Whilst described as a fiction this book was clearly written about 2 decades after Andy Adams actually took part in real life cattle drives.

In this account, most possible coming as a make up of his own diaries, the characters describe their day to day experience on a 5 month - 3000+ cattle drive. Indeed the drive which begins in Texas and ends in Montana details all of the trials and tribulations of the cowboys who take part.

Readers should not however be put off by the title "The Log of a Cowboy" which appears to suggest a diary or documentary. In fact the book is a brilliant read as well as being an eye opener as to the real conditions of such long drives during the mid to late 19th century.

James Curwood is a thrilling writer - who considered nature to be his religion. In this story set amongst the snow covered plains of the Canadian wilderness, with original peoples, deep blood-lust, revenge-driven hates, and close friendships between friends from different backgrounds, Curwood provides a glimpse of nature at its best and worst. Better yet the reader will feel the cold of the snow, the thrill of the hunt, the hunger of the trail and the love for life as if the location framing the story has not changed one iota since Curwood wrote this - his second wonderful work. A note also for future fans - because fans you will become - that this book is detailed at the ManyBooks site (at the time of writing this review) as being written in 1918 but in fact it was written in 1908. Thus the next book (and therefore the next book you will be looking for) is "The Gold Hunters" written in 1909.

Almost all of Twain's works remain wonderful, succinct and perfectly readable even more than 120 years after their publishing.

In this book a fictitious account is made of the actual son (and third living child) of Henry VIII. Edward who will soon become King swaps clothes and then by mischance swaps place with a look-alike pauper who has the hard life in Charring Cross, London. Befriended by few, Prince Edward must then overcome the sudden lowering of his status, whilst at the same time Tom (the pauper) must endure a meteoric rise in his. All of this literally at the time of King Henry's death.
Twain's account is both satirical and thought-provoking in a general sense, and dramatic in the sense that the reader continues to wonder whether the Pauper or the true Prince will rise to be King upon the date of coronation.

Potential readers should not be fooled by the addition of genre for this book as being for Young Readers - indeed if anything whilst the story line seems of interest for the young, the content, satire, and real life violence confronting the main protagonists is written with the adult in mind.