August 30, 1993
Strong, brave and wise beyond his years, Jamie MacAllister either impresses or angers all he meets. Kidnapped at age seven by Ohio Shawnees, Jamie's will and strength soon gain him both the favor of Chief Tall Bull, who adopts him, and the enmity of Tall Bull's other son, Little Wolf, the first of many who wish to bring Jamie down a notch. Escaping to a nearby Kentucky settlement, he makes still more enemies. After Jamie kills John Jackson's son in self defense, he must flee west with his beloved, Kate Olmstead--ironically, the daughter of another enemy--where they marry and are besieged by Shawnees, the Jacksons and bounty hunters--most of whom eventually die by Jamie's hand. The two then settle in East Texas, where Jamie is pressed into service to fight in the coming war with Mexico. Jamie serves with distinction and manages to escape the massacre at the Alamo. Alas, at war's end, he and his bride must still elude those thirsting for their blood. Johnstone ( Fury in the Ashes ), on rare occasion, molds history to fit his tale. However, neither these liberties, nor the one-dimensional characters dampen this rousing, two-fisted saga of the growing American frontier.