Treason at York

by John F. Hayes

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a never forgotten story from my childhood. To this day, if I drive across Burlington Bay between Hamilton and Burlington, I look with wonder to the place where a schooner hid itself, where drama and intrigue happened in those days long ago. A terrific read.

[Heep · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and I were glued to our seats to see how the War of 1812 worked out. Spoiler alert - the Americans did not win the war or invade Canada - Manifest Destiny be damned. The story weaves the young protagonist through many important battles and events of the war with rollicking derring-do. It is a good boy's adventure tale - perhaps a bit too much so. The coincidences of timing are somewhat improbable, but it does provides a good chronology of events.

[Joseph Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An almost forgotten gem from the mid-20th century, this novel revolves around the events of a courageous young man (Alan) from the York region during the war of 1812.
The story starts out a bit slow; pre-war and getting introduced to the characters. However, it really picks up once we are introduced to the mean, definitely lacking something bully, Grosser. And friends of Alan are revealed to be traitors working for the Americans.
Through various trips around Lake Ontario, both in Canada and the US, Alan, and later alongside his friend, Hugh, have a number of close run ins with the enemy leaving the reader on edge wondering what will happen to the boys.
John F. Hayes does a wonderful job narrating a lovely adventure novel about early Canada. His descriptions are brief, yet vivid enough to paint a picture for the audience. He overuses the exclamation mark, as many authors did at the time. This is a novel anyone interested in classic adventures or the war of 1812 would enjoy.