Customer Reviews

Firelands: A Novel

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cole Seavey is a frontiersman traveling through Ohio during the winter of 1799. During a fierce storm, he happens upon a terrified and severly injured young girl, lost in the woods, but is attacked by some kind of creature before he can save the girl. A handsome young Delaware brave named Pakim stumbles across the terribly wounded Cole and takes him to a cabin near the town of Hugh's Lick. Days later, he awakens, trying to piece together what happened with that strange creature as well as trying to understand his strange feelings for Pakim, believing them to be caused by his high fever. Soon, townsfolk began disappearing; animals are slaughtered; tales of an Indian demon -- a wendigo -- begin to work their way through Hugh's Lick. Cole and Pakim set out to put an end to this demon before more deaths occur.

A very interesting historical novel that interweaves two good stories: the mystery surrounding the wendigo and the coming out of Cole Seavey as he begins to understand his feelings for Pakim. Being a fan of horror novels, author Michael Jensen handled the wendigo aspect of the story with much tension, gore and suspense to satisfy me. Eerie forests, thick fogs, and the fear of the unkown and unseen are used well by Jensen to heighten the creepy feel of the book. He also handles the homosexual aspect of the book equally well, showing Cole trying to come to terms with his new feelings for Pakim which shows him insight into his own past, and also portraying how 18th Century America felt toward what they considered a deviant lifestyle, with the characters of John Chapman -- who later became the American folk legend Jonnhy Appleseed -- and his partner, Palmer, who are forced to live on the outskirts of Hugh's Lick.

I found this book hard to put down and finished it in one sitting. Guess you could say that I liked it.

Out on the Ohio frontier, frontiersman Cole Seavey is trying to avoid an oncoming storm. He is hoping to make it out of the open and under the cover of the woods when two things happen: first, he finds a seriously injured young girl, whom he tries to help; and second, before he can assist the girl, he is attacked by a wildcat. "It was moments like this that had earned me the nickname Cold-Blooded Cole. Staring back at the cougar, my pulse did not quicken, my hands did not shake. Some said it was not bravery that kept me so composed, but dim-wittedness. I don't know why I was not afraid at such times, but as far back as I could remember, I never had been. Perhaps to be afraid, one must have something he fears losing" (p. 6).

Being cool-headed, Cole fights the cougar, but before the fight concludes, something far more sinister comes at him: "a monster, a devil out of the bowels of hell" (p. 7). As the storm suddenly crashes all about him, he fights the monstrous creature for his life.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but after the initial attack and a frighteningly exciting escape, Cole has lost his musket and all his supplies. He is found and helped by a Delaware brave named Pakim, and luckily they are close to Hugh's Lick, a settlement near the Delaware camp where Cole's brother was supposed to be living. But it's as if Cole has brought bad luck with him. The townspeople call the brutal, bloodthirsty killer a wendigo, and no one feels safe once it begins to systematically attack and kill.

Featuring appearances by characters John Chapman and Palmer Baxter from the previous novel FRONTIERS, Jensen has woven together a spell-binding story that is half mystery and half horror. I read the book in one sitting, intensely curious to discover the secrets of the murderous attacks and whether the phantom could be vanquished. I also found Cole's personal journey to be interesting as he goes from the self-professed state of being cold-blooded to a man who is discovers the depths of his fear-and strengths. FIRELANDS is an exciting addition to what I hope will be a whole series of gay frontier historical novels. ~Lori L. Lake(...)

Firelands is a great adventure story, mystery tale and romance novel rolled into one. The twist is the love interest of frontiersman Cole Seavey, is a Delaware brave named Pakim. The first chapter sets a gripping tone by tapping into a universal fear, that of being consumed alive by a wild animal. The pace doesn't slow til the last page as the two men try to sort out the rumor that the attacks are caused by an ancient menace known to the First Nation's people as the wendigo. Meanwhile, they try to sort out thier realationship.

Cole's confusion at his own feelings and the suspicions of local pioneers are handled superbly by this writer. The rich mix of characters is delightful. Beter pay close attention to the turn of events so the ending will make sense!

This well-paced novel is, yes, a gay frontier love story, set in 1799. Cole Seavey is viciously attacked by what we later find is a wendigo, a beast some previously thought was mythical.

Cole is strongly attracted to Pakim, the young Indian who saves him and takes him to the house of John Chapman (from the author's previous gay western novel). The love scenes in the story aren't gratuitous or poorly-inserted porn scenes; they're the result of a natural progression of the characters. While I somewhat felt we were told, more than shown, that Cole was "cold-hearted Cole" at least we fully see his gradual change.

