Windigo Moon: A Novel of Native America

The Native American Saga #1

by Robert Downes

The great love of Blue Heron and Red Bear sustain an Ojibwe clan as it struggles to survive war, famine, and the coming of foreign explorers bearing deadly diseases. The blood feud between two rival warriors over the love of Ashagi, a strong-willed woman of great beauty and greater determination threads through this story of one Ojibwe clan on the cusp of great change. A young woman from a peaceful village, Ashagi (Blue Heron) is abducted in a raid conducted by the Sioux, the ancestral enemies of her clan, and made a concubine of a fat, slovenly chief who already has two wives. When she is rescued by Misko (Red Bear), an Ojibwe youth, the two fall in love and a lifelong bond is formed. But Nika, Misko's rival, demands that Misko surrender Ashagi to replace his brother who was killed during a raid involving the young warriors' two clans. As Nika's pride and obsession with Ashagi eats away at his sanity, greater danger for the whole Ojibwe way of life creeps ever closer. Warfare, vengeance, supernatural monsters, and strange spirits all claw at the edges of this love triangle, but the power of the clan and the love of family and tradition helps sustain a culture on the verge of harrowing times. Beginning in 1588 and spanning twenty-five years, WINDIGO MOON encompasses warring tribes of the Upper Great Lakes, the onset of the Little Ice Age of the 1600s, the diseases introduced by foreign explorers, and, always and forever, the great love of Blue Heron and Red Bear. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, WINDIGO MOON will appeal to fans of Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear, Jean Auel, Alexander Thom, Anna Lee Waldo, and other top authors of historical fiction.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2017

About the author

Author and world traveler Robert (Bob) Downes has been inspiring readers to pursue their dreams of travel and adventure for more than three decades.
    A resident of Traverse City, Michigan, Downes, 66, is the author of three nonfiction books: "Planet Backpacker" (2008)," Biking Northern Michigan" (2014), and “I Promised You Adventure“ (2018). His historical novel, "Windigo Moon," was published by Blank Slate Press in 2017. His thriller, “Bicycle Hobo” was published in 2018 by The Wandering Press.
   A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Downes earned a B.A. in journalism from Wayne State University in Detroit in 1976. Thereafter, he worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in metro Detroit, with a stint in hospital public relations in the 1980s.
   In 1991, Downes and his best friend, George Foster, launched the alternative newsweekly, "Northern Express Weekly" in Traverse City. 
Although the first rough issues were created in his kitchen on a primitive 30-meg Mac Plus computer, the publication was an instant hit with readers and went on to become northern Michigan's largest weekly newspaper with a readership of more than 75,000 covering a radius of more than 150 miles of the region.
   Downes served as editor and co-publisher of the newsweekly for 22 years until its sale in December, 2013. Under his leadership, the publication earned numerous Michigan Press Association awards, including the highest honor for "General Excellence."
  Concurrently, Downes indulged his passion for world travel, mostly as a backpacker and cyclist, using local transportation, hostels, campsites and guest houses. He has visited more than 70 countries with destinations ranging from the supercities of the Third World to the heart of the American wilderness. In 2011, he and his wife, Jeannette Wildman, spent seven months backpacking around the world, resulting in their memoir, “I Promised You Adventure.”
   A former Ironman triathlete, Downes is also an ardent cyclist and his guidebook, "Biking Northern Michigan," is a regional best seller. Downes has cycled in Australia, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Peru, England, Ireland and across continental Europe in addition to routes around the U.S. In the summer of 2016, he cycled more than 2,700 miles over the Rockies and across the Great Plains from Seattle to his home in Michigan.
   In September, 2014, he was awarded first place in an international writing contest for the Grand Rapids ArtPrize, sponsored by the Great Lakes Commonwealth of Letters and the Cascade Writers Group. His winning entry, "The Raid," is from his historical novel about the Ojibwe Indians, "Windigo Moon." The novel won two other literary awards: “Best Regional Fiction” from Independent Publisher and an Honorable Mention for Best Fiction from Foreword Reviews.
Downes is currently working on a prequel: "He Who Outruns the Wolves," about the clash between Native Americans and Spanish conquistadors.
   He and his wife Jeannette have two adult children and seven grandchildren. The couple make their winter home in Mexico and the American Southwest.

