Wanders Far lived in dangerous times and was faced with one difficult challenge after another. He was a skinny, quiet boy who was raised on the banks of a tributary of New York State’s Mohawk River, hundreds of years before colonists arrived. One lifetime was not enough for Wanders Far’s old soul.From a very young age, his wanderlust compelled him down one path after another. No village could … village could contain him.
He was happy living a simple life in the physical world during challenging times. The spirit world had other plans.
A wise, enigmatic shaman mentored Wanders Far and helped him cultivate the supernatural visions that haunted him. His guide could only help him so far.
He set out to become a runner, carrying important messages across the lands of his people and their enemies. He ended up fulfilling a much greater destiny than he ever imagined.
This is the first installment in the Adirondack Spirit Series.
You might like this book if you like historical novels, westerns, supernatural thrillers, or books featuring distance hikers. If you like all of those, hopefully this book will be one of your favorites.
Table of Contents
Grandfather Is Dead
A Good Place to Start a New Life
Runaway Toddler
Too Many Trout to Count
Ambushed
Swamp Creature
The Fierce Scream of a Fisher Cat
Trading with the Narraganset
Choosing a New Chief
Attacked at Dawn
An Algonquin Captive
Utopia
Magic Crystal
Stealing Souvenirs from a Camp of Giants
A Malevolent Presence
Great Roaring Waterfalls
He Who Follows the Stars
That Is How Your Story Should Be Told, My Friend
People of the Longhouse
The Great White Stag
Justice
The First Full Moon of Summer
A Young Man with an Old Soul
About David Fitz-Gerald
David Fitz-Gerald is an author. Okay, make that amateur author. If you’re looking for the atheist activist author by the same name, keep looking—this book is DEFINITELY not for you! After a chaotic day as a business person, Dave enjoys getting lost in the settings he imagines and spending time with the characters he creates. Writing historical fiction is like making paintings of the past. He loves to weave fact and fiction together, stirring in action, adventure, romance, and a heavy dose of the supernatural with the hope of transporting the reader to another time and place. He is an Adirondack 46-er, which means he has hiked all of the highest peaks in New York State, so it should not be surprising when Dave attempts to glorify hikers as swashbuckling superheroes in his writing. Wanders Far—An Unlikely Hero’s Journey is the first in a series of books in the Adirondack Spirit Series.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this amazing book by David Fitz-Gerald, Wanders Far – An Unlikely Hero’s Jouney. Reading this book felt to me like I was reading an epic adventure story, yet is told so brilliantly in just 187 pages. The genre of this book is Historical Fiction but has definite elements of the supernatural and also some suspense and mystery within the story. Though this is an Adult Fiction, those who enjoy Young Adult will definitely enjoy the themes in this book. It definitely moved fast and followed the very exciting life of Wanders Far. The book is set in current day upstate New York in the beautiful Adirondack region.
Right away you know that Wanders Far is a very special child with definite gifts of photographic memory. He is able to discern subtle differences in rocks and trees and will never get lost. At the young age of 8, Wanders Far can travel miles, and survive the dangers of the wild, not just from the natural elements but from neighboring enemy tribes. His gift of being able to travel to different areas easily and so quickly, became the bridge to unify people. The art of storytelling is also a huge part of how information traveled between the tribes. His stories and adventures helped with this unification process. Wanders Far is from the Bear Clan Village of the People of the Flint (Mohawk tribe) that is lead by his mother, Bear Fat. The other tribes include Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca which will eventually form The Iroquois (Confederacy of Five). Bear Fat is an amazing leader that thoughtfully leads her tribe fairly and democratically.
Fitz-Gerald writes of a well researched novel in this beautifully imagined world full of interesting cast of characters, though it is centered around Wanders-Far. No detail is left out. Through reading this book, I became fully immersed in their day to day life. The story spans from the year 1125 through about 1192. I enjoyed the mention of their long houses, their crafts and specialties independent of the tribes, their traditions and beliefs, matriarchal democracy, importance of family bonding and of course a lot of adventures and difficulties when the tribes were warring with each other and some of the lifestyle and the way of survival during the 1100’s could be a bit graphic.
If you enjoy learning about different cultures and enjoyed the stories about Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse or Geronimo, then Wanders Far is a definite must read for you. I did not know that I would enjoy this very much! The storytelling and immersion into the characters are brilliantly told and the story flowed very well for me. I highly recommend this book.
I received a copy of this book from the author and this review is voluntary. All opinions expressed are my own honest opinion.
It’s difficult to categorize the genre of Wanders Far – adventure, mystery, historical fiction. It’s really all of the above. The author brilliantly describes the characters, emotions, challenges and events in this novel in a way that transcends time. The themes of family, adventure and societal expectations are as relevant today as they were in 1,125. As a woman with Canadian Indian ancestry, I felt a special connection with Wanders Far: An Unlikely Hero’s Journey. It is apparent that the location and topic resonates in a special way with the author. It is genuine, relevant, insightful and I highly recommend this book.
BLURB
Wanders Far lived in dangerous times and was faced with one difficult challenge after another. He was a skinny, quiet boy who was raised on the banks of a tributary of New York State’s Mohawk River, hundreds of years before colonists arrived. One lifetime was not enough for Wanders Far’s old soul.
From a very young age, his wanderlust compelled him down one path after another. No village could contain him.
He was happy living a simple life in the physical world during challenging times. The spirit world had other plans.
A wise, enigmatic shaman mentored Wanders Far and helped him cultivate the supernatural visions that haunted him. His guide could only help him so far.
He set out to become a runner, carrying important messages across the lands of his people and their enemies. He ended up fulfilling a much greater destiny than he ever imagined.
REVIEW
The Iroquois Confederacy – comprised of the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca tribes was just one example of the sophisticated governments and societies practiced by these so-called savage peoples who had called the “New World” home for thousands of years. In Wanders Far the author has created an intriguing look at a time and place prior to the European ‘discovery’, and settlement. A coming of age tale of an enigmatic, and precocious boy, who plays an important role in the founding of the confederacy of the tribes, Wanders Far is also a well researched look at the cultures and history of the tribes living in what is now upstate New York. An enjoyable page turner, Wanders Far (the young man) takes the reader on his spiritual journey to discover the Path he must follow to fulfill his destiny. 4 Stars
David Fitz-Gerald’s talent shines through in his Wanders Far-An Unlikely Hero’s Journey. I really enjoyed this well written and easy to read story. I really felt like I was right there living among the native people. I loved getting to Wanders Far and his family.
Wanders Far-An Unlikely Hero’s Journey gets a well-deserved five plus stars from me. I hope to see more books from Mr. Fitz-Gerald in the near future. This one is a keeper.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.