From Product Description:

Working on the Underground Railroad throughout the Civil War, Morgan Kinneson is shaken by the murder of a slave and the disappearance of his brother from the Union army, triggering his life-threatening search through war-stricken landscapes.

This was a gripping story and a real page-turner. I zipped through it pretty quickly. I thought the characters were fascinating and quite descriptive. I enjoyed that the story was centered around the civil war era and, although, I don't know a lot about that period, I thought it seemed very true to life. I'm not sure if it was historically acurate or not, but I didn't feel distracted by any of the details given. <br />If you like stories of this time period, I think you'll enjoy this one. I hadn't read any books by this author before but will certainly not shy away from reading anything further from him.

I just finished "Walking to Gatlinburg". Mr. Mosher is a good writer, but in his latest work he can't decide whether he is writing an historical novel, a psychological thriller, a ribald comedy, or taking a stab at magic realism. The result is a Christmas tree with just too many ornaments. He is skilled at creating and describing scenes and characters, and that in itself makes this an enjoyable book to read. But a good editor, with a well sharpened ax, and then a scalpel, could have made this into a book really worth owning.

Like other readers, I had hoped Walking to Gatlinburg to have more to do with the Civl War, since the novel was mislabeled as having at least something to do with it. I at least knew that Gatlinburg had little to do with the war, which should be at least one clue for readers. On the whole I enjoy historical novels and do love the nineteenth century, but do have at least some expectations to carry me through the novel. I would expect them to be mostly accurate and researched, though don't need historical facts, figures, and details waved in my face. I usually don't expect historical figures to meet main characters, especially when it has no point to aid the plot. Unfortunately It ends up feeling like Forrest Gump, a lazy way to remind readers that, hey, the novel isn't set in the present day. <br /> <br />Honestly though if a novel is well written, with engaging characters, and well made plot, I'm willing to put up with a lot. I have to say though that Walking to Gatlinburg is lacking on all three accounts. We do get a lot of details about the main character Morgan, being raised in the Vermont wilderness that of course set up why he will be able to wonder the country with little trouble. Yet most of the characters are fairly wooden, there to fill the scenery and to either aid or impede Morgan's progress in looking for his brother. I have to agree with other reviewers, after even a few chapters, it feels like the character is walking (or riding an elephant) with the scene and random characters doing all the work in a way that calls attention to itself. <br /> <br />In a bad way, it ultimately reminds me of So Brave, Young, and Handsome [SO BRAVE YOUNG & HANDSOME] [Paperback], which also is a historical episodic journey with similar issues. If you want an easy, non taxing read, Mosher's book might be for you, but for anyone looking for a compelling historical novel, look elsewhere.

While the Civil War is the setting for this story, any war would do. Powerful, moving, heart wrenching, and thought provoking. This is one of the best books I've read in a while. I am hoping it will be a contender for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Seriously.

Like a story told by a traditional storyteller, this book tells of a fantastical journey a young boy makes to find his brother. Odd circumstance after odd circumstance, coincidence, fate, and faith are relied upon to carry the story. The bad guys can't really die, and keep popping up throughout many states, without any explanation. The use of the rune to guide the trip was clever, but I felt mired down because of lack of characterization. I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy this book, and found myself wading through it, wanting it to end.