“A feisty young Dutch woman, an English spy, and a local demon all cross paths in 1663 New Amsterdam, in this Ludlumesque historical thriller…a successful mix of historical fiction, spy thriller, and horror.”As Ruth, said “Every now and then I read a book that just takes my breath away. It feels like the author wrote the book just for me, and I just can't put it down”
That is exactly how it was for me, I adored this complex beautifully written story.
Set in New Amsterdam 1663, The Oprhanmaster is heady mix of adventure, romance with a spine tingling mystery at its heart; the disturbing Native American legend of the Wendigo.
(I have to confess I have a fascination with this legend after reading Algernon Blackwood's 1910 story "The Wendigo," which introduced the legend to horror fiction and later in Stephen King's novel “Pet Sematary”)
The novel has a huge cast of colourful, unforgettable characters including an African giant, a dashing English spy, a feisty heroine an Algonquin trapper and the Orphanmaster.
What makes this book extraordinary is the level of rich historical detail and your personal enjoyment of the novel will hinge on exactly how much detail you like in your historical novels. You will literally, learn something on every page!
The author really brings to life the wildness of this New World, and how perilous New Amsterdam’s position was; threatened by Native American tribes, the English, and the brutal power of nature itself both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Brilliant debut novel and one of my reads of the year
