The Canebrake Men
By the end of this, the final of three volumes, Tennessee has at long last become a state, but more than the history books will tell you, it was a long and bloody path that was taken to get there.
Joshua Colter and Cooper Haverly, the two [fictional] brothers featured in the earlier books, also appear in this one, but a new arrival in the land of the canebrake is Owen Killefer, a young boy of fifteen, whose life is a harsh one. Both of his parents were murdered before his eyes, his sister kidnapped to become a crazy man’s squaw, and himself left for dead. Nor is that all, but you’ll have to read the book to learn more.
Life on the frontier was hard on everyone. The Cherokees grew increasingly unwilling to share their land with the white settlers, who never stopped coming, and constant warfare never ended. There was a political struggle going on in the late 1700s as well, with many in the territory behind the creation of the state of Franklin, their initial attempt to break the land away from North Carolina.
It’s all part of the tale. Judd’s work is always action-filled, and this is no exception. His books are also very dark in tone, mixed with times of joy and happiness, and likewise, so is this one.
