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In the Wrath of Legends
"If you love Michael Crichton, James Rollins, or Preston & Child, you'll dig Buzan." -Gin Coleman, author of Desert Bold
Chenoa Winterhawk is a battle-hardened member of Oregon's elite U.S. Army Indian Scouts, sworn to protect travelers across treacherous mountain terrain and dark forests whispering of ancient terrors. As the daughter of legendary Civil War hero Chief Jolon Winterhawk, Chenoa is also a warrior bound by duty, struggling with injustices brought upon the Nez Perce amidst the broken promises that have forced another relocation of her tribe.
While escorting a military leader carrying a mining map of an underground river hidden deep inside the Blue Mountains, Chenoa is ambushed by a rogue Army unit in a deadly dirigible assault. Their sadistic leader is a traitor from her past, driven by revenge to destroy her family's legacy. The diabolical plan-destroy the mine and unleash the underground river, bringing a destructive flood onto sacred tribal lands to avenge personal betrayals.
Engaging ruthless military forces throughout unforgiving mountain wilderness and abandoned mines, Winterhawk wages the fiercest battle of her life. But she soon discovers that a much darker terror is also stalking her. Monstrous legends, roused from their ancient lair. These enormous creatures of myth were once faced by her father in an epic battle to the death. And now, it's her turn...
Chenoa Winterhawk is a battle-hardened member of Oregon's elite U.S. Army Indian Scouts, sworn to protect travelers across treacherous mountain terrain and dark forests whispering of ancient terrors. As the daughter of legendary Civil War hero Chief Jolon Winterhawk, Chenoa is also a warrior bound by duty, struggling with injustices brought upon the Nez Perce amidst the broken promises that have forced another relocation of her tribe.
While escorting a military leader carrying a mining map of an underground river hidden deep inside the Blue Mountains, Chenoa is ambushed by a rogue Army unit in a deadly dirigible assault. Their sadistic leader is a traitor from her past, driven by revenge to destroy her family's legacy. The diabolical plan-destroy the mine and unleash the underground river, bringing a destructive flood onto sacred tribal lands to avenge personal betrayals.
Engaging ruthless military forces throughout unforgiving mountain wilderness and abandoned mines, Winterhawk wages the fiercest battle of her life. But she soon discovers that a much darker terror is also stalking her. Monstrous legends, roused from their ancient lair. These enormous creatures of myth were once faced by her father in an epic battle to the death. And now, it's her turn...
265 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 18, 2025
19 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
David Buzan
5 books52 followersDavid Buzan is an Oregon novelist and screenwriter. His bestselling debut novel, "In the Lair of Legends," became a multiple award-winner, including the 2023 Best Thrillers Book Award for Historical Thriller of the Year. A graduate of
the Vancouver Film School, Buzan also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Liberty University.
"In the Wrath of Legends" is his second novel.
the Vancouver Film School, Buzan also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Liberty University.
"In the Wrath of Legends" is his second novel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 23, 2025
Fun action adventure tale
This is a fun action adventure tale with supernatural elements. There is another Winterhawk now that Jolon is dead, his daughter, who is also a scout and warrior. She has been given a mission to guard a soldier who has a very important map. This map will lead to underground rivers which will help the irrigation efforts in Oregon. However someone in her past has shown up, her uncle. Bitter because of being cast out, he wants to use those rivers to flood his former tribe. Though Winterhawk will do everything to prevent that, she also has real monsters, not just the human kind, to deal with.
Recommended if you want a fast pace action tale. The action can sometimes be hard to follow but the story is fun and interesting enough to get past that. It is written with a fantastical bent to where you don't think to much about reality, you just go with the flow to see what incredible thing will happen next.
This is a fun action adventure tale with supernatural elements. There is another Winterhawk now that Jolon is dead, his daughter, who is also a scout and warrior. She has been given a mission to guard a soldier who has a very important map. This map will lead to underground rivers which will help the irrigation efforts in Oregon. However someone in her past has shown up, her uncle. Bitter because of being cast out, he wants to use those rivers to flood his former tribe. Though Winterhawk will do everything to prevent that, she also has real monsters, not just the human kind, to deal with.
