Thunder in the East

The First Frontier #1

by Mike Roarke

After their village is destroyed in an Indian massacre masterminded by the French, Sam Watley and his son, Thad--who made their livings as trappers--join the English troops during the French and Indian War. Original.

346 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 1 out of 5]

In 1756 Sam Watley is a white trader who married into the Seneca tribe and has a half-white son Thad, now 18 years old. The two of them are on the trail when they are attacked and captured by a Mohawk war party led by a warrior named Red Hawk. As "Thunder in the East" (1993) progresses, we are caught up in the French and Indian War as the various tribes in the region are used against each other by their French or British allies, and then those tribes seek revenge for actions taken up at the urging of those European powers.

This one has no cuss words or sexual content but Roarke throws in a number of extended gruesome Indian torture sequences in a gratuitous manner that keep it from being appropriate for younger readers who might otherwise appreciate a historical adventure read.

Verdict: An odd historical fiction with two well-written protagonists and a relatable coming-of-age undertone for Thad, but it is not always the most riveting or thrilling while it recounts information about tribe politics and with some long exposition sequences, and then its ending is irredeemably marred by an extended 15(!)-page-long why-would-anyone-read-this torture-to-death sequence handed out by (spoiler removed) that doesn't fit the story at all.

Jeff's Rating: 1 / 5 (Bad)
movie rating if made into a movie: R

[S.wagenaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise. I had a hankering for some two-fisted frontier adventure, and I took a chance on this book, the first of a four book series. I knew nothing about the series or the author, and reviews online were pretty scarce, but it certainly sounded interesting. This first book covers a year or so in the lives of a father and son, living in the wilderness among the Seneca people. It follows Big Oak and his half-Seneca son as they trap, hunt, run and fight in the North Eastern portion of America, at the beginning of the French and Indian War in 1756. The story is told in a simple, straightforward fashion that is enjoyable to read. There’s plenty of action and adventure, and even a little romance thrown in. There’s also a fair amount of bloodshed depicted in this book; people are shot, stabbed, scalped, tortured and burned. But the violence is realistic without being particularly gratuitous. I liked it enough that I will be reading the remaining three books in the series. Recommended.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 4 out of 5]

For mature adults only. Brutal graphic tale of French-Indian War, 1756, with trader Sam Whatley and son Thad caught in the middle of it. Good descriptions of life and times of the people in that era with details of inter-tribal warfare among the Indians. Bloody and violent at times with final scene of the torture of a traitorous Indian too strong for young readers.