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The River Of Corn
In 1540 Hernando de Soto and 600 Spanish conquistadors crossed the Savannah River into what is now South Carolina and thus entered the empire of the Chicora, the largest and most powerful Native American civilization in the Southeast. Modern archaeologists have yet to find any trace of that once vibrant society.
Although now considered a lost civilization, when the Spanish arrived the Chicora were led by a beautiful queen and had a magnificent temple filled with the remains of their honored ancestors. Did Hernando de Soto, a ruthless conquistador with a lust for gold, bring about their downfall? THE RIVER OF CORN is a powerful tale of the destruction of these American Indians told by an experienced South Carolina fiction writer who spent his youth in the locales he writes about, places that match the Spanish accounts almost exactly.
Who were the Chicora? What really happened to them?
Although now considered a lost civilization, when the Spanish arrived the Chicora were led by a beautiful queen and had a magnificent temple filled with the remains of their honored ancestors. Did Hernando de Soto, a ruthless conquistador with a lust for gold, bring about their downfall? THE RIVER OF CORN is a powerful tale of the destruction of these American Indians told by an experienced South Carolina fiction writer who spent his youth in the locales he writes about, places that match the Spanish accounts almost exactly.
Who were the Chicora? What really happened to them?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
203 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2014
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48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 6, 2015
In The River of Corn we step into the earliest days of the exploration of the New World and the threat of destroying its cultures. The novel is told from the point of view of Gomez, a Spanish slave working as a translator for the expedition. He does more than translating when he tries to intervene and change the flow of history: “Recognizing him them for a man of importance, I gave him warning in his own tongue. Take heed, man of Chicora, hear me well. This invader that comes to your country is like the deadliest of storms. He will overwhelm you people, take your food, defile your women, and press your man into bondage.”
The language is beautifully sensual and invites you to be in the skin of the character, sensing the moment, feeling the mood. “A lone black vulture circled ominously against the gray overcast that hung like a pall over the River of Reeds. Its harsh, shrill cry stabbed into a silence masked only by the low, buzzing of countless unseen insects toiling below… this was the kingdom of the dead.”
Many of the reviewers have commended the author for the research weaved into his story, but I think there is so much more in it. A time to fight battles, a time to love, and a time to look forward to a new future. “We will need many strong sons if we are to survive.”
Five stars.
The language is beautifully sensual and invites you to be in the skin of the character, sensing the moment, feeling the mood. “A lone black vulture circled ominously against the gray overcast that hung like a pall over the River of Reeds. Its harsh, shrill cry stabbed into a silence masked only by the low, buzzing of countless unseen insects toiling below… this was the kingdom of the dead.”
Many of the reviewers have commended the author for the research weaved into his story, but I think there is so much more in it. A time to fight battles, a time to love, and a time to look forward to a new future. “We will need many strong sons if we are to survive.”
Five stars.
October 21, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a reminder that there are always those who put their desires above all else and "take" what they want in any ruthless way possible. The details of the plagues and disease that the Spaniards brought to the New World through their greed, hatred, and apathy toward all others was appalling and I'm sure quite accurate. I liked the characters very much, and as the story unfolded, I cheered for their successes and worried when it seemed they were lost to the hostility of their enemies. I recommend this book to anyone that likes a bit of romance, friendship, and history woven into their novels.
January 13, 2024
Gomez is in the army and as a black man a bit of a standout. Perico is a translator of Indian language and the two team up to help to find Chicora the fabled city of gold. John Putnam takes the reader on a journey back in time as he tells of a history from ages ago, but one that should never be forgotten. Because greed is a constant no matter the year and leads to terrible tragedies as it does in thi well written novel. The reader will feel they are back in time as they go with Gomez and Perico on their great and dangerous adventure. This is a wonderful book that combines believable history with the author's wonderful abilities as a story teller and a must have read.
November 6, 2020
River of Corn is not only a well written, exciting historical adventure inhabited by real empathetic characters; but a searing indictment of the brutality, greed, and pomposity of the European invaders as they rode roughshod over “The New World.”
