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God's Mercies: Rivalry, Betrayal, and the Dream of Discovery
From acclaimed author Douglas Hunter, a searing historical work about death, deceit and dishonour, and the rivalry between Samuel de Champlain and Henry Hudson–two of the greatest explorers of the seventeenth century.
Samuel de Champlain of France and Englishman Henry Hudson were rival explorers in a race to describe and exploit the northern half of North America and, not least, to find a profitable passage to the Orient. The English had been trying to find a way through the Arctic since the 1570s. For Hudson, the dream of discovery proved fatal. A mutiny in the summer of 1611 saw Hudson, his teenage son John, and seven other crew members cast adrift in James Bay in an open boat. They were never heard from again.
In May 1613, Samuel de Champlain left the site of present-day Montreal on a journey up the Ottawa River into uncharted territory. Champlain had undertaken the expedition because of extraordinary testimony from a young informant, Nicolas de Vignau, who had spent 1611-12 with the Algonquin and returned to France with an incredible story: He had visited the Northern Sea. What’s more, he had seen an English youth, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, held captive by the Nebicerini people as a gift for Champlain. To rescue both the English youth and his own career, Champlain set out to collect him.
God’s Mercies has all the elements of a great adventure mystery: a mutiny, a massacre, a murder trial, signed confessions, and intrigue at the highest levels of state. Truths would be revealed as lies, and lies would turn out to be half-truths.
Samuel de Champlain of France and Englishman Henry Hudson were rival explorers in a race to describe and exploit the northern half of North America and, not least, to find a profitable passage to the Orient. The English had been trying to find a way through the Arctic since the 1570s. For Hudson, the dream of discovery proved fatal. A mutiny in the summer of 1611 saw Hudson, his teenage son John, and seven other crew members cast adrift in James Bay in an open boat. They were never heard from again.
In May 1613, Samuel de Champlain left the site of present-day Montreal on a journey up the Ottawa River into uncharted territory. Champlain had undertaken the expedition because of extraordinary testimony from a young informant, Nicolas de Vignau, who had spent 1611-12 with the Algonquin and returned to France with an incredible story: He had visited the Northern Sea. What’s more, he had seen an English youth, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, held captive by the Nebicerini people as a gift for Champlain. To rescue both the English youth and his own career, Champlain set out to collect him.
God’s Mercies has all the elements of a great adventure mystery: a mutiny, a massacre, a murder trial, signed confessions, and intrigue at the highest levels of state. Truths would be revealed as lies, and lies would turn out to be half-truths.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
432 pages, Hardcover
First published October 23, 2007
1 person is currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Hunter
17 books28 followersGo to my website to learn more about my work.
In addition to being a writer and graphic artist, I hold a PhD in history (2015) from York University. I'm currently completing a book on the early career of Canadian landscape artist A.Y. Jackson, covering his formative years leading to the founding of the Group of Seven and his experiences as a soldier and war artist in the First World War. Hopefully, it will be out in 2021.
In addition to being a writer and graphic artist, I hold a PhD in history (2015) from York University. I'm currently completing a book on the early career of Canadian landscape artist A.Y. Jackson, covering his formative years leading to the founding of the Group of Seven and his experiences as a soldier and war artist in the First World War. Hopefully, it will be out in 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 1, 2021
Much too long for...not a lot to happen. Felt extremely padded out for a pretty simple story.
January 18, 2008
This is a fascinating account of the intertwined fate of two of the greatest explorers of 17th century eastern North America. I also write books about historical explorers (my latest book is titled Madness, Betrayal and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of Captain George Vancouver and is being published in May, 2008) and I am impressed with the depth of research. It must have taken years to unravel the many small mysteries of this tale. Readers with a bit of prior knowledge will enjoy this book the most.
September 29, 2009
A close-up look at the double-stranded story of Henry Hudson's final voyage, and Samuel de Champlain's efforts to locate the aftermath of said voyage.
Hunter does a good job of bringing to life the many personalities involved, and makes clear to differentiate between fact and speculation.
If there's one complaint, he gives excessive detail to secondary subjects, which often slows the story to a crawl. I found myself skipping sentences, then paragraphs, then pages at a time in order to get back to the main narrative. Still, a solid work overall.
Hunter does a good job of bringing to life the many personalities involved, and makes clear to differentiate between fact and speculation.
If there's one complaint, he gives excessive detail to secondary subjects, which often slows the story to a crawl. I found myself skipping sentences, then paragraphs, then pages at a time in order to get back to the main narrative. Still, a solid work overall.
August 8, 2011
This book details the last voyage made by Henry Hudson and that of French Explorer Samuel de Champlain to find the Northwest Passage. a great read that led me to read more about both the history of Canada and the fascination at the time to find the Northwest Passage. Hudson was so far off the mark and his journey ended tragically. While Champlain never found the passage either, he went on to make his mark in Quebec.
March 25, 2019
This book took me so long to finish
I enjoyed the story and it was well written, delivering the facts of both men’s search for the northwest passage without glossing over the more unsavoury bits
The third section was very disorienting and didn’t seem to fit well with the rest of the narrative style.
The ending didn’t give good resolution to the story and could have been longer
I enjoyed the story and it was well written, delivering the facts of both men’s search for the northwest passage without glossing over the more unsavoury bits
The third section was very disorienting and didn’t seem to fit well with the rest of the narrative style.
The ending didn’t give good resolution to the story and could have been longer
May 2, 2024
A wonderful follow-up to, "Half Moon". The research must have been exhausting yet Hunter wove a wonderful tale. Well done!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews