A Panther Crosses Over

The story of the westward expansion from the east coast of America into the Midwest and then to the Pacific is one that has often been told, both in history classes and in historical fiction. It has been deeply mythologized, to the point where the figures at times no longer seem human but are larger than life. All too often, the story has been told primarily from the point of view of the invading Americans, and even when their wrongs are pointed out, the reader still sees things from their perspective.

Sam Foster takes a step in a different direction. This book is told from the perspective of Native Americans, especially Tecumseh, as the book brings him ever closer to his battle at Tippecanoe with William Henry Harrison. The story is told episodically, building gradually up to the battle by spending a few pages each in different years, beginning with a massacre whose full importance is not seen until well into the novel. At times the prose feels stiff and stilted, making the book less powerful than it could be, but the strength of the story itself largely saves it. I’m eager to see where Foster goes with the rest of his trilogy.