A Red Son Rises in the West

Red Son #1

by John Deakins, Herb Sakalaucks

Ripped from his homeland to become the companion of an English spy, a young Native American of the Pequod tribe is thrust into the turbulent world of a Europe staggering under the impact of the Ring of Fire. His newfound Christianity is shaken by the loss of his master and a life-threatening injury. Following after his Mennonite friends, he goes to the time-displaced American town of Grantville and is overwhelmed by culture shock.He decides to return to the New World as a missionary. Only half a dozen warring powers and thousands of miles of ocean can block him, until he’s almost stopped by an unexpected event; love. A storm, a baby, a near-shipwreck, and a timely rescue finally see him back in his homeland. Now, all he has to do is to reach for his dreams.

Genres: Alternate History

185 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2019

Reviews

[Marsha Valance]

I enjoyed this portrayal of a Grantville-trained Pequod convert to Christianity settling on the Hudson River near West Point, planning to set up a blacksmith's forge, a print shop using Tecumseh's Cherokee alphabet for Bibles, and a clinic to vaccinate for smallpox, in order to keep the Native Americans from being decimated by European settlers.

[Helen M. Whitchurch]

Alternative History

Young native American in 1630a Europe returns home a blacksmith, printer, immunizer, and missionary hoping to make better future for Native Americans.

[Michael Brown]

A slow read with a new character. A young Pegoud is saved by an Englishman and becomes part of his household. When the master is killed in Amsterdam, he tries to follow some friends east but ends up in Grantville. From there he learns many of the future events that will kill off most of the eastern native tribes. His goal is to return to north america with skills and methods to stop some of the plagues that will be unleashed. We end with him just arriving back after many mishaps. Book two should be a good followup as not all of the settlers are following the old history and he fits in as a ray of hope for his people.

[Ronald Spitzer]

Good, I'm glad that New World natives are not forgotten in the 1632 universe. I am glad that there is finally a writer willing to give a fair treatment to Anabaptists and their beliefs. So many modern writers simply dismiss God as being for the weak minded or the control freaks and here finally is a writer who realizes God is real and that a person is't complete otherwise. This a logical realistic story of a neglected aspect of the 1632 universe and real people behaviors, both in Europe and the east coast of North America. Recommended.

[John]

I wanted a story not a religious tracht

I didn't even get half way through this book and decided to bin it. It was beginning to read like an evangelical sermon. This might be fine for a US readership but, as a British non-religious person, it was degenerating into complete pain in the arse.

[Julia]

I didn't realize from the description how much of this book would focus on the main character's adoption of Christianity and his desire to convert others. It's interesting to see how different authors focus on different things while writing in the 1632 universe, but this one just wasn't enjoyable for me.

[Bill]

A 17th century native of North America, after a long 'visit' to Europe, heads back west to save other North Americans with science, literacy and Christianity. A nice expanding thread to the ROF universe.

[Kevin K]

Decent addition to the Ring of Fire series. The story was written well and dove tailed nicely into the overall flow of the series. Would recommend if you're a fan of the RoF series and want to see more of it made.

[Randy Pursley]

This was a decent story and an interesting premise. I like the way it tied into another book in the series.

[Jim Duncan]

Excellent!!

A little improbable, but a good read! I would like to read more about an Indian blacksmith with a important message to share.

[Allen McDonnell]

A Different Perspective

Seeing the 1632 universe from the perspective of a non European forced into indentured servitude definitely gives viewpoint worthy of attention. I found the story interesting without being too heavy handed in its portrayal of the First Peoples of the Americas culture.

[Larry Loughlin]

Very well written

I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in the Ring of Fire universe. I hope we hear more from this story line.