The Coming

by David Osborne

A sweeping historical novel of the American West that follows the dramatic life of Daytime Smoke, Nez Perce son of explorer William Clark.

The Coming is an epic novel of native-white relations in North America, intimately told through the life of Daytime Smoke—the real-life red-haired son of William Clark and a Nez Perce woman. In 1805, Lewis and Clark stumble out of the Rockies on the edge of starvation. The Nez Perce help the explorers build canoes and navigate the rapids of the Columbia, then spend two months hosting them the following spring before leading them back across the snowbound mountains. Daytime Smoke is born not long after, and the tribe of his youth continues a deep friendship with white Americans, from fur trappers to missionaries, even aiding the United States government in wars with neighboring tribes. But when gold is discovered on Nez Perce land in 1860, it sets an inevitable tragedy in motion.

Daytime Smoke’s life spanned the seven decades between first contact and the last great Indian war. Capturing the trajectory experienced by so many native peoples—from friendship and cooperation to betrayal, war, and genocide—this sweeping novel, with its large cast of characters and a vast geography, braids historical events with the drama of one man’s remarkable life. Rigorously researched and cinematically rendered, The Coming is a page-turning, heart-stopping American novel in a classic mode.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Westerns, Native Americans, Historical, Native American, American History

528 pages, Hardcover

First published February 7, 2017

About the author

David Osborne was born in Appalachia. He spent several years in Arizona and Colorado . He is a retired military reservist and a high school principal. He has had a lifelong interest in the old west and has spent a lifetime researching it. He has written four western novels plus two more about growing up in Appalachia.

Reviews

[William F · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I can't believe this is David Osborne's first fiction book, and can't wait to see what he comes out with next!

[John Glynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this novel epic and absorbing. Osborne's sharp, unadorned prose paints a vivid and dramatic portrait of the American frontier. Recommended for lovers of historical fiction and U.S. history.

[Alex Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, historical fiction with a very careful eye for detail, well researched, one of those books where fiction can illustrate a truth better sometimes than the dry history itself. A tremendously sad story, well told, and with obvious love for the county and its people.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A multi-generational saga beginning with Lewis & Clark's trip west and continuing through generations of Clark's half-Indian son and family. Unsurprisingly, a hard story to read. You find no redeeming qualities of Americans or Christianity, which is most likely entirely accurate considering this history. Despite this, the writing never succumbs to an entirely dismal tone or perspective.

The author's epilogue states something along the lines of how the advantage of historical fiction is its ability to add humanity to historical moments. Here, he takes existing people and events, some perhaps without much of a historical record, and creates a full history, story, or characterization - a reminder of moments so quickly forgotten by history and their enormous, lasting impact on everyday lives and cultures. In recent years I've read several books on the lives and plight of American Indians, just because I think it's an important, sobering reminder of what came before us. It is a piece of our national history I continue to find very difficult to stomach.

[Steve Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coming takes the reader inside the tipi. You feel the warmth of the council fire, smell the aroma of roasted elk meat and hear the murmur of old voices as you gather your weapons. The copper taste of anxiety and fear fills your mouth as you depart on your best horse for a land called buffalo country. This is your first hunt and your first test of manhood. Your name is Daytime Smoke. You have red hair from a father you have never known. You want to know more about your father's people, learn their ways understand their inventions but you must reconcile their many betrayals and countless lies. You search for understanding and wisdom as more white invaders move onto your ever shrinking homeland. You are torn from both worlds, the truth is inescapable.
Mr. Osborne's characters require the reader to listen to them, their many voices tell an undeniable truth that history alone can not. Experience the last open expanse of unbridled freedom in this gripping novel.

[Joy Hakim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book and especially timely. Focusing on a classic American hero and his Native American son it tackles issues that are central to our American experience and yet are rarely handled with the sophistication and detail found in The Coming. It should be widely considered for high school reading as well as in book clubs. We Americans know about GW and TJ and FDR, we've been unaware of stories of the diverse people who have interacted on this land since Europeans and Africans first arrived confronting those who were already here. And what a story, all these peoples with very different backgrounds somehow making it in a democracy--and then there are those who don't make it, a poignant part of the tale. Criticism: It is a big book that might have been sharpened with some tough editing.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Coming" is a fabulous work of historical fiction tracing the story of the Nez Perce tribe from its first encounter with Lewis & Clark to its ultimate subjugation by the US military in 1877 after a dramatic 1,700-mile chase popularly (and erroneously) known as "Chief Joseph's War." What's striking about the story is that it all happens within the span of a single human lifetime. The story's protagonist, Daytime Smoke, was the illegitimate son of William Clark who survived and/or witnessed many atrocities committed by white colonizers of the West. I credit the author with crafting his characters so that they don't fall into easy stereotypes, whether they be early explorers, missionaries, political leaders, soldiers, or Native Americans.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking novel. It's well-written and well-researched, which I really appreciate in historical fiction, but I did find it to plod along in some spots. There are some incredible insights to glean on how colonialism and capitalism can completely destroy the cultures of marginalized people as well as the people themselves.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly an amazing piece of work. It was sometimes very difficult to endure, but it absolutely delivered a compelling story of what most likely occurred. I cannot recommend this book more highly.

[Dot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A candid description of early 18th C West, Native American culture, clash of natives and new Americans. And we all know how it ends, very bad for the natives.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. The descriptions of the Indian tribes was wonderful

[Wendy Blom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book written by my friend David Osborne. I highly recommend this beautiful story about the Nez Pierce Native Americans.

[Bruce Wauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda strange, but well written.

[Jim Galford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable story. The span within the book, from first contact with white explorers to the great wars, some 70 years later, is a fascinating read.

[Tami Martin]

I enjoyed this book very much.

[Matt]

With a book like this there's usually some type of 'hook' that gets you into it, whether it's the details of the day to day grind or the internal thoughts of a protagonist. I couldn't find anything to grab in this book.
Also, I had a problem understanding how everyone was communicating. Were they always translating multiple languages? Were they signing? If they were using sign language, they were able to express some pretty complex thoughts.

[Bennett McCardle]

Currently preparing to narrate this as an audiobook for people living with blindness and print disability.