This Scorched Earth

A Novel of the Civil War

By: William Gear

Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White

This Scorched Earth is an amazing tour de force depicting a family’s journey from near-devastation in the Civil War to their rebirth in the American West, from New York Times bestselling author William Gear.

The Civil War tore at the very roots of our nation and destroyed most of a generation.

In rural Arkansas, the Hancocks were devastated by that war. They not only lost everything, but experienced an unimaginable hell.

How does a traumatized human being put themselves back together? Where does a person begin to heal his or her broken mind…and does one choose damnation or redemption? For the Hancock siblings: Doc, Sarah, Butler, and Billy, the American frontier becomes a metaphor for the wilderness within—raw, and capable of being shaped. Self-salvation, however, always comes with a price.

Their journey is a testament to the power of love…and the American spirit.

This is their story. And ours.

©2018 W. Michael Gear (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Gear’s This Scorched Earth is a sprawling but thoroughly engaging journey of a family from the Civil War to the opening of the American West. The word “epic” is overused—but this time it fits.”—C. J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“More than an epic novel of the Civil War; it is a thrilling and haunting experience; you will never think of the Civil War in the same way again.”—Margaret Coel, New York Times bestselling author

“Not for the faint-hearted, This Scorched Earth will keep you reading till the last page is turned.”—Kat Martin, New York Times bestselling author

Civil war novelist enthusiast? Must read

This book has a heartbreaking story for each character. There are parts which are terribly difficult to read but realistic to history and humanity or better stated the dehumanized West post-civil war. The ending still leaves you mostly satisfied.

Beautifully written. The author is so discriptive.

The author makes you feel you are actually there, living each experience along side the characters.

Tough book but worth the hardship

This is not a feel good story in the slightest, but think it gives a true depiction of life during the civil war and the aftermath. Had to put it down multiple times, as it cuts no corners and spares no pain or agony one would have endured. It was worth the time and the reader did a great job.

Good read. I liked the story but..

Could have done without all the cursing and sexual content . I some times wonder about the mindset an author has when they get soooo graphic about things that drag your mind through gutter. I can see the details in war but not sexual deviance.. I am glad I could FF 10 seconds at a time to get through areas I just didn’t want to have dwell on. That being said well told story of the civil war and its aftermath . I wish I could recommend it to the people in my sphere of influence

A Must Listen

Alex Hyde-White does a masterful job conveying the emotions William Gear so skillfully renders in this American Civil War epic. The Hancock family of Northwest Arkansas was experiences the gammet of Civil War trauma from major battles, caring for the wounded, prison camp, partisan raiding, lawlessness, and other, more personal atrocities. The story is a study in human ability to cope (successfully and unsuccessfully) with the trauma the characters experience. Human traits from hate to love, greed to sacfrifice, murder to healing are demonstrated through intricately woven descriptions of environments and human interplay. Alex Hyde-White brings William Michael Gear's tale to life in a manner that makes the listener a first-person witness to the action. The work is a Must Listen!