The Firekeeper (Excelsior Editions)
"Robert Moss is a writer of considerable skill. InThe Firekeeper,he shows a talent for accurate historical detail and an ability to recreate the past, both as it was and as it might have been. To readThe Firekeeperis to be transported to another time and place, and leave it measurably enlightened." -- James A. MichenerThe Firekeeperbrings alive the world in which America was born, when the clash of empires produced the first worldwide war and Albany, New York, was the Casablanca of the age. Filled with great men--George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, the Mohawk Hendrick Tehayanoken--and the battles that opened the way for the American Revolution,The Firekeeperfollows the exploits of Sir William Johnson, an Irish adventurer with a rage for life, who created a tribal kingdom on the New York frontier.Johnson defended the First Peoples against white men who were bent on genocide and led the Mohawks into battle on the English side in the French and Indian War. His story is interwoven with those of three extraordinary women: Catherine Weissenberg, the Palatine German girl who fled the wars of the Old World to make a life with Johnson in the Mohawk Valley; Island Woman, a Mohawk shaman and mother of the Wolf Clan; and her granddaughter, known to history as Molly Brant, the only woman who managed to tame Johnson. With Island Woman, we journey deep into the dream practices and ways of healing of the Onkwehonwe, the Real People, and through herThe Firekeeperalso becomes the indelible story of a native people's struggle for survival, and of how dreaming can bring the soul back home."Some rare novels defy labels.The Firekeeperis such a book. An intricately detailed historical novel, a mystical journey, a breathtaking adventure tale, and a passionate exploration of the human heart. This is a book to savor when you truly want to lose yourself in another world. You may never come all the way back." -- Morgan Llywelyn, author ofLion of Ireland"The Firekeeperby Robert Moss depicts with accurate and exciting detail the time of the French and Indian War. Through the fictionalized lives of historical individuals, Sir William Johnson and Catherine Weissenberg, and memorable, almost mythical characters such as the Iroquois shaman Island Woman and Ade, a former slave, the narrative springs to life. The characters, even the minor ones, are clearly drawn in this fast-paced tale, and the pages keep turning as we learn about the lives of the original inhabitants of this land, and of the early European settlers. This fascinating historical novel offers just the right mix: an involving story which imparts a deeper understanding." -- Jean M. Auel, author ofThe Clan of the Cave Bear"Moss backs his vigorous adventure story with detailed research, summarized in extensive source notes." --Publishers Weekly"I admire Robert Moss' skill in weaving an elaborate web around his larger-than-life characters. In his latest novel,The Firekeeper, readers are swept back into the eighteenth century to the veritable fusion of our country's diversity. An epic adventure of William Johnson and the Mohawks. I found the story so good it was hard to do much until I had read all of it." -- Anna Lee Waldo, author ofSacajawea"It's a remarkable book . . . I love his take on the history, and the Mohawk stuff is really extraordinary. Island Woman and Swimming Voices in particular are inspired characterizations. . . . The sense of place is very intense as well." -- Cecelia Holland, author ofPacific Street"Based on exhaustive research into history and into the practice of dreaming, this is a splendid and captivating book by a master storyteller, a book that is richly textured and inspiring." -- Stanley Krippner, PhD, professor of psychology, Saybrook Graduate School, coauthor ofPersonal Mythology