Putnam focuses on Spanish Conquistador Hernando de Soto’s 1540 incursion into South Carolina in his pursuit of gold, and his inhuman treatment of the native population.
Putnam creates a number of indelible characters chief of which are his protagonists: Gomez, a Spanish Moor, and Perico, a Chicora Indian; both young men in forced servitude to de Soto.
Far from a bland recasting of history, this is an exciting and inciteful coming of age tale as Gomez and Perico grow into manhood through a series of exhilarating adventures involving outwitting de Soto while finding their places in the culture of the Chicora.
A wonderful story for young and old; both for its thrill-packed action and historical and cultural significance.
Putnam focuses on Spanish Conquistador Hernando de Soto’s 1540 incursion into South Carolina in his pursuit of gold, and his inhuman treatment of the native population.
Putnam creates a number of indelible characters chief of which are his protagonists: Gomez, a Spanish Moor, and Perico, a Chicora Indian; both young men in forced servitude to de Soto.
Far from a bland recasting of history, this is an exciting and inciteful coming of age tale as Gomez and Perico grow into manhood through a series of exhilarating adventures involving outwitting de Soto while finding their places in the culture of the Chicora.
A wonderful story for young and old; both for its thrill-packed action and historical and cultural significance.
March 15, 2019
A JRP. Western Adventure/Fiction Based on Historical Legends
JRP. has. penned a western adventure, which I know is fiction based on Historical legends. After reading this novel I do not think I can do justice for a writeup. Let me explain. I have reached an age where I trust the data from books as opposed to the Internet. I read a lot of fiction, but one in five of what I read is based on reality. I have read JRP's. Novel and have seen how he weaves back and forth fiction and non-fiction. My family began, in the United States, in the late 1600's. on one side, when four brothers left Ireland for the future United States. They married, soon after arrival, into the Iroquois Indian tribe. There were very few white women in the US at that time. My mother's side blended with the whites about the sample time. She was a descendent of the meeting Cherokee and White settlers. My great great grandmother home was a two bedroom house with outdoor plumbing. The kitchen did have a pump, a manual pump, and an old stove. She told me that her great great grandmother's mother bought my Irish side for a horse, a plug of tobacco and a bone handler knife. That is how our part of the Dawson Clan began. The DNA test show that I am 1/25th indian. My great great grandmother would gather the grand kids around and tell the stories of our ancestors. She called them the Chic- or and explained the history of the ancients ones. I had not thought of these stories for 50 years until reading this novel. They existed and there are no records just stories of the legends of a group that disappeared. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
JRP. has. penned a western adventure, which I know is fiction based on Historical legends. After reading this novel I do not think I can do justice for a writeup. Let me explain. I have reached an age where I trust the data from books as opposed to the Internet. I read a lot of fiction, but one in five of what I read is based on reality. I have read JRP's. Novel and have seen how he weaves back and forth fiction and non-fiction. My family began, in the United States, in the late 1600's. on one side, when four brothers left Ireland for the future United States. They married, soon after arrival, into the Iroquois Indian tribe. There were very few white women in the US at that time. My mother's side blended with the whites about the sample time. She was a descendent of the meeting Cherokee and White settlers. My great great grandmother home was a two bedroom house with outdoor plumbing. The kitchen did have a pump, a manual pump, and an old stove. She told me that her great great grandmother's mother bought my Irish side for a horse, a plug of tobacco and a bone handler knife. That is how our part of the Dawson Clan began. The DNA test show that I am 1/25th indian. My great great grandmother would gather the grand kids around and tell the stories of our ancestors. She called them the Chic- or and explained the history of the ancients ones. I had not thought of these stories for 50 years until reading this novel. They existed and there are no records just stories of the legends of a group that disappeared. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
April 10, 2019
Very interesting story with historical roots. A bit of a departure from what I've read of Mr. Putnam so far, but refreshing to me.
Well written, with good characterizations and a solid plot.
I enjoyed it.
Well written, with good characterizations and a solid plot.
I enjoyed it.
September 19, 2021
Very interesting. I love history, and this story was of a time that I have not read any stories of. It's vivid in its cruelty as it is passionate in the lives of these two prisoners of De Soto's.
