Counter Currents: A story of smugglers, river pirates, love, war and freedom fighters in 1838

ISBN-13: 9780987903525 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 300 str.

Shaun J. McLaughlin; Amelia Ah You

Opis

Ryan, 19, arrives in colonial Canada at the outbreak of the 1838 Patriot War. Cast out, he becomes a smuggler amid the grandeur of the Thousand Islands. He falls for a smuggler's daughter, Kate, and is coached by her older cousin Ada on how to capture Kate's heart. Ada develops feelings for Ryan and he in turn grapples with his attraction to Ada. Circumstances drive Ryan into a web of piracy and rebellion. Tugged by the opposing currents of romance and war, Ryan struggles to reconcile his family history, his duty and his heart.

"Counter Currents" is a story of smugglers, river pirates, rebels, love, war, and freedom fighters. Spanning 1837 to 1845, most scenes are set against the beauty and grandeur of the Thousand Islands during the drama of the Patriot War in 1838. That year, rebels attacked Canada 11 times from the USA. Among the raiders was the legendary Bill Johnston.

The fictional protagonist, Ryan, is just 19 when he arrives alone in Canada. He spends his first summer with a family of displaced Algonquins, learning to live off the land. They give Ryan a new name, Lone Pine.

As winter approaches in late 1837, Ryan arrives in Kingston just as Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec) are gripped by rebellions. The defeated Canadian rebels flee to America and build an army aided by American sympathizers.

Ryan leaves Kingston to escape compulsory militia duty and spends the winter in an abandoned cabin in the Thousand Islands with his pet raven for company.

In the spring, Ryan canoes to Clayton, New York, to trade furs. He meets Johnston, his family, and many fellow smugglers and rebels.

Johnston schools Ryan in the smuggler's ways in the lawless archipelago of the Thousand Islands. Ryan's first taste of violence is a midnight raid on a private steamer, the "Sir Robert Peel." Johnston, Ryan, and a dozen others attack the ship, remove the passengers and crew, and then loot and burn it.

Johnston spends the summer hiding from a massive US and British force sent to find him. Ryan continues smuggling, while Johnston's 18-year-old daughter, Kate, runs supplies to her fugitive father. Independent, fearless and beautiful, locals called Kate the Queen of the Thousand Islands.

Ryan spends increasing time Kate. He is coached by Kate's older cousin Ada on how to best capture Kate's heart. Over time, Ada develops feelings for Ryan. Ryan, in turn, struggles with his attraction to Ada.

Johnston coaxes Ryan to join the Hunters Lodge, a militant secret society dedicated to the overthrow of the British in Canada. Membership in the Hunters could easily lead to the gallows or a one-way trip to a Tasmanian penal colony.

The story builds on real events surrounding the Patriot War and stays close to historical facts.