Wolf's Howl Newsletter
May 2006"Death of an Eagle" Pre-quel... - Yes, I do plan other books centered around Robert McAllister. Actually, I have one planned for Jose Olano, too, so I guess I have to say YES, there will be a sequel. But most of the books related to Death of an Eagle will be a series of up to ten prequels, starting when Robert McAllister joins the 3rd California Volunteers in 1862 and heads out to Utah Territory to "fight the Shoshones." He soon learns the truth, sheerly by accident, of what's happening out in Washington Territory (which is now Idaho), and he becomes embittered toward the U.S. Army and their mal-treatment of the Indians. In the end, during what is now known as either the Bear River Massacre or the Battle of Bear River, depending on the stance of who is telling the tale, he rebels and tries to save an Indian, for which he gets shots by his own men and is, ironically, saved by the very Shoshones that his regiment had set out that morning to destroy. I feel pretty safe in giving you this sort of "spoiler" because this book probably won't be out for two or more years, and by then I think most people will have forgotten what I even said about it!
- After that, McAllister joins the Shoshones, trains under them, and becomes a great warrior and proponent for them. He gets to join in many true-life adventures, mostly set in Idaho or close by.
- Please understand that I am not a historical revisionist. I will freely admit that there were atrocities on both sides in the white-Indian conflicts. Unfortunately, the Shoshones were one of the few plains tribes who were for the most part friendly toward the whites and willing to let them come across their land. They killed their share of whites later, but only after being starved, raped and murdered by unscrupulous whites, most of whom went unpunished for their crimes.
- Looked at solely from the viewpoint of the Shoshones, the entire taking of this country where I live was a horrible end of an era. I will show this era from every viewpoint: the Shoshone, the U.S. Army, the Mormon settlers, and one man who was caught in the middle.
- Incidentally, the photos you see on my homepage and in my newsletter section under "Death of an Eagle" photos are all depicting me portraying Robert McAllister in several of the prequels I'm writing about.
"Death of an Eagle" Robert McAllister photos - Kirby