January 20, 2016
to sum up, it's a good one, boys and girls...full review soon.
In the year fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Much is made of that historic voyage, a tremendous achievement no doubt, but with some unexpected consequences both for the crews of the ships and most especially for the inhabitants of the lands they came to. The River of Corn is a story of Hernando De Soto arriving in what is now the Saluda River region of South Carolina in 1540 and his search for gold. The author has the Conquistadors confronting the indigenous peoples of the area (Chicora, Ocute and Chalaque) in typical European fashion; taking what they want with impunity and violence. Besides the antagonistic Spaniards, the story revolves around a black slave, a young Chicora warrior and a wise Chicora queen and their attempts to thwart not only the invaders from across the Great Water but also their enemies the Chalaque. Without giving away too much of the plot, the story tells of their ingenuity in the face of great danger and the unknowable consequences of their contact with Soto and his men. The descriptive power of the author is to be admired as he paints an Edenistic portrait of the land and wildlife that existed in fertile and plenteous abundance before the arrival of the European seekers of riches. Indeed, this is a wonderful tale of what life was like in 16th century southeast America and while it is fiction, it has the ring of possible truth. 5 stars and a hearty Hoover Book Review recommendation.
In the year fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Much is made of that historic voyage, a tremendous achievement no doubt, but with some unexpected consequences both for the crews of the ships and most especially for the inhabitants of the lands they came to. The River of Corn is a story of Hernando De Soto arriving in what is now the Saluda River region of South Carolina in 1540 and his search for gold. The author has the Conquistadors confronting the indigenous peoples of the area (Chicora, Ocute and Chalaque) in typical European fashion; taking what they want with impunity and violence. Besides the antagonistic Spaniards, the story revolves around a black slave, a young Chicora warrior and a wise Chicora queen and their attempts to thwart not only the invaders from across the Great Water but also their enemies the Chalaque. Without giving away too much of the plot, the story tells of their ingenuity in the face of great danger and the unknowable consequences of their contact with Soto and his men. The descriptive power of the author is to be admired as he paints an Edenistic portrait of the land and wildlife that existed in fertile and plenteous abundance before the arrival of the European seekers of riches. Indeed, this is a wonderful tale of what life was like in 16th century southeast America and while it is fiction, it has the ring of possible truth. 5 stars and a hearty Hoover Book Review recommendation.
March 14, 2015
In 1540-41, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto led an expedition of soldiers through what is currently the US south from Florida and the Carolinas to the Mississippi River near Arkansas, running roughshod through Native American tribes in his search for gold. However, de Soto never survived this final expedition and there is still debate and uncertainty as to the path and details of his exploits and interactions with these tribes. Putnam's novel is a fictional imagining of de Soto's meeting and attempt at strong-arming the Chicora tribe for treasure, mostly through the eyes of an African slave who has become adept at translating the tribal languages for his Spanish masters. However, Gomez, the slave, realizes that his conversations with the Chicora queen may be a path to his own freedom. This was a very imaginative tale that felt extremely historically realistic for the time and location. It encouraged me to research the expedition and the tribes in the story. However, the story's descriptions of the environs seemed to place the events around the Mississippi River and the edge of the Great Plains, while my research seemed to place the Chicora and their enemy tribe, the Chalaque (more commonly known as the Cherokee) in Georgia and the Carolinas. Still, since no modern place names were ever used, I have no proof for my doubts and must wind up enjoying a very interesting and engaging piece of historical fiction.
January 2, 2015
Although this is a novel it is, as far as I can tell, based on what could possibly have happened when the Spanish came to the shores of the New World looking for gold. They brought with them deceit, cruelty and could not have cared less about anyone--all they wanted was gold. This is the story of how the Chicora out smarted the Spanish with the help of a Moorish slave. It is a brilliant tale told in a way that will grip you and not let go. You will cheer for the Chicora as they not only outwit the Spanish but also their arch enemies.
Both history buffs and suspense readers alike will love this book!
The River of Corn: Spanish Conquistadors Clash with Native Americans
Both history buffs and suspense readers alike will love this book!
