Brief

A chronicle of one man’s epic life story— Follows young orphan John LeQuire through indentured servitude, marriage and ingratiation into a Native American tribe, fighting in the bloody Revolutionary War, and eventually having to flee his kin’s tribal land, headed for westward pastures said to be reminiscent of Eden.

What We Liked

There is a lot to like about this work. For one thing, this work had a refreshing sense of economy, pace, and punctuality. The author guides us through this story at a borderline breakneck pace, and she never lets us sit idle without something interesting happening. It struck as a very unique way to tell a man’s life story— Condensing it into a single sitting, while still somehow leaving out no details. Credit is owed to the author in that a lesser storyteller might have taken 800 pages to tell the same story, but here, the author’s values and priorities could not be more clear.
Moreover, it is very difficult not to fall in love with these characters. Despite all of the trouble they tend to find themselves in, this work is uncommonly transportive and escapist. You really get a sense of the sensual experience of their world. You begin to feel like you are kin with them, and you start to daydream about a simpler, more dignified, and sublime time in American history, again, despite the massive obstacles along the way.

Film: Kind of piggy-backing off of the above, this work is ripe for the harvest— There is no shortage of interesting content to be mined and smithed into a feature film format. The only question would be what might have to be cut out of this largely beginning-to-end life story in order to maintain a reasonable feature-length runtime. Suffice to say, this is a great problem to have, and this work contains more than enough intrigue, spectacle, and imagery to sustain and fulfill the big screen. The fact that its themes and characters are so relatable and profound only further helps its case.

TV: This would be an excellent candidate for adaptation to the small screen. THE SHADOW DOGS comes in a remarkably, even staggeringly tight package, but between its covers it could contain anywhere from one season of television up to ten, depending on how one would go about it.
This is to say that THE SHADOW DOGS is jam packed with interesting characters, events, places, and themes. It is highly apparent that there is considerable fertile ground for development. It has the feeling that any number of characters can command the screen and would have the depth and complexity and sympathy to carry the show on their own. In that they work together as part of a bit of an ensemble is all the better for this work’s prospects for adaptations to screen.

Key points:
The Heroes — The author presents a solid handful of highly sympathetic, complex, and interesting characters. Although anchored around John, any one of them has the gravitas to carry their own story.

The Setting — The setting and time period prove to be unexpectedly transportive and romantic.
This is a truly immersive and colorful experience, like stepping into a painting.

The Themes — This work harkens back to classic, universal themes, that have been perhaps forsaken in recent years. This feels like a welcome return to classic storytelling as opposed to the usual slate of more pandersome, noisy, amusement park-style entertainment.

The Animals — An undercurrent theme in this work explores man’s relation to animals. This struck as an especially engaging and novel chord, and this work is stronger and memorable for it.

The Pace — As noted, the author wastes no time. This work MOVES, and it feels hearty and robust as a result.

Synopsis

Colonial America, mid, 1700s. Young John LeQuire (12) is a headstrong and well-meaning boy tagging along with his trader, Frenchman father and a friendly Native American man with a penchant for dogs named Yellow Dog. When John’s father turns up dead—unintentionally killed by local pillar Henry Hullings as a result of an act of fiery sabotage—John finds himself dejected and unsure of his future. In the short term, he is taken in by Mr. Hullings, and he soon develops feelings for Hulllings’ daughter Sarah Elizabeth. All the while, Hullings does his best to cover his tracks over the accidental killing. John bides his time with his beloved dog Lady and soon befriends the outgoing and loyal Thad, a nephew of Mr. Hullings. He is dismayed to hear a rumor that Yellow Dog and his tribe drowned in the river. John yearns for Sarah Elizabeth’s affection all the while. Soon, at Mr. Hullings behest, John leaves his dog in Sarah’s care and sets off to become an indentured servant to an in-law of Mr. Hullings. John sets his sights on earning his keep and returning to marry his love.

John labors all through his teen years. It goes by quick, but it is a punishing period of his life, no doubt. When his master’s health deteriorates, the estate is visited by John’s old friend Thad and his old desire Sarah Elizabeth, who has come with her mother to visit her dying uncle. John has graduated from his servitude and makes a play for Sarah Elizabeth’s heart. However, despite her love for him, she coldly rejects him for a man of higher status. John is heartbroken, and when Thad tells him that Yellow Dog is still alive, John decides to return to his home turf to seek out his old friend and mentor. John soon crosses paths with Yellow Dog and the tribe, and it is a happy reunion. Yellow Dog takes John in like a son and offers his daughters hand in marriage.
John soon marries Gray Dove, a lovely, kind-hearted maiden, and it is bliss for a short while.
John, however, has made a promise to Thad to fight in the Revolutionary War, so he departs to take part in the combat. John encounters redcoats on the road, but he eventually links up with patriotic forces. The conflict is bloody and harrowing, and John survives to see victory.

John returns home after many years, and he and “Dovie” soon have a daughter, Mary. One day, the child survives a close call with a pack of coyotes, evidently saved by a pack of “Shadow Dogs,” per Yellow dog. The Shadow Dogs are a kind of mystical group of spirit animals—Protectors. Sadly, Yellow Dog soon perishes, and the entire tribe and community grieve his significant loss. Soon, Thad comes to stay with John and Dovie, and he soon develops feelings for a woman named Little Feather. Their courtship is relatively swift, and they soon marry just the same. Time passes, and both families multiply in parallel. All is well, that is, until Thad has a terse encounter with the callous Catamus, a cousin of his. When confronting “Cat” for his belligerence, John is forced to intervene, and he accidentally stabs Cat in the back, killing him.

While John and Thad are found not guilty, John decides to flee with his family to avoid vigilante revenge. An epic journey west begins, and John and family become weary the longer they go.
They soon come across an old Black man named Josiah, and they help him bury his wife after she passes away. A beautiful kinship is developed, and John, Dovie, and family take him in. They travel westward still, eventually coming to a paradisiacal land to call home.

About The Author

A thirteenth generation daughter of the South, Peggy McLain resides in rural Tennessee with her husband and four dogs. A nature lover at heart, she enjoys gardening, cooking, painting, and canning her garden bounty. Through genealogy McLain discovered that she is a distant descendant of both Mark Twain and Geoffrey Chaucer.