Michael Tougias is the coauthor of "King Philips War," one of the most authoritative books on its subject. But in this novel, he brings the war to life through rich characterization and a fast-paced storyline
True Survival, rescue and history is the topic of most of my books. that runs through most of my books. My latest book is with St. Martins Press and is titled In Deep Water: A True Story of Sharks, Survival and Courage. Other nonfiction sea survival and rescue books include Overboard! A Storm Too Soon, Rescue of the Bounty, Fatal Forecast and Ten Hours Until Dawn. Disney made a major motion picture of my book The Finest Hours: The Trues Story of the Coast Guard's Greatest Rescue (Disney kept the same title). The movie stars Chris Pine an Casey Affleck and is a fantastic film. My co-written history books include So Clost To Home (about surviving a Uboat attack in the Gulf of Mexico), Above & Beyond (the untold story of the Cuban Missile Crisis) King Philip's War (Native Americans vs Colonists) Abandon Ship (wwii) and several more Another adventure for me is publishing a funny family memoir with my daughter, called The Cringe Chronicles (Mortifying Misadventures with my Dad). My friends were been asking if I'll write a sequel to There's a Porcupine in my Outhouse (2003 Outdoor Book of the Year) and I suprised them with another book of misadventures titled The Power of Positive Fishing: A Story of Friendship and the Quest for Happiness. Also in the same category is The Waters Between Us: A Boy, A Father and Outdoor Misadventures.
REALLY well written, love a good historical story that fits the facts - you get to see what the author THINKS might have been the details - or at least SHOULD have been. amazing that the work ethic even took native Americans away from their families and they sacrificed so much to join with Phillip - even if they were doubtful he'd win - was just a nice read and was disappointed to come back the real world when it ended.
Not terrible, but not particularly good either. Tougias also co-wrote a lengthy and information-packed narrative of King Phillip's war, and here he uses those historical tidbits to construct a novel. While it's a decent story, of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about this pivotal event in early American history, the characters- English and Native alike- are flat and uninteresting. Tougias' writing style is terse and direct, but lacks any subtlety and verve. King Phillip's war is still begging for a good historical novelist to take it on.
If you know Michael only from his non-fiction, try this one - available at most Massachusetts libraries. Well worth it. Gets you thinking about the other person's shoes.