Brief

Terror in the Steel Mountains is the story of an 11 year old boy’s struggle to make sense of the unexpected death of his mother, the growing emotional distance of his father and his disillusionment with God. Healing comes through facing new tragedy and learning to trust again.

What We Liked

- Paul is a curious and intelligent boy of 11 who is trying to understand why, as he believes, God took his mother from him at an early age. His father is religious as well, and they depend on prayer to get them through life. When they get into trouble after their plane crashes in the mountains, they have to rely on their wilderness training as well. Paul also relies on his best friend - a cat - who is very intelligent and a great companion. It's an interesting group for a journey into the wilderness that has twists and turns to keep an audience guessing.
- The protagonists' attempt at a camping trip in the mountains quickly becomes dramatic when their plane crashes. An eleven year-old has to help his injured father with limited resources. His training and wits, and his pet cat, lead him on a journey that becomes perilous. All of this is cinematic, with beautiful settings that belie the danger. The main character, Paul, is a boy worthy of empathy and capable enough to be interesting to watch as he fights for his life as well as the lives of others. And, the dynamic with his intelligent cat would be fun to watch.
- Key points: Lost in the mountains; Smart animals; A boy at a crossroads; Life threatening situations; Beautiful scenery

Synopsis

PAUL, 11, wakes up before dawn and goes outside with OLD GREY, his big cat. He sees a huge dog who growls at him, so he climbs up into his treehouse. The coast is clear and he climbs down, but out of nowhere, the dog is there again, sniffing his foot. The cat jumps on the dog’s back and Paul runs for the house as the cat and dog howl as they fight. Paul remembers when he and his mother found the cat, and he then remembers his mother’s disease and how she’d fallen down one day and he ran to get his dad WILL from the airport where he was working. His mother died. At breakfast, his dad goes over a map while Paul tries to get away without doing the dishes. His father tells him to get his bible and reads a story. Paul does the dishes and dad asks about the dog. He thinks the dog may belong to an old man named MR PARKER, whom the kids have dubbed “The Mole” because of his pointy nose. Will admonishes Paul for making fun of him, which he and his friends often did. On his way to the airport, Paul freezes crossing the runway when he sees a plane about to land right on top of him. The cat runs across his feet, snapping him out of it, and he jumps out of the way just in time. MR HASKINS gets out of the plane and lets Paul know he’ll be talking to his father. Paul’s glad he didn’t get yelled at. He then hears the cat growling at something in a hangar, and goes to investigate, and turns to run when he sees the big dog. He slams right into Mr Parker and falls to the ground. Mr Parker tells Paul to keep his cat away from his dog. Paul heads toward “The Roost,” the airport cafe where MATTIE gives him a free soda and tells him a funny story about Mr Haskins - and Paul is surprised to find out he is her younger brother. Paul and his dad drag a plane outside a hangar and Paul is in charge of making sure they have all of their safety equipment. They get lunch at The Roost, and Paul is worried that Mr Parker might do something to his cat, so he gets up and runs outside to find the cat but trips and falls, scraping his hands and knee. Will tends to his wounds back home, and Paul goes out to find his cat up in his tree house. He climbs up, looks at a picture of his mother and cries. He doesn’t know how he’ll ever get over her death and won’t forgive God for taking her.

Will tells Paul that the next day they will be flying themselves to the Steel Mountains where they’ll camp and fish. Paul is upset when Will says the cat can’t come with them, even though the cat has flown with them before. Paul schemes to bring the cat, putting him in a duffel bag and sneaking him on the plane. The plane takes off, and the cat is out of the bag, sitting behind Will’s seat. Will doesn’t know he’s there yet. When they’re in the air, Paul is sweating from nerves. He finally confesses to his dad that the cat is with him. Will already knew - he saw him put the cat in the bag, but he isn’t angry. He was going to let the cat come with them anyway. He says he’s proud of Paul for telling the truth but disappointed that he disobeyed. They get closer to the mountains and the engine starts to sputter. Then, it stops. Will calls in a “mayday” and tells Paul to look for a flat patch of clear ground for them to land on. Paul finally spots one, and Will tells him to put his head between his legs until they’re on the ground and have stopped. As they glide closer to the land, they see that it doesn’t look as friendly.

Paul wakes up, hanging upside down from his seatbelt. He sees his dad next to him in the crumpled up plane, not moving. Will wakes up. They have to get out of the plane in case leaking fuel causes a fire. Will’s ankle is broken and his foot is trapped and Paul has to massage it free for him to get out. They get out and crawl away from the wreckage. Paul cuts away Will’s boot and sees his broken ankle and it makes him throw up. Will tells him that right now there’s a satellite that is getting a signal from the plane and someone will come and help them. Will passes out, then Paul remembers his cat. He goes back to the plane but can’t find him. He gets the camping gear from the plane and makes camp under a big tree and starts a fire for any rescue planes to see them. He drags his dad onto a sleeping bag then makes some freeze dried soup. It’s getting dark and cold. Will has a fever and is still unconscious. Then, it starts to rain and Paul is afraid of the tent leaking - or blowing away in the howling wind. Paul prays. His fire has gone out so he goes inside the tent, then hears an animal scraping at it. Terrified, he prepares himself for a fight - but it’s only his cat - but it’s an answer to his prayers and gives him hope.

