Old Sam's Thunder
by Jack Noon
Illustrated by Walt Cudnohufsky
1998 - ISBN 0-9642213-6-5
Paperback, 289 pages, $16.00
Barston Falls needs a cannon to celebrate the 50th anniversary of American Independence, but there are none to be begged or borrowed. And if none are for sale, well, - Old Sam Barston aims to get one anyway. His quest sets off a determined hunt throughout the upper Connecticut River valley with some surprising results.

"It's almost as if I once knew these wonderful characters - especially Old Sam."
- Jud Hale, Yankee Magazine, The Old Farmer's Almanac

Jack Noon's first book of the Barston-Wheelock series, The Big Fish of Barston Falls, published in 1995, is also set in the upper Connecticut River valley in the newly discovered river townships of Barston, Vermont, and Wheelock, New Hampshire.

Some Responses to Old Sam's Thunder

". . . a literary masterpiece. If Old Sam's Thunder doesn't become a classic, I will be very surprised. This book will hold its own with the best . . . one of the finest works of historical fiction that I have ever read. "

- Floyd Ramsey, author of Shrouded Memories


"A thunderous story, masterfully told!

"Sure to thrill all readers, whether or not they've ever set foot in the Connecticut River valley or on the Dartmouth College campus. Fourth of July preparations have never been more touching, humorous or suspenseful. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, the chicanery takes a surprising turn.

"This tale left me so elated that I then had to read Jack Noon's first book about this mythical town, The Big Fish of Barston Falls. I just hope he doesn't keep me waiting long for the next one!"

- Tom Burack


"It is the many wonderful stories of the founders and early settlers of New England that make its history and folklore so rich. Old Sam's Thunder celebrates both America's independence and the independent mindedness of the 19th century residents of New England - and in particular the people of the Upper Connecticut River valley."

- John Mudge, author of The White Mountains: Names, Places and Legends


"If you ask how I like my history, I like it the way Jack Noon writes it: strong story, rich characters, and spiced with dry, wry Yankee humor.

"Jack Noon's work fills an important educational niche, especially for young people, by bringing New England history to life. The life he gives it through his strong characters makes it entertaining as well as educational. And that's a lot to say about a book."

- Rebecca Rule, author of The Best Revenge


"Another great yarn from the fictional town of Barston Falls. Jack Noon's forte is combining the imagined with the historical.

"In The Big Fish of Barston Falls he gave us a regional version of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, describing in detail community life along the upper Connecticut River during the early 1800s. The cast of characters and the time period in Old Sam's Thunder are much the same. The story, however, focuses not on fishing, but on family, town, and nation.

Especially recommended for fans of July 4th ceremonies."

- Prof. Jere Daniell, Dartmouth College


"While reading Jack Noon's new book, Old Sam's Thunder, I noted this weird feeling that I was living the story right here in Haverhill Corner, New Hampshire, where I live. Every detail is now, even though the story took place in 1826. The rivers, the mountains, the people and the history are accurate and exciting. Noon's stuff is that real! I'm even poking around our nearby Ladd Street Cemetery, because I have a distinct feeling that Old Sam Barston is buried right here.

"Jack Noon says it's fiction, but I'm not convinced."

- Bernie Marvin Publisher, Northcountry News-Independent

Some Excerpts

". . . Wheelock Village didn't deserve a cannon. Barston Falls needed one -cried out for one - and did without simply because Barston Falls was in Vermont rather than in New Hampshire and because a bunch of weak-kneed, skinflint biddies had decided they didn't want to spend a few dollars of the town's money for a cannon. Cheap, ignorant cusses! Fifty years of independence and all they could think about was their pocketbooks! He wondered what their idea of a celebration would be. Pony rides? A tea party with cookies?

A pain crept into Old Sam's chest, gradually doubling him up and forcing him down onto his knees. He labored hard to breathe. "It ain't time yet, God. You know that. Take me when I'm out fishin' some day, and I'll come right along. But give me a little more time. Please give me a little more time."

Old Sam stayed down on his knees as the storm played itself out. Gradually the pain in his chest eased and finally disappeared. Old Sam crawled outside the vault and raised his eyes to the breaking clouds in the east.

"Thank you," he said. An afterthought of thunder rumbled and thudded over the village, rolling back and forth between the hills.

"Thank you, sir!" Old Sam roared out. He tottered to his feet and went to retrieve his cane and jug; never even thought about closing the vault door. . . ."

More Excerpts from Old Sam's Thunder
Dartmouth (1826) - The Way It Used to Be
Dartmouth (1826) - Bedbug Alley