The River of Kings

January 23, 2017
Brown’s (Fallen Land) second novel captures the essence of an enchanting place with a story combining adventure, family drama, and local history over the span of centuries. The book begins with brothers Hunter, a college student, and Lawton, a Navy SEAL, kayaking down the Altamaha River in Georgia to scatter their father’s ashes, as well as to answer some questions about his death. Chapters describing their modern-day outdoor adventure down the river alternate with scenes from their father’s life on the river and historical chapters set in the 1560s in the same area. At that time, French settlers claimed the land at the river’s mouth and established the first European fort in America, Fort Caroline, where they clashed with Native American tribes. The historical chapters focus on Jacques Le Moyne, a real-life artist who recorded the expedition, and include his actual drawings of the Native Americans they encountered and the settlers’ harrowing experiences. These captivating, detailed drawings enhance the historical account. Brown ties the three stories together with tales and sightings of an ancient river monster. Brown makes this nostalgic trip down the river a gorgeous ode to the Georgia coast. Agent: Christopher Rhodes, The Stuart Agency.

Georgia's Altamaha River connects the past and present as multiple storylines unfold along the 137-mile coastal waterway. With Taylor Brown's lyrical prose and narrator Mark Bramhall's omniscient voice, it's as if the mighty Altamaha itself is the storyteller. In 1975, Hiram Loggins has a difficult fisherman's life on the river. Years later, in the present day, his two sons head downriver to scatter their father's ashes. Bramhall's resonant Southern drawl will have listeners practically floating alongside the brothers, whose dialogue is especially vivid. Chapters that take place on a real-life 1560s French settlement sound extraneous, partially due to Bramhall's heavy-handed French and Native American accents. The artwork of Jacques Le Moyne, who chronicled the French settlement, is described for listeners, and can be found in the print version. A.T.N. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine