5 out of 5 stars
How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.
In a Nutshell: military historical fiction, one of a series, all of which are stand-alone.
A terrific book. I didn't know anything about this war (as outlined on the cover), and found the whole account (fiction based on fact) absolutely fascinating.
James Burke and his sidekick William Brown, an NCO in the regular army, are sent to certain areas of the developing US, under instruction to persuade the First Nation warriors to fight with Britain and Canada against the US. They must also find out they whens and hows of the coming attack in order to deliver this intelligence to the British - which means going 'under cover' as fur traders, to the Shawnee.
I have not read much at all about the early part of the 19th Century, and it struck me how different it was from the later part of the century, when the 'Second Industrial Revolution' was taking place; Burke's world was before technology started to speed up. The descriptions of their day-to-day life and the ways of the First Nations absorbed me; the book is extremely well-researched without making one overly aware of this, which is an art in itself. I also enjoyed the detail about America itself, wondering what Burke would have thought had he known what the country would become.
James Burke is a man of his class and time, and Tom Williams is confident enough not to worry about reflecting this, which was appreciated. I liked the character of William Brown very much, and found Chapter 4, in particular, absolutely riveting - this is the first chapter from his rather than Burke's POV.
Highly recommended.
Thank you Terry.
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