Backlash: A War of 1812 Novel (1) - Softcover

Klaassen, Mike

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1682229718 ISBN 13: 9781682229712

Publisher: BookBaby, 2016

Synopsis

Award-winning fiction: a BRAG Medallion honoree.

A miscalculation that nearly ripped the new nation apart. Five young Americans in the fight of their life. The War of 1812 as never before told--a thriller. 
 With questionable justification and inadequate preparation, the newly united States of America declared war on Great Britain, the most powerful nation on earth. From Canada to New Orleans, sixteen-year-old backwoodsman Lemuel Wyckliffe seeks revenge for the massacre of his family. Silas Shackleton, a soldier in the American army, reluctantly fights in battles from the Niagara River to Lake Champlain. Recruited by Tecumseh, Muskogee warrior Hadjo fights to drive the whites back into the sea. Canadian-born infantry-lieutenant George Sherbourne spies on the government of President James Madison. In Washington City, Rachel Thurston helps her Federalist father plot to break the northeastern states away and realign with the British.  Whether you're looking for a thrilling story or an entertaining means of learning more about a turning point in history, you'll enjoy Mike Klaassen's third action-packed novel. Rediscover the War of 1812 by ordering Backlash today!

About this title

From the Author

The idea for this novel began while I was at a convention in New Orleans. I've always been a history buff, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to visit the site of the Battle of New Orleans. The self-guided tour was fascinating, but it also caused me to realize how little I knew about the War of 1812. I picked up several books at the visitor center, and began to read them that night.  
Having recently completed two young-adult manuscripts, I was looking for another story idea. As I learned more about the War of 1812, I began to toy with the idea of telling its story in the form of a novel. I had also recently read Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising about a global conflict with the Soviet Union, and it provided an example of how to structure a thriller with multiple viewpoints and vast geographic scope.  
The deeper I dug into the subject, the more I realized that there are dozens of nonfiction books about the War of 1812, its battles, and the individuals involved. My goal became to write a novel that depicted the major events and real-life participants of the war from the intimate viewpoint of fictional characters. The result was a novel that I hope you find both entertaining and informative.  --Mike Klaassen

From the Back Cover

"In Backlash, Mike Klaassen skillfully weaves the raw realities of war with the experiences and emotions of diverse and disparate characters to bring us an adult novel, rooted in historical fact and the core of human nature: a great read."--Keith A. Herkalo, President, War of 1812 Museum
"Klaassen sticks closely to the facts and skillfully weaves real history into an enjoyable and absorbing narrative. This is historical fiction that even a stickler for accuracy and documentation will find pleasurable reading."--Rick Conwell, Museum and History Store manager, Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum, Battle Ground, Indiana.
"The story of the War of 1812, which had no clear victor, is a conflict that will continually be debated among historians. It has been described as the war that both sides won and the war that nobody won. A Canadian historian suggested that Americans think that they won the war, that Canadians know that they won the war, and that the British are blissfully unaware that the conflict took place. It is a complex story. Using the War of 1812 as the setting for Backlash, Mike Klaassen has done a superb job of weaving his story around the facts. This novel is extremely engaging and with Klaassen's attention to detail and accurate portrayal of the life and times of that era, his book is not only highly entertaining but also very educational. Readers will enjoy the drama and are sure to learn something new. Backlash is a very welcome addition to recent fiction and nonfiction based on the colourful events at a time when America and Canada were anything but friendly neighbours."--Ron Dale, author, historian, and former Superintendent of Niagara National Historic Sites of Canada.
"Backlash is a fitting close to the War of 1812 bicentennial. It is packed full of details that will captivate readers who know the war. It's careening narrative will grab anyone looking for a great yarn."--Douglas Kohler, Erie County Historian

About this edition

• Publisher: BookBaby
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1682229718
• ISBN 13: 9781682229712
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 466