Books: Fiction
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Seven Ox Seven: A
Story of Some Ways in the West In “Seven Ox Seven,” P.A. Ritzer embraces the American pastoral, the Western, and delivers a compelling story with authentic characters who represent the good and bad that can be derived from the opportunities inherent in their pioneer nation. Cowboys, cattlemen, shepherds, hunters, surveyors and women who braved the frontier in various roles rise up from these pages. They have emerged from extensive research to live out this singular story honoring those intrepid souls who have the courage to follow the inevitable call into what lies beyond what is known. Part One opens with the meeting of two cowboys, Luke Stuart and Tom Schurtz, in the infamous Dodge City, Kansas, at the end of their trail drives from Texas. It is the height of the cattle-trade season of 1877. Luke, a devoted family man who manages a ranch for his cousin in Medina County, Texas, holds a secret plan shared only with his wife, Elizabeth. Tom, whose manner periodically hints at a rich and varied past, discerns that, at least for the short term, his future lies in riding back to Texas with Luke. At the Stuart home, Luke and the fair, devout and educated Elizabeth divulge their secret plan to Tom and invite him into it. The Stuarts and Tom subsequently form a partnership for the purpose of venturing out into the distant frontier to establish a ranch in the canyons region at the eastern edge of the Staked Plains, the Llano Estacado, only recently but not completely vacated by the Comanche. They seek a place of mystery, Canon Escondido, the existence of which is not widely known. Their knowledge of the canyon has come from the Gradys, shepherds to the south, whose sources are family lore and the legends of their peoples, Apache and Mexican. In hope, the pioneers, including the three Stuart children and young Andy Grady, drive their herd and flock across the rolling prairies of central and northern Texas, through notorious frontier settlements and the wanton buffalo slaughter, encountering settlers and transients along the way. Their determination will be tested by the challenges meted out along the path they have chosen, not least so when they finally face the success or failure of their quest and when they face what must then follow. With rich detail, Ritzer draws us into and immerses us in the uniquely American setting of this story. Within that setting, Tom, Luke, Elizabeth, Andy and others, reveal themselves at paces natural to each as the story unfolds. And it all subtly captivates us. 672 pages, hard cover with dust jacket $26.95
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