‘Wanders Far’ Pulls Back the Curtain of Time [REVIEW]

In Wanders Far, the Adirondacks are one boy’s playground. (Photo by Adam Riquier, Flickr)

Centuries before America is settled by colonists, the place that will one day be called New York is vastly different than it is today. Sprawling and untamed, it is a land of wonder, danger, and untold possibility. And one boy wants to explore it all. Meet Wanders Far. 

Outskirts Press

Living on the banks of the Mohawk River in the 1100s, he is a lithe and quiet youth who is filled with curiosity and courage. From the top of his longhouse, he watches the world around him with the eyes of an ancient soul, eyes that are both wary and wise beyond his years.

Undeterred by his size or the confines of his village, his skinny legs and bare feet carry him far across the land where his people dwell as he follows old paths and forges new ones through the lush greenery of the Adirondack Mountains. His is a life of reverential simplicity, one which is challenging yet beautiful, ever changing and populated by treacherous foreign clans.

Though he is content with his life, it soon becomes obvious that the universe has other plans for him. That’s when he meets a wise, enigmatic mentor who helps him cultivate his natural talents. But even this new friend can only lead him so far.

Eventually, Wanders Far becomes a runner, a messenger who carries important dispatches across the lands of both his own people and their mortal enemies. As a result, he will fulfill a much greater destiny then anyone can ever imagine.

Years ago, I loved exploring the Adirondacks on long, quiet hikes. As I traversed winding trails through the lush forest and listened to the songbirds sing overhead, I couldn’t help but connect to the beauty of nature like never before, particularly since I was living in the city at the time. In reading Wanders Far, that same sense of awe came rushing back with a vengeance. David Fitz-Gerald writes with attention to all our senses, and he transports us from our armchair to the landscape that he so obviously adores.

With this debut novel in his Adirondack Spirit Series, the author goes one step further. Not only does he make us want to unplug and slip into the forest once again, but he also pulls back the billowing curtain of time and introduces us to upstate New York as it once was, populated by people who lived off the land, embraced every element of nature, and listened to the gently throbbing heartbeat of the universe. We walk alongside Wanders Far as he grows from boy to man, interacts with his family, and dares to venture beyond his own small pocket of the cosmos.

Wanders Far is a brilliant novel reminiscent of Jim Crace’s classic, The Gift of Stones. Imaginative and courageous, it proves that even the youngest and most inexperienced among us can have grand adventures, ones which broaden horizons and ultimately change the world. Wanders Far is highly recommended!

David Fitz-Gerald

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Fitz-Gerald may spend his days in the chaotic world of business, but at night he enjoys getting lost in the settings he imagines and spending time with the characters he creates. For him, writing historical fiction is like making paintings of the past. He loves weaving fact and fiction together, stirring in action, adventure, and romance with the hope of transporting readers to another time and place.

David is an Adirondack 46-er, which means he has hiked all of the highest peaks in New York, so it should be no surprise when he attempts to glorify hikers as swashbuckling superheroes in his writing. Wanders Far—An Unlikely Hero’s Journey is the first in a series of books in the Adirondack Spirit Series.

Want to know more? Visit Dave at his home on the Web, like him on Facebook, and follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

WANDERS FAR
By David Fitz-Gerald
197 pp. Outskirts Press. $18.95

Purchase Wanders Far at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, and Powell’s.

Wanders Far is brought to you in association with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.