Recommended if you want a fast pace action tale. The action can sometimes be hard to follow but the story is fun and interesting enough to get past that. It is written with a fantastical bent to where you don't think to much about reality, you just go with the flow to see what incredible thing will happen next.
January 7, 2026
An Adventure Novel at its Best
For an author to write a truly great action-adventure novel, the layers matter most. Yes, David Buzan’s In the Wrath of Legends delivers those wondrous, daring scenes that bookend the novel, with the ingenuity and big-hearted scale that characterizes the best of America. But the novel also contains the wise touches and context that speak to this nation’s dark history, its inexcusable mistreatments of Native American tribes and Chinese immigrants, with the concomitant violence and greed underpinning them.
Like her father before her in Buzan’s majestic In the Lair of Legends, Chenoa Winterhawk carries the burdens of injustice with extraordinary grace. What gives the novel ballast is the massive presence of her embittered, aggrieved uncle, Akando. Many of Akando’s points are legitimate. However, his brutal responses are not. Echoing her father Jolon’s outlook, Chenoa considered how “the whole world was held together by the strands of sacrifices.” Her sacrifices are counterbalanced with Akando’s cruel and wanton indulgences. Akando has hatched a plan that not only would endanger the West’s future, but would lead to much greater suffering of his Nez Perce tribe.
How Chenoa goes about trying to upend Akando’s intricate and well-supported plans is a central thrill of the novel as are the Wen’ey’ti, large looming beasts inhabiting the caves. But those aforementioned layers are what give this blood battle its heart. Buzan has a wonderful knack for making the reader deeply care about characters who don’t cross the pages for long, whether it be the water hauler Rico Traff, the Harley riding engineers McNichols and Troost, or the secret service agents Travers and Michaels. The compromised yet dedicated Major Quinn offers a sharp contrast to the gold crazed traitors Briggs and Ivors.
Clever lines abound throughout, many of which possess a ribald earthiness unrepeatable here. At bottom, the novel is a thinking reader’s pleasure, one with breathtaking action scenes(Chenoa's improvisations and resilience are something to behold), but with such rich historical context and characterization that turn-of-the-century Oregon serves as a prism through which America can be considered. For those who have read Buzan’s In the Lair of Legends, this novel does not disappoint. In fact, In the Wrath of Legends only enriches that experience.
For an author to write a truly great action-adventure novel, the layers matter most. Yes, David Buzan’s In the Wrath of Legends delivers those wondrous, daring scenes that bookend the novel, with the ingenuity and big-hearted scale that characterizes the best of America. But the novel also contains the wise touches and context that speak to this nation’s dark history, its inexcusable mistreatments of Native American tribes and Chinese immigrants, with the concomitant violence and greed underpinning them.
Like her father before her in Buzan’s majestic In the Lair of Legends, Chenoa Winterhawk carries the burdens of injustice with extraordinary grace. What gives the novel ballast is the massive presence of her embittered, aggrieved uncle, Akando. Many of Akando’s points are legitimate. However, his brutal responses are not. Echoing her father Jolon’s outlook, Chenoa considered how “the whole world was held together by the strands of sacrifices.” Her sacrifices are counterbalanced with Akando’s cruel and wanton indulgences. Akando has hatched a plan that not only would endanger the West’s future, but would lead to much greater suffering of his Nez Perce tribe.
How Chenoa goes about trying to upend Akando’s intricate and well-supported plans is a central thrill of the novel as are the Wen’ey’ti, large looming beasts inhabiting the caves. But those aforementioned layers are what give this blood battle its heart. Buzan has a wonderful knack for making the reader deeply care about characters who don’t cross the pages for long, whether it be the water hauler Rico Traff, the Harley riding engineers McNichols and Troost, or the secret service agents Travers and Michaels. The compromised yet dedicated Major Quinn offers a sharp contrast to the gold crazed traitors Briggs and Ivors.