This is a page-turner that has strong elements of horror and mystery. The town of Hugh's Lick is downright creepy, and the who-is-next factor with the wendigo is chilling. It's an absorbing, engaging read. And kudos to the author for successfully blending genres and providing a fresh environment for a gay story.

I am an avid reader of gay fiction and I enjoyed this book because it was different from others that I have read. Firelands is a quick read with lots of plot twists - some more believable than others. Just how often can one person be stabbed, frozen, assaulted, etc. and still survive? So if you are looking for a good book to cuddle up with, read one. But if you are looking for something in any way challenging, leave this one on the shelves.

This was a terrific book, full of all sorts of mystery and creepy stuff. Not only did it keep my full attention far into the night, but I didn't want it to end. People who are saying that this is "lame" don't get that this is a kind of cross-genre horror historical,which is not something that's been done in gay literature. It's not a romance, it's not meant to be War and Peace. It is an adventure horror type book that gets increasingly gripping and frightening until you get so far into it you can't quit until you find out what will happen to Cole Seaver.

Gripping, gritty, and great! This book was really a corker!

Michael Jensen is to be commended for undertaking the task of writing a gay love story set in the wilderness of 1799. This is breakthrough territory for which I know of no precedence. (Evidently the author penned a prequel called "Frontiers" but I have not read it and, from what little I know, it takes quite a bit of license with the legend of Johhny Appleseed. But I digress.) These characters -- Cole, Palmer and especially Pakim -- are passionate, adorable and, yes, hot. The best parts of the story are their personal interactions, written with passion and tenderness. Layered over this are the horror cum mystery cum dramatic build up of the pioneers' confrontation with the wendigo, an imagined or real creature/beast who tries to drive them from the Ohio River valley. The story drags a bit in these confrontations and in the denoument, an explanation too facile for the prior descriptions of speed, ferocity and supernatural powers. Also inexplicable is Cole's instant, unequivacal decision to marry Rose. A noble act, perhaps the norm for the era, but odorous in its sincerity. The happy ending leaves us, the readers, satisfied after all. The author's website is most interesting. His background does not suggest that he could write so skillfully -- in story and in dialect -- about Ohio in 1799. It does suggest leadership which perhaps helps him so beautifully describe survival in the wilderness.

I have caught myself referring to Firelands as a "beach read," if for no other reason that it is a fun page-turner of the sort that thrills and chills without requiring the patience for literary fiction. But "beach read" is not a phrase that does justice to the palpable sense of place Jensen creates in this meticulously researched historical novel set on the icy Ohio frontier in 1799. It does, however, hit the nail on the head as far as the hot sex goes. Jensen effectively weaves Native American mythology, American history, and the love that dare not speak its name into both the fallibility and hidden strength of the humans trying to survive in extreme conditions. Jensen does not shy away from portraying the desperate acts that desperate people commit when they are truly afraid. Yet throughout, the story is warmed by friendships formed and lovers connecting in spite of the harshness of the environment.

Several years ago I read Michael Jensen's "Frontiers," truly a wonderful piece. "Firelands," his most recent endeavor, was not quite as good as his first novel but I found it to be chilling, thought-provoking and erotic all in one. With all that goes on in the Ohio frontier settlement of Hugh's Lick, I found it interesting that the author incorporated a gay love story as a part of his storyline. Our main character, Cole falls for Pakim, a Delaware Indian, while the townspeople are confronted with extremely bad weather, scarce food supplies, a confrontation with a neighboring village, plus the ferocious attacks by a monster that lurks in the surrounding forests, makes for one very interesting read. The story is fast-paced and enjoyable. I do hope that Mr. Jensen will give us a sequel that will inform us as to how Cole and Pakim are getting along.

I grew up reading westerns. Some of my favorite series were "Buckskin" and "Spur" I always replaced the women in the books with myself. I tired to write a western using only men some years ago with no luck. I learned about Michael Jensen's novel "Frontiers" on the back flap of Brent Harbingers' novel "Geography Club". I had just finished reading both "Geography Club" and "The Order of The Poison Oak" the last part of 2005 and bought both "Frontiers" and "Firelands" to read later. My first book of 2006 was "Frontiers" and I couldn't wait to read "Firelands" the second book of the year. The characters were real. The violence was believable and the love between John and Palmer was real. I finished "Frontiers" on a Friday night and started "Firelands" finishing it the following Monday. What a way to start the New Year with two of the best novels I've read in a long time. I will be checking the name Michael Jensen on Amazon most often waiting for the next novel from this brilliant man. - Joe - TX