels responsible for leading her family safely on the Oregon Trail for a new start. Nathaniel Wilder is no stranger to the hardships and dangers of the wilderness. Raised with his brothers by a trapper in the remote mountains, he left behind the mistakes he's made in the past.

In 1829, life west of the Mississippi was filled with constant peril and hardship. At any moment, a settler might find himself threatened by a murderous Indian or a deadly beast. Only rugged mountain men like Nathaniel King had the courage to challenge the unknown dangers for the freedom the wilderness offered. But when Nate and his mentor Shakespeare McNair made enemies of two Flathead Indians, their survival skills were tested as never before. If either man made one mistake, both would suffer merciless deaths.

The savage Rockies - home to bloodthirsty Indians and ferocious beasts. With cunning, grit, and skill, Nate King has hacked a life out of the punishing wilderness. A seasoned hunter and trapper, he can fend off attacks from brutal warriors and grizzlies alike. But a hunt for a huge, deadly mountain lion proves to be his greatest challenge.

Samuel Worth never meant to kill the man. But when the son of the plantation owner they worked for tried to attack Samuel’s daughter, he had to defend her. Now his whole family is on the run from a pack of slave hunters and their bloodhounds - straight into the deadly wilds of the Rocky Mountains. Nate King and his family value their freedoms. It is one of the reasons they chose to live so far from civilization. It’s also why Nate knows he and his wife, Winona, must use every trick at hand to help the Worth’s escape their captors - even if it costs them their own freedom.

Nate King embarks on a perilous journey through the Rockies to track a huge grizzly bear that has been terrorizing the Utes, but he gets more than he bargained for when he comes face to face with the eerily clever creature.

Evelyn King longs to marry the man she loves. She won't let anything stand in her way. But the frontier is a dangerous place. Killers and hostiles and beasts abound. As Evelyn is reminded when she and her beloved become the prey of two-legged wolves—and something far worse.

When Elizabeth Middleton leaves England to join her father at the edge of the New York wilderness, she does so with a strong will and an unwavering purpose: to teach school to children of all races - black, white, and Native American. It is December of 1792 when she arrives in a cold climate unlike any she has ever experienced. And she meets a man different from any she has ever encountered - a white man dressed like a native. His name is Nathaniel Bonner, also known to the Mohawk people as Between-Two-Lives. Elizabeth defies her father and shatters convention, but her ultimate destiny, here in the heart of the wilderness, lies in the odyssey to come: trials of faith and flesh, and passion born amid Nathaniel's own secrets and divided soul.

Young, high-spirited Fanny has been fortunate in her civilized upbringing, but the London she has grown up in is riddled with danger and brutality. When a sinister stranger traps her family into debt in order to advance on Fanny, she is forced to take refuge in France, where she meets a young French soldier, Philippe de Saint-Christophe.

Legendary mountain man Shakespeare McNair has seen enough winters in the wilderness to know when something isn't right. And beneath the waters of the lake near his new home, something is definitely off. Nate King and his family can see it, too - waves without any wind to create them, a huge force that pulls a fishing pole right from Evelyn King's hands, something malevolent out there...watching them. Shakespeare knows it's just a matter of time before the creature hurts someone. But he's not going to wait around. He's going to go after it himself, even knowing he might not come back.

Josie Hudson has survived horrors no one should ever have to endure. Retreating to the wilderness has allowed her to cope with the past by avoiding things that remind her of the ordeal. When a trusted mentor asks for a special favor, Josie is forced out of her place of comfort and directly into the unknown. Travis Wilder confronts life as a competition he is determined to win. Being second best to a girl is not an option. Agreeing to lead a group of pioneers on the Oregon Trail seems like the perfect opportunity to earn some respect.

When Nate King chose a new valley in which to build his home, he wanted to get away from all civilization and the inevitable trouble it brings. But Nate can't duck trouble for very long. A hostile band of Indians has also laid claim to the Kings' valley, and they've made it clear they're not willing to share. In a desperate act to punish Nate and his family, they capture his daughter, Evelyn. And Nate will do anything it take - even if it means sacrificing his own life - to get her back.

Nate King has a lot to be happy about. He and his family are settling into a new home, far from the taint of civilization. But the deep wilderness has its own set of dangers, including the greatest predator of them all: the giant grizzly. Nate has earned a reputation as Grizzly Killer, but this bear is different - this bear saved his life once, and Nate feels a debt of honor. But is it possible to teach a wild griz to go against its murderous nature? Will Nate's plan be any match for the mammoth bear's four-inch claws and wickedly sharp teeth? Or will his family learn a fatal lesson of their own?

Nate King and his family are accustomed to dealing with the perils of the wild. It's the spread of civilization that sends them farther into the rugged Rocky Mountains to find a more secluded home. Along the way, fighting off attacks from rattlesnakes and wild buffalo, Nate becomes separated from the rest of the group. And only then does he realize that civilization isn't so ready to be left behind.

Caroline Hudson has always gone after what she wants. Leaving the wilderness to pursue a medical degree in Boston would seem unfathomable to most. Being taken seriously as a woman doctor may be her biggest obstacle to overcome. An unexpected offer appears to provide every opportunity for which she had hoped, until a face appears from the shadows to remind her of what she truly wants.

When a good deed leaves him stranded in Comanche territory, where his supplies and weapons are stolen, Nate King finds himself defenseless against a band of bloodthirsty warriors who want him dead.

Hunted? In the harsh wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, every day presents a new challenge. Nate King and his family have survived by overcoming those challenges, one by one. But in the new valley that is their home, they face perils they've never before known. Some of the most vicious predators on the continent are stalking the Kings and their friends. Nate has gone up against grizzlies, mountain lions, and enraged buffalo, but he's never battled wolverines. One wolverine is dangerous enough, but five live in this valley, and they're out for blood.

Caleb Jackson is on a journey. And not just the mission he and his friends have embarked on to fetch the Nez Perce chief’s runaway daughter. Otskai is eager to take on a challenge. She’s lived under the shelter of other’s choices her entire life, especially when she was betrothed to one of the village braves at the tender age of eight. Now with her husband's death, she’s finally found the freedom she always craved - even with a two-year-old to raise.

For better or for worse, Sarah Anderson has it all: a thriving career, a nice home in Ottawa, two young kids…and a marriage coming apart at the seams. Then her husband, Matthew, vanishes without a trace during a family vacation up north. Sarah and her children are nearly lost among the slumbering lakes, treacherous cliffs, and brooding forests of the Canadian Shield. A glacier-scraped realm of ancient beauty and terror, it’s a world away from the safety of the suburbs. And a big storm is brewing.

What are the politics of nature? Who owns it, where is it, what role does it play in our lives? Does it need to be tamed? Are we ourselves natural? In A Darker Wilderness, a constellation of luminary writers reflect on the significance of nature in their lived experience and on the role of nature in the lives of Black folks in the United States. Each of these essays engages with a single archival object, whether directly or obliquely, exploring stories spanning hundreds of years and thousands of miles, traveling from roots to space and finding rich Blackness everywhere.

December 13, 1920. It was a typical Monday morning when three US Navy officials boarded a hot-air balloon for an easy, routine training flight. But as evening came, heavy rain and wind knocked Lieutenants Louis Kloor, Stephen Farrell, and Walter Hinton off course, eventually forcing a crash landing deep within the snowy Canadian wilderness. As the men searched for salvation, they were overcome by freezing temperatures, starvation, and fatigue. To survive this harrowing experience, the brave military officers would have to go up against their greatest enemies yet.