Ryley : And Other Stories of Adventure

RYLEY and OTHER STORIES OF ADVENTURE THE STORIES The dominant focus in these stories, as in the first collection entitled LIFE AT STAKE, continues to be the human will to struggle and survive. Such struggle in moments of crisis not only defines and shapes who the person is, but reveals how he or she developed as a person, and who they will be in the future, pending their survival. Each story portrays at least one aspect of the courage required to confront and, hopefully, to conquer imminent danger. Some win, some lose. That is the normal human equation, but it is of utmost interest to us as readers to observe how that person coped, each of us hoping that we might discover within ourselves traits of the protagonist's character that would allow us to act heroically if found in similar circumstances. The exploration and settling of the western frontier and the inspiring and inflammatory events of the Civil War provide the setting for each grouping of adventures.