The Hero . . . “...down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor—by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world." Raymond Chandler's definition of a hero British-American novelist and screenwriter noted for his detective stories ( Quoted from goodreads ) Quality fiction is imagined reality. |
Two people, from opposing sides of conflict, use their strong moral upbringing; their parents' guidance and teaching; their open minds & sacrificial courage; & their love for each other to defeat the prejudices of their day . . . the evils of their moment in time. Author's Note Each novel and the entire series were written for the art of it. Sales are not a concern. These are serious works and not for the casual reader, who could in some cases struggle with it. The narrative, storyteller style harkens to an older era and is less common today. These books take a hard look at life in the Nineteenth Century through the eyes of a Native American and white who dare marry and attempt normal lives at a time when the former was a pariah in her own land. It is not about Indians (or whites) it is about these two people and those close to them . . . that's all. Similarly, each volume is not just a Western as the forth book, for example, includes multiple settings, with at least a third of the book set in the East. The four book series is also not just a Western, with the final volume set partly in Tennessee, Virginia, and the Mississippi River Valley. Characters also significantly appear in two of the four volumes of the series "Magandang Pilipinas", set in the Philippine Islands. These books are not light reading or an easy, rapid, action and conversation-filled romp. There is romance in these pages, real love, the kind people die for . . . . . and violence and mature themes. There is no graphic sex and gratuitous violence. That which is portrayed in a violent hard manner here is unfortunately historically correct. The series includes four volumes. If you adjust and get through the slim first volume, happy reading. |