Reviews

[Robert Downes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This being my own book, I am of course highly enthusiastic! It's set 400 years ago among the Ojibwe Indians of the Upper Great Lakes.
The 1500s, also known as the "Lost Century" by historians, were an apocalyptic time for Native Americans. In "Windigo Moon," the village of a young woman, Ashagi, is destroyed by tribal warfare. Abducted and held as a concubine by a Dakota chieftain, she is rescued by an Ojibwe warrior, Misko, whose own village is destroyed by diseases introduced by far-off European explorers.
Together, at a young age, Ashagi and Misko must lead the survivors of their Ojibwe clan forward through a perilous time that includes the Little Ice Age of the 1600s.
Extensively researched, the book includes the legends, customs, beliefs and supernatural beings of the Ojibwe in a story that spans 31 years prior to contact with the Europeans.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me watch videos of bears being skinned to see if they did look human at all. Nope didnt survive the the third video I found but everything in the novel was interesting and vividly written. I enjoyed the journey, the loyalties of love, the history, gore and how many summers old they were. Well imagined and a story that lingers on.

P.s. also read this during the treacherous polar vortex it got me all the more encouraged to google more about frostbites and noses falling off

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone in the Great Lakes region, this was an incredible story of the original peoples on this land (1500-1600) and their intricate lives, intertwined with other tribes (some peaceful, some not) and with the intense reliance on the natural world. Places I love - Sleeping Bear Dunes, Mackinac Island, the Lake Superior shoreline - are all settings in this work, and I felt a deeper connection to the history of this land and the history of the people on it, including the traders from the Mississippi and the East Coast and eventually the Europeans. The love story of the 2 young Ojibwe as they go through life is about so much more than their relationship to each other, and I really enjoyed each chapter of the book.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, seems to be very accurate in the lifestyle of the Ojibwe tribe.

[Jeannette Wildman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing love story of the Ojibwa people set during a difficult time in the 1500s. Never wanted it to end!

[Michael Dow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly, truly enjoyed this book. I'm not big reader of historical fiction, but this book caught my eye. I was not disappointed. A well-crafted love story set in the late 1500's and across the Great Lakes region, I quickly found myself immersed in the winding plot lines of the Ojibwe Indian protagonists, as well as many of the supporting cast. The map and glossary at the front of the book were frequent references, and very helpful in navigating events as they unfolded. Ultimately, though, it's the love triangle between Misko, Ashagi, and Nika that drives the story. The author does an excellent job of weaving in all sorts of little-known historical and cultural truths within the fictional plot line. A wonderful read, 5-stars.

[Hannah Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Windigo Moon gives an amazing look at the lives of an Ojibwa tribe from upper Michigan in the late 1500s/early 1600s. I enjoyed Downes style of writing; at times it felt like I was hearing the stories around a winter fire. Ashagi and Misko have a great love story despite the struggles they both endured. I also loved the use of the native names and language for the people, places, and things throughout the novel, as well as the language guide included at the beginning of the book. Overall, I greatly enjoyed the novel.

[Joshua Veith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Downes has channeled the sights, sounds, smells and passions of a long ago time into a story that is shockingly relevant and powerful. I am a huge fan of prehistoric-fiction (Clan of the Cave Bear, Shaman, etc.) and this novel is right up there with the very best of the genre. You will not want to put it down. I'm tempted to start it over again, it is so rich that one reading just scratches the surface. Masterful!

[Jamison Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always appreciate a book that shows reality over some clean storybook narrative, and this one certainly delivered. I especially liked how the author did not infantilize the various tribes into Disney characters that never make mistakes and have supernatural powers on account of them being so pure of heart, getting to read the realities of raiding culture and learning about the spiritual systems of the anishanaabek was beautiful even if some of the details were ugly.

[Mark Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written and fascinating story that culminated with a very unique and appropriate ending. Aside from the entertaining story line, I learned a lot about native Americans in the great lakes' region. The level of violence between the tribes was a bit of a shocker, which runs counter to what I previously understood. This novel is definitely memorable.

[Marney Rausch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t actually finish this. I read this first 7 or 8 chapters then ust skimmed to the end. Would love a recap of the story which, I think, could be a few pages long. I got lost in the names and places. Story not that great - at least what I skimmed. Too slow.

[Dave Koester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction that gives a detailed description of the locations, movement, trade, conflicts, and life of Native American tribes and settlements in the upper Midwest. An entertaining story line where the reader will learn specific location-based history.

[Henry DeForest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book all the way through, especially as I hold a deep affection for the Great Lakes region. There were a handful of ecological inaccuracies that I found mildly distracting, but that's not what this book was really about, so I certainly won't ding it. It's just a really good story.

[George Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding story