SOURCE: Havighurst, Walter. “Vivid Novel of Lewis and Clark Expedition.” Chicago Tribune (22 June 1958): 1.

In the following review of Tale of Valor, Havighurst observes that Fisher sticks to the historical facts of his story while rounding out individual characters and adding dramatic action.

The Lewis and Clark expedition, one of the great adventures of all history, was so thoroughly documented that later generations can follow every step of the epic journey. Now, after the northwest wilderness has become a civilization, we can know what it was like to be the first travelers in that vast and virgin country. We can experience its grandeur and loneliness, its promise and danger.

In Tale of Valor Vardis Fisher has written a vivid and dramatic novel of the expedition. He follows the record, often quoting from the journals of Lewis and Clark and sometimes citing lesser documents. He invents nothing; in this action-packed...