Overall ***** Story***** Narration ***** Review by Rox Burkey
The multi-dimensional character development by Tom W. Blackburn masterfully brings each player to life. The rich mixture of individuals reveals how they stand in the melting pot of their choices, being on the right or wrong side of honor. The action and snappy dialogue bring to the forefront the ever-present brutality and corruption founded on greed between men and women.
‘Buckskin Man’ by Tom W. Blackburn is an excellent frontier western story. This historical novel takes place after the Mexican-American War, illustrating the settlement of the territory as trappers, traders, and outlaws vie for supremacy in New Mexico. The Spanish and Anglo people maintain peace, likened to walking a tightrope. The vividly depicted prose opens with a scene of a fiery inferno. The focus of one man, Jim King, against the ruthless men behind the Santa Fe trading industry sets the stage for might versus right.
The characters of Edouard Duval and Jim King serve as stark contrasts to one another, embodying the conflict between power and resilience. Duval, a formidable and ruthless figure in the fur trade, wields his influence through intimidation and underhanded tactics. Jim King is an honorable, determined ex-fur trapper who enters the New Mexico territory with aspirations of carving out his place in the fur trade. King embodies the spirit of resilience and ingenuity, refusing to let Duval’s monopoly go unchallenged. While Duval relies on fear and manipulation, King’s character, defined by his bravery and resolve to confront the established power, makes him a relatable hero seeking justice and opportunity in a volatile landscape.
Jack de Golia delivered an outstanding narration, transporting listeners back to the early times of the Southwest, bringing to life the multiple cultural interactions. The distinctive voices of each character were flawless. Jack de Golia’s versatile voice made this exciting story vibrate with perfect escalating tension, making ‘Buckskin Man’ outstanding entertainment.
Do you enjoy delving into stories of the West written by a master who realistically depicts the legends, the people, and the challenges they faced? In that case, Tom W. Blackwell is your go-to storyteller. ‘Buckskin Man’ is a perfect listen or read for young and old. Grab this action-filled adventure for a summer escape into history today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas W. Blackburn was a highly-successful western writer having penned over 300 stories (written in a ten year period) for magazines like The Saturday Evening Post, Argosy, Ranch Romances, Colliers, and the pulps. He came by his knowledge of the West honestly having been born on the T.O. Ranch in New Mexico, where his father was employed as an engineer installing a ranch-wide irrigation system. Afterward his father remained in Colorado and Wyoming working at various jobs – including town marshal. No wonder the Springfield (MO) News-Leader hailed his westerns as “authentic and realistic.” Blackburn wrote all the scripts for the Walt Disney Davy Crockett features, and all the lyrics for the famous Ballad of Davy Crockett as well.
Thomas Wakefield Blackburn (June 23, 1913 – August 2, 1992) was an American author, screenwriter and lyricist. His work included various Western novels and television screenplays, as well as the lyrics to “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” (his first) and other songs.
In the mid 1950s Blackburn worked in the story department at Walt Disney‘s studio and it was there, in addition to working on the Davy Crockett films and teleplays (among other projects), that he also began composing lyrics. Among his most successful efforts are “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” and “Farewell” for that series and “Johnny Tremain” and “The Liberty Tree” for Johnny Tremain (Buena Vista, 1957).
ABOUT THE NARRATOR
Jack records in a Gretch-Ken Pro double walled sound isolation booth, using a Studio Projects C1 mic, Scarlett Solo interface, and MacBook Air computer running the Twisted Wave recording app.
An award-winning audiobook narrator, e-learning voice, video game actor, and storyteller: Jack will give you winning, ahead-of-schedule voice work for audiobooks, e-learning, political ads, cartoons, commercials and videogames, and anything involving character voices. With a PR & stage-acting career spanning four decades, Jack brings a seasoned and always fresh approach to voiceover work. It’s been said he has the voice of “every man’s man.” While Jack is based in Las Vegas, his studio lets him work all over the world as a male voice actor.
