Longshot

Mark Ammerman has captured a slice of time and a fascinating cast of men and women and convincingly and sensitively drawn them on a colorful canvas 300 pages long. "Longshot," Ammerman's third in the historical fiction series, "The Cross and the Tomahawk," is the best crafted of his well-researched and authentic sagas. The quick-flowing narratives follow the lives of the Narragansett Indians of Rhode Island from the time of their first encounter with the European whites to the conversion of many to Christianity, and their spiritual, physical, and societal trials and triumphs through generations of interaction with the dominant white culture. As we follow Christopher Long, Caleb Hobomucko, and Conestoga Joe from New England to the Ohio in 1750, we are treated to a slice of God's country in the mid 18th century.Ammerman has crafted an interesting array of wide-ranging characters who show the full spectrum of human strengths and foibles. He convincingly depicts the humor and pathos of diverse races and cultures interacting in both strife and individual harmony while seeking personal meaning in their own lives.The prose manages a fluid balance of period dialect while incorporating authentic Native American words and geographic place names. Historical notes, a bibliography, and glossary of terms assist the readers.This book, and the ones preceding it in the series, are entertaining, enlightening, and educational. Buy 'em and read 'em!