Author: James W. George

Narrator: Angus Freathy

Length: 11 hours 18 minutes

Series: My Father’s Kingdom, Book 2

Publisher: James W. George

Genre: Historical Fiction

Puritans. Quakers. Pirates. Mohawks. Witches. And a brutal war…

If you thought New England was dull in the 1670s, get ready for a history lesson.

In the critically acclaimed “My Father’s Kingdom,” debut author James W. George transported his readers to 1671 New England, and the world of Reverend Israel Brewster. It was a world of faith, virtue, and love, but it was also a world of treachery, hatred, and murder.

Four years later, Brewster is a disgraced outcast, residing in Providence and working as a humble cooper. Despite his best efforts, war could not be averted, and now, “King Philip’s War” has begun.

The rebellion is led by Metacomet, known as “King Philip” to the English colonists. He is the tormented son of the great Massasoit, and leader of the Wampanoag nation. Once the most reliable of Plymouth Colony’s allies, they are now the bitterest of enemies. Meanwhile, Metacomet’s mysterious counselor, Linto, despises this war and will do anything to end the bloodshed.

Meticulously researched, “The Prophet and the Witch” is a tale of hope and brotherhood in the face of evil and violence. It features the remarkable cast of fictional and historical characters from book one, including Josiah Winslow, Linto, Increase Mather, Constance Wilder, and Jeremiah Barron. Additionally, new characters such as America’s first ranger, Captain Benjamin Church, bring this chapter of history to life like never before.

James W. George is a lover of history and historical fiction. He is a graduate of Boston University and a military veteran. He is currently residing in Virginia with his wife and children.
He published his critically-acclaimed debut novel, My Father’s Kingdom, in January 2017. The novel, set in 1671 New England, depicted the prelude to King Philip’s War. The Indie View gave it five stars: “This is high historical drama handled wonderfully…a tale that will fully engage you on every level.”
My Father’s Kingdom” is a planned trilogy, and book two, The Prophet and the Witch, was published in September 2017. This is an epic novel that spans the entire conflict of King Philip’s War, and includes such notable historical figures as Josiah Winslow, Increase Mather, Metacomet, Benjamin Church, and Mary Rowlandson. The Literary Titan awarded it five stars and a gold medal for October 2017. “Expertly written and instantly engaging from the first few pages…I was captivated…one of the more intellectual of reads.”

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Angus Freathy was born and educated in London – that’s the one in England, for you Ohio folks!

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, he went to Switzerland to join Nestlé for a 2-year wandering assignment, which lasted 37 years and involved travel and work on every continent (except the cold ones at the top and bottom).

Periods of residence in the U.S., Hong Kong and Switzerland have resulted in a network of friends and acquaintances with an amazing range of world insight and a wide repertoire of mostly excellent jokes.

Since retirement, Angus and his (still working) wife, Debra have lived in Oregon, Maryland and are now in Dublin, Ohio, ‘the only place we have actually chosen to live since we have been married!’.

Following a crushing rejection by the BBC at the age of 19, Angus is re-activating a long-held ambition and launching a new career in voice-over, with the sole intention of having some fun and being in touch with some very talented people.

I found I was sorely lacking in my understanding of this time period during the growth of the colonies of North America.  I’m happy to see someone tried to unravel this difficult time, giving it life through a fictious story, yet following historical events. It’s true, it is understood the indigenous Indians didn’t take kindly to the colonists.  However, the colonists wouldn’t have survived their initial time in North America if it weren’t for the Indians.

This is a story, true to form, people, no matter what race, find something to harbor against each other. We see our present by reviewing our past.  In this historical fiction, Indian tribes fight against each other, the French and vice versa, the English colonists work the Indians against the other colonists to have the upper-hand in controlling the land taken from the Indians.  Add to the mix, religious inclinations.  It is rather a dismal time in history, one of greed, power, hardship and tragedy, and yes, there is hope.

If I had read or listened to book one of the series, I might have had a better grounding in what was happening.  The narrator moved the story along in one aspect, but I was a little confused on the other.  Perhaps it was my lack of the historical layout?

Freathy’s voiceover in singing was enjoyable, yet his various dialog voices for the various character kept me guessing who was speaking.  His French is very good and the dialog from the Frenchmen I enjoyed.  I liked the way he played up some of the witty dialog.  Noted, the women didn’t sound like women, so I didn’t catch on who Linto’s wife was when she spoke.  The Indian’s spoke with such a wide vocabulary, I had a hard time identifying they were from Indian tribes.  Author George wrote the dialog, so Freathy couldn’t really make it sound anything other than it was written.  Only in one scene, Linto spoke with broken English, and that was intentional, since he normally spoke fluent English.

I think if I listened to the story another time, I would get more out of the story and follow the historical events better.  There were different Indian tribes and several English colonists which were difficult to follow.  I admire the author’s attempt to shed some light on this epoch in the colonial history and look forward to his continued work.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by James W. George. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

The Prophet and the Witch Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift Card

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