The Battle of Seattle

Heroes & History #4

by Douglas Bond

It’s 1855 in the Pacific Northwest, and hostility between white settlers and native tribes is rising quickly, leading to deaths on both sides. As tensions mount, young William Tidd joins Charles Eaton’s Rangers on a mission to hunt down Chief Leschi of the Nisqually. If they can stop him, they may be able to end the bloodshed before it gets worse . . . but not everyone wants peace with the enemy. Is all-out war inevitable?

Through skirmishes, raids, close calls, and betrayal—William’s assumptions, beliefs, courage, and friendships will all be challenged in a few breakneck weeks.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Douglas Bond, author of more than thirty books--several now in Dutch, Portuguese, Romanian, and Korean--is father of six, and grandfather of eleven--and counting--is Director for the Oxford Creative Writing Master Class and the Carolina Creative Writing Master Class, two-time Grace Award book finalist, adjunct instructor in Church history, recent advisory member to the national committee for Reformed University Fellowship, award-winning teacher, speaker at conferences, and leader of Church history tours in Europe.

Reviews

[R.J. Rodda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart-thumping at times, this book vividly describes the battle of Seattle and what led to it occurring. The sections where Bill Tidd is in the forest with the feeling of being hunted are eerie and well imagined, but it the Indian Charlie Salitat who is the greatest hero here. He also injects much needed humour into the book with his playful ways and he is the one you honour at the end. This is worth reading just to learn about him.

There are some unforgettable minor characters and scenes too - my favourites being the knitting nun, the horse Prophet, the horse race, the canoe ride and any scene with Charlie. Noclas too was a solid comfortable character.

It must be said that I was about a third of the way in (the horse race) before I really started to like this.

I found the casual racism displayed by more the one character bafflingly contradictory but probably realistic for the time.

I also assumed that Americans reading this would probably know something of the events already and the historical figures mentioned were familiar to them. Not sharing this knowledge there were a lot of names for me to process at the start but it well worth keeping on reading.

This is written so that teenagers and even those younger can read it. There are violent and potentially frightening sections but they are not as gruesome as they could be. This is a clean story.

The narrative did jump forward in time a couple of times which I found disconcerting.

There is a faith element to this story and a Catholic and Protestant discussion of faith leads to a radical reassessment of received wisdom for one of the participants.

Overall this book gives a strong sense of the time with exciting scenes and brave people doing courageous acts.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for my honest review.

[Yibbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fine Christian historical adventure. It’s geared toward young people, but I enjoyed it very much as well. Bond does a good job of inserting his character into historical events, and still leaving the events believable.
I really liked the theological conflict of this story. It was very well done. This is a very nicely balanced book. The religions and action sides of the story are very nicely balanced. Neither intrudes obnoxiously on the other. They occur with very natural timing and in very natural discussions. I love how Bond set his characters to argue the value of human philosophy, specifically Emerson’s, and the value of Biblical teachings. As situations arise each character must draw strength or comfort from their chosen philosophy. I really appreciated Sister Marguerite’s character and conversion. It was very nicely handled.
The only negatives I have about this book are the loose ends. I get the loose end about Charlie Salitat. I appreciate the historical accuracy in that. But why the loose end about His father? What did he do? Why so secretive about it? I made a rather wild guess, but why not just say it straight out? Did or didn’t William finally trust Christ?
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and P & R Publishing. No review was necessary, but it was my pleasure to write it.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoy Douglas Bond’s writing. Bond’s historical fictions are immersive and engaging. It is hard to step away from the story, and the likelihood of one of his stories consuming large segments of your time until you make it to the culminating pages is great. In The Battle of Seattle, Bond tells the story of William Tidd who “played a behind-the-scenes role as an express rider carrying dispatches in the Puget Sound Indian War” and his counterpart, Charlie Salitat, who “was known for his daring and tragic midnight ride warning American settlers of the imminent Indian uprising, a ride that earned him the title, ‘Paul Revere of Puget Sound.’”

Bond’s works of fiction have certain consistent characteristics, and The Battle of Seattle is no different. I enjoy the dialogue that Bond creates. It is interesting and seems very consistent with the timeframe he is portraying. Bond also does an excellent job of setting up a space. In this new work, Bond does this from the beginning as he recounts the tale of a main character being tracked through the woods by a Native and this immersive experience continues throughout. This story blessed me. The story of sacrificial friendship crossing racial boundaries has been particularly encouraging during this season of racial conflict that our nation is suffering through (if not full-on embracing). More than anything, I appreciate how Bond roots all of these novels in the greater story of the resurrected Christ without the hint of preachiness or a forced spirituality.

The Battle of Seattle is yet another Douglas Bond book that I heartily recommend. I know that my boys will enjoy these when they have the chance to read them, and I am rather confident that anyone who gives The Battle of Seattle a careful read will enjoy it as well.

**ARC from the publisher for review purposes

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Battle of Seattle
by Douglas Bond
P & R Publishing


Christian
Pub Date 31 Oct 2016

I was given a copy of The Battle of Seattle through the publisher and their partnership with Netgalley:

The Battle of Seattle takes us back to 1855 Seattle Washington where hostility between the native tribes, and the white settlers is quickly boiling over, leading to death on both sides.

William Tidd and Charles Eaton's rangers were sent on a mission to hunt down Chief Leschi of the Nisqually tribe in order to end the violence and the bloodshed.


Will William and Charles be able to stop the violence, and win the battle before even more lives on both sides are taken?

Find out in The Battle for Seattle.

Five out of five stars.

Happy Reading.

[Sarah Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into the story; because it was a little slow at first and also because I have never heard of that part of history.
All in all I enjoyed it. It was rather refreshing to see the main character and one of the subcharacters be non-believers that eventually do come to Christ.
It was full of ethnic peoples.

[Tom Burkholder · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book The Battle of Seattle, author Douglas Bond follows the actions of express rider William Tidd during the Battle of Seattle. William is a young man struggling with courage and the realities of war. He is also struggling with his thoughts of the Indians, since his best friend, Charlie Salitat is an Indian. But most of all William is struggling with God and if God is there and can be trusted!
I would highly recommend this book for any reader. While the book is full of historical facts, it is like other Douglas Bond books, written in a fast paced novel style which keeps it very interesting. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Frode · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bond is on his home ground, and it shows. Literally some of the action takes place in his immediate environs. Nice. After reading good books by Douglas Bond set in other places, this was a switch, and a good one. While Southern Oregon isn't quite as wet as Seattle, our 42 inches of rain during the wet season here this year brought the fog and gray damp days in the book quite close to home.

The story is a good one, not preachy as some of his books are at times, and it is based in historical facts. Personally, I knew nothing of the short war with the Indians in the Puget Sound area. It was good reading. As far as characters go, Junebug is a joy. Noclas is the wise and godly man. Charlie Salitat is Bill Tidd's Indian friend, who earns the nickname "The Paul Revere of Puget Sound." Bill Tidd, the main character, has his own struggles and adventures, and he matures nicely in the book.

Lots of history is woven into the story. There are places and events that are worked into Bond's novel in an unobtrusive way. The reader gets some flavors of the time, both good and bad. People are people and doubtless will continue to be so. Some folks are giving and sacrificial; others are mean and self-serving. A few are willing to give folks the benefit of the doubt, but others are prejudiced and make no allowances for any deviation. All these types appear in this story.

If you live in the Northwest or are interested in its early settlement history, this is a good book to read, especially for young folks. The story moves along; there is plenty of action, but there are also times of thoughtful reflection, usually done in conversations. I liked the book. If you've not read any of Douglas Bond, this is a good place to start. It is a stand alone novel and worthy of your time.