Splintered Paddle: a Novel of Kamehameha the Great

by Bill Fernandez, Judith Fernandez (Illustrator)

Set in 1790 Hawaiian Islands, Kamehameha the Great continues his battles to conquer chiefs and unite the islands. Eight years of battle had led to a stalemate. When Captain Cook found the islands the people lived in the Stone no metals existed so all weapons were made of wood and stone and fought in close quarters. When Kamehameha saw the destruction of a village on the island of Hawaii in retaliation for Captain Cook's killing, he recognized the value of the noisy weapons of cannon and musket that could "kill from afar". The historical novel begins.Kalani-Moku-Tana, a seventeen-year-old orphan, enters the warrior school of Kamehameha in order to become a heroic warrior and be awarded land as a "black chief". If he fails, his mother and sisters face a life of slavery.He learns the skills of slinging spears and rocks, and battle with shark-toothed wooden clubs. He is bullied for not having a genealogy that brings status, faces a dangerous wild boar, slides over the edge of a cliff, and is a target of the treachery of others. When he excels in a contest, he finally becomes a warrior for Kamehameha. He also meets a young slave boy who describes the horror of human sacrifices performed before battles to ensure victory. Kalani rescues two British sailors from angry villagers intent on a revenge killing. The sailors teach him about Western cannon and muskets as well as the American Revolution battle strategies, and Kalani is placed in charge of the new weapons. Many historic and dramatic battles challenge Kalani as Kamehameha fights on the islands of Hawaii and Maui at their unique geographical features of mountains, plains, ocean, and a volcano. But the most frightening moments for Kalani were the temple (heiau) rituals of human sacrifices before each battle. Kalani struggles to understand and accept sacrifices in order to be a hero and get land to rescue his family but fears for his friend, the slave. Then he hears Kamehameha announce the Law of the Splintered "Let every elderly person, woman and child lie by the roadside in safety."His warrior status brings him to the attention of a princess, a royal wife, and others. Even love, he learns, can be as dangerous as battle. Kirkus Reviews of Author Bill "Fernandez...a native Hawaiian, is an authentic voice...for the turbulent history..." "Action scenes are Fernandez's forte..." "Plot twists come thick and fast."

387 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2019

About the author

Born and raised on the tiny Pacific island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands, Bill enjoyed a childhood unlike most because the ocean was steps away and summer temperatures all year round. His family built a large movie theater on the island (Roxy) which introduced Bill to a much larger world.
Then the soldiers arrived: 40,000 GIs four months after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Life changed: gas masks, machine gun nests, curfews enforced by armed soldiers, rationing of gas and food. Bill adapted: he built a shoe shine kit, ran errands for candy and cigarettes for the GIs, and worried about a Japanese invasion. Family worried about internment of Japanese.
After graduation from Kamehameha Schools for Hawaiian children, Bill entered Stanford University, and graduated with BA and law degrees (JD). Law practice in Sunnyvale, CA, (future home of Silicon Valley) led to a judicial appointment to the Santa Clara County, CA, bench where he served more than twenty years.
Retired, Bill and his wife Judie traveled and then settled into a family home in Kapaa where Bill began his writing career. First, a memoir about the family movie theater, then two memoirs about his childhood adventures, and three novel series (Grant Kingsley, John Tana, and Kalani). The novels feature native Hawaiian men, heroes trying to understand and adapt to the foreign invasion of Western Capitalism and religion. The novels are well researched and historically accurate.
The last two historical novels begin in the late 1700s, during pre-Western contact when Kamehameha the Great fought battles to unite the islands under one ruler. The hero is Kalani, a young Hawaiian man sent by his mother to become a warrior for Kamehameha to protect her and his sisters from slavery. He has much to learn. First: he has no genealogy to protect him from higher ranks, is threatened but survives, learns about women, slavery, treachery, guns and cannon, as well as human sacrifice. The second novel in this series, Conquest, begins when Kalani's wife is burned to death during a vicious nighttime attack on his farmland. He seeks revenge on the masked killers. Kalani spies for Kamehameha, helps Captain George Vancouver, disguises himself as a priest of Lono, and fights in dramatic battles set on Oahu.
All of the novels are well researched and reviewed by Kirkus.