Clever lines abound throughout, many of which possess a ribald earthiness unrepeatable here. At bottom, the novel is a thinking reader’s pleasure, one with breathtaking action scenes(Chenoa's improvisations and resilience are something to behold), but with such rich historical context and characterization that turn-of-the-century Oregon serves as a prism through which America can be considered. For those who have read Buzan’s In the Lair of Legends, this novel does not disappoint. In fact, In the Wrath of Legends only enriches that experience.
October 28, 2025
David Buzan’s In the Wrath of Legends is a sweeping historical thriller that fuses mythology, frontier violence, and spiritual depth into a relentless narrative. The story picks up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, following Chenoa Winterhawk, a fierce, complex Nez Perce woman, caught between two worlds. As she navigates the tensions between Native traditions and the encroaching modern age, she becomes entangled in a web of military secrets, supernatural terrors, and personal reckonings. From the haunted mines of Oregon to the skies above the Blue Mountains, Buzan crafts a story where the past refuses to stay buried, and every legend hides a truth too monstrous to ignore.
The writing is vivid and poetic, often leaning into raw, sensory detail that grips your imagination and refuses to let go. Buzan doesn’t just write scenes; he paints them. The dialogue snaps with tension, and the pacing, alternating between explosive action and quiet, meditative passages, keeps the heart engaged and the mind uneasy. I was struck by how seamlessly he weaves indigenous spirituality and historical realism together. It’s not a romanticized view of history, but a hard look at betrayal, survival, and the thin line between faith and fury. At times, the prose feels almost cinematic, but what gives it weight are the moral undercurrents. This isn’t just a story about monsters; it’s a story about what people become when they’re forced to face them.
Emotionally, the book hit me harder than I expected. Chenoa’s journey is one of constant loss and rediscovery, and I found myself rooting for her even when the darkness seemed too heavy to fight. The monsters in the story, both human and otherwise, serve as mirrors, showing what happens when hope falters. I felt anger, awe, and even sorrow while turning the pages. Buzan writes with a kind of unfiltered honesty that sometimes cuts close to the bone. He doesn’t shield the reader from violence or grief, yet every brutal moment seems to serve a deeper truth about resilience and spirit.
In the Wrath of Legends is for anyone who wants to understand how myth and history can intertwine to reveal the soul of a people. It’s perfect for readers who love stories with grit, mystery, and heart, people who crave character-driven tales set against a backdrop of real pain and impossible beauty. If you want a book that challenges your emotions while thrilling your imagination, this one deserves your time and then some.
The writing is vivid and poetic, often leaning into raw, sensory detail that grips your imagination and refuses to let go. Buzan doesn’t just write scenes; he paints them. The dialogue snaps with tension, and the pacing, alternating between explosive action and quiet, meditative passages, keeps the heart engaged and the mind uneasy. I was struck by how seamlessly he weaves indigenous spirituality and historical realism together. It’s not a romanticized view of history, but a hard look at betrayal, survival, and the thin line between faith and fury. At times, the prose feels almost cinematic, but what gives it weight are the moral undercurrents. This isn’t just a story about monsters; it’s a story about what people become when they’re forced to face them.
Emotionally, the book hit me harder than I expected. Chenoa’s journey is one of constant loss and rediscovery, and I found myself rooting for her even when the darkness seemed too heavy to fight. The monsters in the story, both human and otherwise, serve as mirrors, showing what happens when hope falters. I felt anger, awe, and even sorrow while turning the pages. Buzan writes with a kind of unfiltered honesty that sometimes cuts close to the bone. He doesn’t shield the reader from violence or grief, yet every brutal moment seems to serve a deeper truth about resilience and spirit.
In the Wrath of Legends is for anyone who wants to understand how myth and history can intertwine to reveal the soul of a people. It’s perfect for readers who love stories with grit, mystery, and heart, people who crave character-driven tales set against a backdrop of real pain and impossible beauty. If you want a book that challenges your emotions while thrilling your imagination, this one deserves your time and then some.
