Book cover for Strength of the Mountains wilderness survival adventure book by Gregory O. Smith

STRENGTH of the MOUNTAINS–#1 Best Seller!

An Unforgettable, award-winning Wilderness Survival Adventure about Courage, Family, and Friendship.

“You’re kidding, right? Balloon camping? That’s what you want for your graduation present?”

The morning arrives. The balloon is filled. An unexpected storm strikes. Matt, all alone, is swept off into the wilderness in an unfinished balloon. How will he survive? Will he ever make it home again? Dive into the amazing–and sometimes humorous–survival adventure of Strength of the Mountains today!

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REVIEWS

Terry Stevens — “Well written”
5.0 out of 5 stars (Strength of the Mountains) January 7, 2025
Adventure novel to satisfy preteen boy. Main characters’ faith weaved well into the story.
Amazon Customer — “Adventure with some romance”
5.0 out of 5 stars  (Strength of the Mountains) October 10, 2024
I loved the adventure! It kept going and going. I enjoyed some romance at the end. Enjoy!
Calvin — “A fun, clean wilderness story”
5.0 out of 5 stars  (Strength of the Mountains–Audible) September 20, 2024
I thought this was a delightful story of survival. It is completely clean for your kids and it covers some good principles of survival. Originally I gave it an overall 4 star rating because of the virtual voice. A virtual voice doesn’t understand the story and consequently cannot give emphasis where needed, but this is a children’s story and the voice is not as important so I am ignoring it in the overall rating. The story makes up for it and I appreciate that it is clean.

Reviewed in Canada on June 27, 2022

Loved it awesome adventure on survival and a bit of romance.
PathfinderPenguin — “Survival Adventure!! -I’ve read it 3 times!”

5.0 out of 5 stars (Strength of the Mountains) June 16, 2022

I am a college student with very little time to read for fun.
-When I first picked this book up, I figured that it was just going to be another survival book, like Hatchet or something. Let me say that this book is actually good. Basic synopsis? -The main character, a dude named Matt ends up stranded in the mountains with no hope of rescue because, well, phone service is a nope. The REFRESHING thing is that he’s actually smart about it. (I don’t know about you, but characters being dumb in books is a nope for me, just can’t handle them lighting themselves on fire or leaving their food to rot, and while making mistakes is allowed, making the same dumb mistakes over and over is not.)

MATT IS ACTUALLY SMART, HE USES HIS BRAIN! He has skills that develop over the course of the book! CRAZY, I KNOW!

Here’s a list of things I like: (Mild spoilers)
-Matt makes friends with a raccoon (dubbed Robin Hood) that becomes his buddy after the bandit eats a whole lot of Matt’s granola bars.
-Matt and Robin Hood go exploring in order to find their way out of the valley, and discover things (not listed for spoiler reasons) that are pretty stinking cool. I mean, I wouldn’t be mad to end up in that valley myself, just give me a plane and better phone coverage, and maybe a generator or something haha.
-There’s more adventure/excitement than your typical running from a wildfire scene. Haha, let’s just say that riding a hot air balloon through a storm is just the beginning for my man Matt.
-Matt is a college student like myself, and well, I relate to him in a lot of ways.
-It’s entirely clean, there’s no bad langauge or innuendos, which is SO NICE. I am not ashamed to recommend this book to others because there’s nothing in it to hide. It’s a beautiful, thrilling, funny, and exciting book that I’ve had to read three times just because I couldn’t get enough. The only con is that there isn’t a sequel, cuz you know that’d be gold too.

Riverdancer — VINE VOICE — “A good fit for readers who are called to both nature and adventure”
5.0 out of 5 stars (Strength of the Mountains) March 27
What began as a fun family adventure has quickly turned into a quest for survival for twenty-two-year-old Matt. When his family’s rented hot air balloon escapes its tether and Matt is the only person on board, he is launched unceremoniously into the mountainous wilderness of California with little concept of how to return to solid ground. Fortuitous circumstances lead Matt to be able to land and secure both food and shelter, though he must still find his way out of the mountains and back to civilization–without a phone. Before long, a plane crash lands near his site of refuge, adding two more characters and even higher stakes to Matt’s mission. Together, Matt and his new companions must dig deep to protect one another and make their way home.
This survival story is especially good for fans of Hatchet, including Boy and Girl Scouts and readers with a Christian upbringing. Much of the narrative details exactly how Matt makes his way through the wilderness, finding shelter and ensuring his own survival while featuring him as the primary character. Once the plane crash lands, though, more voices enhance Matt’s journey. It becomes a tale of teamwork, which augments the solo survival story from the beginning.
Much like a hot air balloon flight, the book takes off quickly, before readers are fully introduced to the world Matt calls home. This rapid launch into the narrative allows readers to focus on the primary action points without a lengthy preamble. Action, adventure, and brief chapters maintain the novel’s forward momentum, and the story ties up nicely at the end. This engaging survival story is a particularly good fit for young adult readers who feel called to both nature and adventure.

I received a copy of this book from the author and I chose to leave this review.

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