Saturday, November 6, 2010

The "Wagon's West" series

I usually try to avoid reading series for a couple of reasons. One, I'm afraid I'll lose interest or become disappointed somewhere down the line, thereby discrediting the original passion that I had for the initial book. Another reason is, I just hate the thought of waiting and waiting and waiting for a new installment only to find that, for whatever reason, the author can't or won't be writing more of the series. I stumbled across what I thought was a relatively new series and since it was written in my favorite fiction genre and titled after the state that I live in, I picked it up.

With a little searching, I came to find out that what I'd purchased brand new was actually a reprint of a series that was printed in the late seventies to late eighties, the "Wagon's West" series by Dana Fuller Ross. Not only is the series already complete, and not only did I begin reading it out of order, but there are a total of 24 titles in the series with an additional series shooting off from it.  The secondary series is entitled "The Holts, An American Dynasty," and has a total of ten titles.

I'm hooked on the "Wagons West" series in a bad way. I have read volumes 1-8, mostly in order. Having searched used book stores and such for the books, I could not always find the book that I needed, so I read what I could find. It seems the publisher who is putting out reprints is in no hurry to get them on the shelves, probably trying to re-kindle the original draw to the series by releasing them in the same time period as they were originally released. I don't know, but waiting drove me crazy, so I searched the used book stores and picked up what I could because I'm feverish with obsession.

This series is a fantastic read for lovers of historical fiction, westerns, romance or action-adventure books. My favorites so far have been "Texas" and "Nevada," because the action is non-stop. Not one of the books in the series thus far has been a sleeper, though. The characters are unforgettable and the situations are believable. The interactions, introductions, and continuations are flawlessly executed. The writing style of Dana Fuller Ross keeps me turning page after page.


Wagons West


1. Independence! (1979)

2. Nebraska! (1979)

3. Wyoming! (1979)

4. Oregon! (1980)

5. Texas! (1980)

6. California! (1981)

7. Colorado! (1981)

8. Nevada! (1982)

9. Washington! (1982)

10. Montana! (1983)

11. Dakota! (1983)

12. Utah! (1983)

13. Idaho! (1984)

14. Missouri! (1984)

15. Mississippi! (1985)

16. Louisiana! (1985)

17. Tennessee! (1986)

18. Illinois! (1986)

19. Wisconsin! (1987)

20. Kentucky! (1987)

21. Arizona! (1988)

22. New Mexico! (1988)

23. Oklahoma! (1989)

24. Celebration! (1989)

2 comments:

Littlefield Projects said...

Can you read the books out of order, I got my hands on the California book and I have never read this genre before, even though im upsessed with western tv shows and movies from the 60 threw the 80s lol so im trying for a book or two ..so should i go ahead and read the book i got or go buy the first book

tamirichards said...

I did start this series out of order, but then went back and started over, skipping the one I'd already read - "Oregon." It is best read in order because of the people involved.