December 19, 2025
Sequels are arguably the most difficult book to write. That’s what every author is told, but, fortunately for his readers, Dave Buzan has crafted a sequel that is every inch the peer of his international best-selling first effort-In the Lair of Legends.
This is literary fiction at its best – the words are poetry. But this novel uses this as a vehicle for delivering action, drama, and plot to the highest degree. Revel in the poetry of the words, but be prepared for the numerous bloody ways Buzan dispatches the forces of evil.
Chenoa Winterhawk, daughter of Chief Jolon Winterhawk, has joined the fight of good against evil. Against the backdrop of President Theodore Roosevelt’s trip to the West to find a way to bring water to the push to the West, Chenoa finds herself in the fight of her life to keep the monsters at bay. The monsters, however, aren’t all human, and it will take all of her resources to survive. Hidden treasure, the legacy of Chinese workers, and the greed of those who wish to profit.
A thriller of incredible dimension, In the Wrath of Legends is a masterpiece.
Highly recommended.
This is literary fiction at its best – the words are poetry. But this novel uses this as a vehicle for delivering action, drama, and plot to the highest degree. Revel in the poetry of the words, but be prepared for the numerous bloody ways Buzan dispatches the forces of evil.
Chenoa Winterhawk, daughter of Chief Jolon Winterhawk, has joined the fight of good against evil. Against the backdrop of President Theodore Roosevelt’s trip to the West to find a way to bring water to the push to the West, Chenoa finds herself in the fight of her life to keep the monsters at bay. The monsters, however, aren’t all human, and it will take all of her resources to survive. Hidden treasure, the legacy of Chinese workers, and the greed of those who wish to profit.
A thriller of incredible dimension, In the Wrath of Legends is a masterpiece.
Highly recommended.
December 21, 2025
As an old-school fan of Robert E. Howard, I absolutely loved Dave Buzan's "In the Wrath of Legends." This is the second book in the Winterhawk Saga, and it delivers on every level. Chenoa Winterhawk is my new favorite fantasy/action heroine. Talk about a conflicted, driven character! Elements of racism and sexism do battle with her loyalty and service to a country with flawed origins. On a personal level, she stands in the shadow of her famous father, Jolon Winterhawk (Book One - Don't miss it!). That's a lot of character-driven thematic material to ponder, but the author leavens it with non-stop action (some of it supernatural). The hardcover sits on my "keeper shelf" next to Book One and Howard's "Iron Man" short stories.
December 18, 2025
Dave Buzan’s engaging words transform monochrome pages into a vast spectrum of vibrant colors. His stories transport readers into a world cloaked in mystery, suspense, and terror.
In The Wrath Of Legends expands the vivid realm created with In The Lair Of Legends, this time adding more depth, richer characters, and lighting quick action which culminates in a rewarding follow up sure to satisfy the most discerning reader
In The Wrath Of Legends expands the vivid realm created with In The Lair Of Legends, this time adding more depth, richer characters, and lighting quick action which culminates in a rewarding follow up sure to satisfy the most discerning reader
December 31, 2025
A worthy sequel
This book is one thrilling setpiece after another. It takes the world and some of the characters from Lair of Legends and ramps up the action until it is impossible to put down.
This book is one thrilling setpiece after another. It takes the world and some of the characters from Lair of Legends and ramps up the action until it is impossible to put down.
December 27, 2025
Nice sequel
Interesting characters as always. Native American lore adds to the plot. Definitely keeps your interest. I'm hoping for a third in the series.
Recommend!
Interesting characters as always. Native American lore adds to the plot. Definitely keeps your interest. I'm hoping for a third in the series.
Recommend!
December 31, 2025
3 Stars
I'll admit the book had its exciting parts, but they were far and in between. I found myself skimming lots of the in between. 3 Stars.
I'll admit the book had its exciting parts, but they were far and in between. I found myself skimming lots of the in between. 3 Stars.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews