THE JOURNEY WEST BEGINS! Inspired by the legendary expedition led by Lewis and Clark, award-winning author Brett Cogburn kicks off an epic adventure of danger and discovery in the uncharted reaches of the American West. This is the story of two fearless explorers, one untamed land, and the trailblazing journey that changed a nation’s destiny. . . . THE FAR SEEKER After the Lousiana Purchase of 1803, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark to explore and map the newly acquired territory from the Missouri River to the Pacific coast. But they weren’t the only explorers heading west. That same year, an ambitious young man named Leonidas Bone made a deal with St. Louis businessmen to join another group along the Platte River. It was a golden opportunity, except for one thing: Leo Bone was no explorer. . . . Born to a wealthy Virginia family, Leo defied his powerful father, stole the old man’s racehorses, and took his childhood friend—a slave named Pericles—along with him. Armed with a pistol and dagger, the pair were determined to make their fortune in the world. But nothing could have prepared them for the rugged journey west. Only with the help of a surly old frontiersman could they face Pawnee attacks, cutthroat trappers, and nature’s wrath—without getting themselves killed. . . . But Leo would not only survive. He would grow stronger with each challenge, bolder with every fight—and ultimately become a legend himself. He became known as The Far Seeker.