James Alexander Thom was formerly a U.S. Marine, a newspaper and magazine editor, and a member of the faculty at the Indiana University Journalism School. He is the author of Follow the River, Long Knife, From Sea to Shining Sea, Panther in the Sky (for which he won the prestigious Western Writers of America Spur Award for best historical novel), The Children of First Man, and The Red Heart. He lives in the Indiana hill country near Bloomington with his wife, Dark Rain of the Shawnee Nation, United Remnant Band. Dark Rain is a director of the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Planning Council.
"James Alexander Thom . . . make[s] the story of North America come
alive. He puts flesh and blood on forgotten names, and he breathes
life into the stale past. He is probably the most important author
of American historic novels writing today because he helps to
interpret the distant past for the mind and interest of the modern
reader."
--JACK WEATHERFORD
Author of Indian Givers
Thom (Follow the River; From Sea to Shining Sea) has written another historical saga of early America, here recounting the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804$06). Events are seen through the eyes of George Drouillard, the half-Shawnee, half-French hunter hired by Lewis and Clark as the first interpreter for their expedition, at least a year before they met Sacajawea. Thom succeeds in his mission to educate readers about the beliefs and culture of Native Americans, and his knack for absorbing descriptions reveals a breathtaking virgin American landscape so pristine, so full of wildlife, flora, and beauty, that one is appalled by the Americans! behavior. They defile rivers, rape the landscape, use and insult Native Americans, and massacre wildlife as they trudge their way to the Pacific and back. Yet, surprisingly, Thom!s fans will likely be disappointed by his latest effort: the story of the expedition itself, as ploddingly described here, is simply not a gripping subject. Thom devotees and early American history buffs may create demand for this often-dull read, but otherwise it is lukewarmly recommended."Barbara L., Roberts, Maricopa Cty. Lib. Dist., Phoenix Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
"James Alexander Thom . . . make[s] the story of North America come
alive. He puts flesh and blood on forgotten names, and he breathes
life into the stale past. He is probably the most important author
of American historic novels writing today because he helps to
interpret the distant past for the mind and interest of the modern
reader."
--JACK WEATHERFORD
Author of Indian Givers
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