Reviews for Beyond the Horizons

Doug Boren, an excellent storyteller, weaves a tightly-developed tale set during the Civil War. Amazingly, this is a first book for Mr. Boren, and his excellent writing ability combined with an intricate, well-thought-out plotline--complete with adventure, intrigue, male bonding, and even romance (not often found in a story written by a man)-- carried me from page to page, compelling me on towards the end. I recommend this book to anyone who likes an exciting page-turner. I believe we'll be reading many more Doug Boren novels in the future!

--Linda Alexander, author of Until Next Time

and editor with author-me.com; contibutor for The Washington Times, past editor of Washington Romance Writers

Excellent read! Personalized action, great description of the peril they were in. The reader is there! This is a "must read"!

--James Filegar, author of Fathers, Sons, and Brothers

Beyond the Horizons drops a reader into the depths of times past with heroes as fresh and alive as this morning's news. Not since John Jakes has there been a story told with such ferocious realism, combining the hard conditions of the era with the personality of true life. Brilliantly written! Terrific emotional intrigue! The West is, indeed, wild! Don't miss this one!

D.P. Roseberry, author of Rodenticider

...Quick, feverish and very visual! The oft-overlooked Civil War battfeilds in New Mexico is also an intriguing locale for a novel! Great!

---Sven Robinson, author of Driving Shannon

Now here is a book that seems to have it all! Suspense is dripping from the first page. I like the twist of a book about the Civil War, but in a totally different area that one normally reads about. War, suspense, love, freindship, all wrapped in one package, this says winner in my book!

--Sherry Gibson, author of Only a Game

Great Job! Vivid and emotional.

--William Overby, author of The Lost Treasure of Kiliminjaro

Beyond the Horizons: An aptly named novel of intense freindship and emotionally charged dangerous situations. Bound to hold your interest through interlaced episodes of dangerous adventures. A novel as big as the land it describes.

--- Henry Custer, author of Concept of Justice

Full of remarkable visual aspects and made me realize exactly what the soldiers went through; loneliness, fear, dread, pain, unable to be around loved ones, being decieved through female wiles, freindship beyond compare... the list goes on! Its a great write and highly recommended.

--- Joyce Rapier, author of Windy John's me 'n tut

Come Take the Ride

Jay Squires, author of Dead of Winter

California (8/25/2003) You open the cover of "Beyond the Horizons" and without warning the raw power of this brilliant novel slams into your consciousness with the force of a hurricane, lifting you, carrying you along with all its furious energy, and it doesn't let up until the last page. You close the book, catch your breath, and, only then, are you left with a lingering sadness over the characters you've lived with all those pages and hours (months and years in novel time) and now have to leave behind. Mace... you bolted into our lives, always fearless in your defense of the weak. Tom, stubbornly loyal Tom... could there be one to better watch your back? And, Angelina, sweet angel, how you wish you could have known her longer. Little Amy... and crusty old Mordecai... you have to leave them all behind. And, you are left with one thought in your mind - I am left with one thought in my mind: "Will I be reacquainted with those marvelous characters again, Mr. Boren? Please tell me you are planning a sequel to "Beyond the Horizons"? You owe it to all your avid readers!

A Story You Won't Forget

D.P. Roseberry, author of Rodenticider

Pennsylvania (7/23/2003) Beyond the Horizons is a stunning example of great writing and vivid realism! Of heroes who personify valor and desire. Of women filled with passion and strength. Of villains that drip with malice. This historical fiction novel combines adventure, romance, and brutal vision with the trials of both the Civil War and the battle for survival in the Wild West as it follows a band of friends through the daily pain of living and the fierce warmth of loving. From page one you will feel the will and determination of a young soldier caught in a time of fury where one knew why to fight but not why death was always so close on the heels of winning the battle. Be ready to run the gamut of emotions as Boren takes you into the realism of life on the edge. At times I laughed with the characters, feeling a content that one wishes for in real life. But just as I was becoming comfortable, the lurking menace and evil were so strongly and cleverly written that my skin crawled with revulsion and a shiver made its tingling way up my spine. But the worst or the best, depending upon how one looks at it were the times that tears fell as I slammed the book shut, shouting: "No! That cannot happen now!" Make no mistake: Boren is on his way with this epic saga of ruthless life and love in times not so pretty. It might even make one wonder about the parallels of times present. Read Beyond the Horizons. You won't be sorry.

Doug Boren is ruthless. It wasn't enough for him to craft this epic Civil War novel with the skill of a master storyteller or for him to move and enlighten his readers with the multitude of rich historical content he injected into this saga. No, he ruthlessly makes his defenseless readers feel as if they are witnessing first-hand the brutality of war, imprisonment, massacres, and the cruelty that dwells in the hearts of evil men.

And yet, amidst all the blood and gore and horrors of battle, he manages to introduce us to characters who love and care for each other so deeply that it sustains them throughout their lives. It's amazing that the same book that contains scenes that horrify and repulse can also contain scenes that abound with tender emotions, sensitivity and an appreciation of life's true pleasures and the beauty to be found all around us.

The main characters of Mace, Tom, George, and Louie are the embodiment of the spirit that made the American West wild, but there is nothing typical about any of them. They have other dimensions that are wonderfully illustrated in their relationships with each other, with the men they meet and respect, and with the women they love. We rage with them, laugh with them, suffer, cry and love with them as they travel over the untamed landscapes of their lives. Mr. Boren even makes us feel for the vile, despicable character of Chactoke--a renegade Apache who is almost evil incarnate. We hate him fiercely for the horrific things he does, but we know that even he has suffered in his past and can't help feeling for him at times.

This is not a feel-good book to curl up with and savor--it's too real for that. But when you finish reading it, you will have gained a better understanding of just how much our forefathers endured for us. Sometimes, ruthlessness is a good thing.

Joyce Scarbrough, author of True Blue Forever

Professional Review by Denise Clark,

Denise's Pieces author Site and Book Reviews

August, 1861-- The battle of Wilson Creek opens this Civil War Era tale with a riveting and compelling introduction into the lives of two men; best freinds and soldiers of the Confederacy. Tom Lupton and Mace Alexander owe their lives to each other and share a bond as close as brotherhood. After saving the life of General McCulloch, a former Texas Ranger who has the opportunity to raise an army to fight in the New Mexico Territory in the hopes of adding to the vast domain of the Confederacy, Tom and Mace are given the opportunity to join this army. Upon doing so, the two friends embark on a danger-fraught journey to the danger-ridden deserts of the Southwest.

Traveling west, they make new friends and experience a way of life they never imagined. They risk their lives fighting Apaches, whose treacherous warfare against the whites and Mexicans makes living in the territory dangerous and deadly. Mace and Tom endure their share of grief and torment as they nevertheless come to love the western territory. But a new menace unleashes itself on the territory with the appearance of Chactoke, a Mimbres Apache warrior, who compels his own band of Snake Dancers to wreak havoc on anything in their path. No one will experience peace until Chactoke is dead, and Tom and Mace are among the men who hunt him down before his rampage takes more victims.

Beyond the Horizons is a sweeping tale of the Southwest, rendered in vivid dialog and riveting prose. Mr. Boren has written a western historical in a style that has long been absent in the fiction world, and has done so with his own unique voice. One can smell the desert sand and feel the hot wind on the back of the neck beneath his talented pen. His historical accuracy stands firmly behind his characters, who are brought to complete three-dimensional life to offer a riveting, action-filled and thoroughly satisfying read.