A Stranger to Himself

About the Book

A precocious child, Thomas Benson, has all the resources to pursue his academics until his last year in medical school. Ft. Sumner is fired upon, and the war is on. His mother and his professors do their best to keep Thomas out of the war so he can complete the last year of medical school. However, this angers the war department, and he is conscripted into the military. Instead of sending him to the medical unit, he is sent to the infantry. As he has a college degree, he is given a commission, and sent directly into the war. Being resourceful, he watches his sergeants in battle and tries to emulate them. Slowly he learns to lead and becomes hardened as he sees the worst of the war. He decides to not make any friends as he doesn’t want to know the men he sends to their death. Aloof as he is, the men see him as a courageous fighter and a fearless leader. He knows that any day he may be killed and assumes a persona that he is already dead, to preclude fear. He sees himself changing and cannot do anything about it. He turns into a vicious fighter with little regard to anything but fighting the enemy. He survives the war and just wants away from everyone and the war. He decides to go west and find a house on a piece of land and runs a few head of cattle to sustain him in isolation. His story is mixed with adventure and the women he loves.

About the Author

William Post became a writer by accident. He had a dream about the book The Mystery of Table Mountain. After hearing about his dream, his sister encouraged him to write it. Thus started a career that now includes over thirty novels. He was reared in West Texas, educated at West Texas A&M, and served in the US Navy. After his service, he surveyed for the Southern Pacific Railroad, which took him to the wilds of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. He acquired the lore of those areas, which can be seen in his novels in those settings. He is a student of the Civil War and the two world wars, and many of his novels reflect those wars. His wife, Brigitte, was reared in Germany, and after visits with her family there, he wrote several novels with Germany as the central setting. Post was educated as an engineer and retired as the chief engineer of the Long Beach Water Department in California. Taking an early retirement, he moved to northern California and started his writing career. Post is an evangelic Christian, and the thread of his religion can be seen through the fabric of his stories. He now lives with his wife and extended family in Las Vegas, Nevada. To see the covers of a some of his novels, go to his website: NovelsbyWilliamPost.com.