The next morning, the storm is gone. His dad wakes up and his fever is gone but his ankle is still purple and swollen. He’s proud of Paul for making the camp, and they eat powdered eggs and Will drinks coffee. Worried about their water supply, Paul looks to a swarm of bees to lead him to water. He follows them into the woods with the cat behind him. When he realizes he’s lost, he hopes the cat will find them a way back to camp. It’s getting dark and cold, and he sleeps on the ground, hungry and thirsty. The next morning, he watches as the cat goes into the woods then comes back with a puppy. Paul can’t tell if it’s a dog or wolf, but the cat retrieves the entire litter of blind little pups. Paul is worried about where their protective mother might be. Then Grey leads Paul away, to a small cave and won’t leave until Paul reaches inside - and pulls out the dead body of the dog owned by Mr Parker. Shocked, Paul goes back to where he left the four pups. Luckily they are alive despite the fact that they must be hungry and thirsty. He gathers them up to take them to the dog so they could nurse - if the dog hadn’t been dead too long there might be some milk left. When he and Grey get back to the dog - it’s gone. He follows the cat a bit and finds a creek. Clear precious water. He jumps in and drinks. He tells the cat that he’s worried about the baby dogs when he hears a voice answer, “What babies?” Terrified, Paul backs out. He wakes up after a nightmare, in a lumpy feather bed in a cabin with pleasant smells. Scared from the stories he and his friends came up about Mr Parker, aka “The Mole,” Paul gets a window open and slips through it. The Mole chases him and finally catches him, asking why he’s acting like a foolish child and telling him to come back inside and eat. Starving, Paul risks it and wolfs down some beef stew. The Mole asks him what he’s doing out here and Paul tells his story - and The Mole says he knows Will. In fact, he introduced Will to Paul’s mother years ago. Incredulous, Paul tries to remember where their plane crashed. When he figures it out, The Mole takes him behind his cabin to where his little plane is parked. Paul thinks it’s a cool plane. He’ll need to fly to cover the ten miles Paul has wandered away from his father. Paul stays to watch the dog and the pups as The Mole takes off flying. The sun is going down when Paul hears the plane coming back, and he’s ecstatic to see his dad in the passenger seat. Paul and The Mole help Will into the cabin and make him comfortable. The Mole has a radio, and now a chopper would be coming for Will the next morning. Paul has a long conversation with his father about why God took their mother from them - he didn’t need her, they needed her. Will explains that God loves them and knows everything and that his mother will be waiting for both of them in heaven. Paul seems almost assuaged.

The Mole and Paul sit out on the porch and drink coffee and Paul confesses he was a part of the group of boys who called him names. The Mole, or Wilfred, said he doesn’t worry about that stuff because he was a boy himself once and he’s sure Paul would grow up to be a fine man one day. He tells Paul that he knew his mother since she was a little girl and lived nearby. When her father died, Wilfred helped out Paul’s grandmother and taught Paul’s mother all about the woods. She met Will and they got married. Wilfred is hiding from his wealthy family who want him in the family business but he decided he wanted to live close to the land and have a simple life.

Wilfred thinks his dog went into a coma after delivering her pups and he thinks God, with the help of Paul’s cat, brought them all together. Will wakes Paul up the next morning. The chopper has already landed, and Mattie is there cooking cheeseburgers for breakfast. She gives Paul a big hug. Mr Haskins gives Paul a rare smile and is glad to see him. Wilfred gives Paul a treasured possession of his - it’s Paul’s mother’s diary from when she was a child. It’s time to go, and Mr Haskins and Mattie sit up front in the helicopter while Paul, Will and the cat sit in back as they fly back to Texas. Wilfred marked a page from the diary for Paul to read first. His mother finds out that her mother is dying from a disease that is hereditary. She asks God that if she inherits the disease and she has a family of her own that God takes her peacefully and that her family isn’t too upset - it’s what she prayed for. Will asks Paul what Wilfred had given him back at the cabin, and Paul replies, “Answers.”

About The Author

Gerald Roe is a Professor of Intercultural Studies at North Greenville University in Tigerville, SC. He and wife Cheryl have four grown children and eight grandchildren. Gerald enjoys writing, wood carving and international travel. He is the author of three books including a second book in the Paul Holder series: The Curse of Red Wolf Valley.