THE MORNING STAR SERIES
People of the Morning Star
Morning Star: Sun Born
Morning Star: Moon Hunt
THE ANASAZI MYSTERY SERIES
The Visitant
The Summoning God
Bone Walker
BY KATHLEEN O’NEAL GEAR
Thin Moon and Cold Mist
Sand in the Wind
This Widowed Land
It Sleeps in Me
It Wakes in Me
It Dreams in Me
BY W. MICHAEL GEAR
Long Ride Home
Big Horn Legacy
The Athena Factor
The Morning River
Coyote Summer
BY WILLIAM GEAR
This Scorched Earth
OTHER TITLES BY W. MICHAEL GEAR AND KATHLEEN O’NEAL GEAR
The Betrayal
Dark Inheritance
Raising Abel
Children of the Dawnland
Coming of the Storm
Fire the Sky
A Searing Wind
www.Gear-Gear.com
www.gear-books.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
WILLIAM GEAR is an international, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author who holds a master’s degree in archaeology. This Scorched Earth is his magnum opus, a riveting family saga that combines his passion for the subject with his expertise in research, historical record, and archaeology. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Also by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’neal Gear from Tom Doherty Associates
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THIS SCORCHED EARTH
Copyright © 2018 by W. Michael Gear
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Michael Graziolo
Cover image by Steinar Engeland
A Forge Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Forge® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Gear, W. Michael, author.
Title: This scorched earth / William Gear.
Description: First edition. | New York: Tom Doherty Associates, [2018] | Identifiers: LCCN 2017039671 (print) | LCCN 2017051019 (ebook) | ISBN 9781466886933 (ebook) | ISBN 9780765382368 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: United States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Fiction. | Families—Fiction. | Domestic fiction. | GSAFD: Historical fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3557.E19 (ebook) | LCC PS3557.E19 T48 2018 (print) | DDC 813/.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017039671
eISBN 9781466886933
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: April 2018
