“The flintlock releases with a click and then three powerful, exhilarating sensations hit him at once: the kick of the musket hard into his shoulder, the deafening roar, and the dense, acrid smell of burnt powder smoke. As the crashing echo of his shot rolls back from across the lake he knows the blow of the musket ball would be lethal to Wendat flesh. Totiri knew before lifting the musket that he wanted it. Now the desire consumes him.” 

It’s 1634 in New France. Etienne Brulé has lived with the Wendat and helped them develop the fur trade with France for 25 years and fought beside them against the Iroquois. When the English sell the Iroquois guns,  Brulé is the only one who can get guns for the Wendat. But he knows the price everyone will pay in the end. 

A gripping story of adventure and courage set in a magnificent wilderness with the French, English, Iroquois and Wendat just starting to do battle for what would become Canada and the US.

Ian Roberts, a Canadian, has been a landscape painter all his life. This story about
Etienne Brulé has percolated inside him since he was a teenager canoeing in the rivers and lakes of northern Ontario. He is the author of two other books, Creative Authenticity: 16 Principles to Clarify Your Artistic Vision and Mastering Composition, which has sold over 40,000 copies. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the painter, Anne Ward.