The River of Corn: Spanish Conquistadors Clash with Native Americans
October 9, 2015
The River of Corn by John Rose Putnam is one of the best historical novels I have read in a long time. It's fast paced and full of action which will leave you breathless as you read this book.
The author has done an excellent job of developing a storyline that is captivating and realistic. It is obvious the author has done his research on the historical era and the native culture of that period. I really enjoyed the book and found myself absorb by the story.
John Rose Putnam developed a set of characters that were both real and very believable. It was easy to identify with them and get deep into their story and lives.
I really liked The River of Corn by John Rose Putnam and highly recommend this book to all readers.
The author has done an excellent job of developing a storyline that is captivating and realistic. It is obvious the author has done his research on the historical era and the native culture of that period. I really enjoyed the book and found myself absorb by the story.
John Rose Putnam developed a set of characters that were both real and very believable. It was easy to identify with them and get deep into their story and lives.
I really liked The River of Corn by John Rose Putnam and highly recommend this book to all readers.
September 8, 2015
I feel pretty special right now. I've had several 5 star books in the past couple of weeks. This book DID meet all the reviews I read on Amazon. It was offered as a free Amazon download.
It's based on historical fact. If you do what I did while reading ... every once in awhile I would open up my web browser and search for some piece of history in the book. In only ONE case, I did not find anything. In all others what I read was matching how the book was treating the events.
This is a fascinating read. Really. Another one that you are anxious to get back the book because it is truly interesting. Highly recommend if you are a history buff.
It's based on historical fact. If you do what I did while reading ... every once in awhile I would open up my web browser and search for some piece of history in the book. In only ONE case, I did not find anything. In all others what I read was matching how the book was treating the events.
This is a fascinating read. Really. Another one that you are anxious to get back the book because it is truly interesting. Highly recommend if you are a history buff.
December 5, 2016
"An Interesting Novel of Native American History"
In this well written historical novel, the largest Native American group is the empire of the Chicora in South Carolina during the 1600s. Today it is considered a lost civilization. At the time of their existence, the Chicora was led by a beautiful queen. Is it possible Hernando de Soto, a ruthless conquistador, can bring down their empire with his lust for gold? This is a fictional story provided by an author who spent his young years exploring the demise of the Chicora. Though this novel is extremely well written, I found it not as absorbing as the author's other novel. I guess I'm not a history fan.
In this well written historical novel, the largest Native American group is the empire of the Chicora in South Carolina during the 1600s. Today it is considered a lost civilization. At the time of their existence, the Chicora was led by a beautiful queen. Is it possible Hernando de Soto, a ruthless conquistador, can bring down their empire with his lust for gold? This is a fictional story provided by an author who spent his young years exploring the demise of the Chicora. Though this novel is extremely well written, I found it not as absorbing as the author's other novel. I guess I'm not a history fan.
December 12, 2014
This is a book you get involved with. The characters are strong and each of them hold their own in the story. I totally disliked Soto for his brutality. The characters personalities were easily identified. I read this book over two evenings and didn't want to put it down once I started it. It does grab you and holds on. I would recommend this book to those who like historical fiction. It certainly makes all of it seem very real.
June 13, 2015
Nice historical fiction
Pleasant read, interesting characters, enjoyed the story. The protagonist's characters are interesting. Story is told from perspective of one protagonist and from the third person for the other main protagonist which is rather an interesting way to tell a story.
Pleasant read, interesting characters, enjoyed the story. The protagonist's characters are interesting. Story is told from perspective of one protagonist and from the third person for the other main protagonist which is rather an interesting way to tell a story.
August 25, 2015
Highly involving historical novel. Good job.
April 2, 2016
Ten Stars!
This book is wonderful. I felt like I was taking part in the action. Exceptional writing with an jaw dropping twist. This is a master piece of a book.
This book is wonderful. I felt like I was taking part in the action. Exceptional writing with an jaw dropping twist. This is a master piece of a book.
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January 5, 2017I really enjoyed this book, I don't usually read anything but westerns, but i really enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews