The Rule of Ranging Book One: Eclipse of the Midnight Sun

In Kestrel's kickoff to this historical series, it is 1854 and elderly Mr. Morton tells journalist Henry Raymond about the adventures of an orphaned teen named Finn, recounting a life%E2%80%94presumably Morton's own%E2%80%94full of adventures, wandering, and fighting. Set during the 18th century, the story unfolds as young Finn's initial military zeal leads to service in a series of battles in the New World. The horrors of war are a familiar coming-of-age theme, but Finn seems to carom from one encounter to another with little character growth. While the well-researched and evocative use of historical figures provides a dignified patina to the novel's events, the stilted dialogue and preachy messages of Finn's friends and associates provide a nearly fatal distraction from the vivid depictions of battle.