Louis Riel, a controversial Métis mystic and visionary, fought for his people’s rights against an encroaching tide of white settlers. Hunter and Métis leader Gabriel Dumont, a man tested by warfare, was, in contrast, a pragmatic realist of the land. Celebrated novelist Joseph Boyden explores the tumultuous year when Riel and Dumont united the Métis while dividing a nation. Could Dumont have foreseen the impact on the Métis cause when he brought Riel home? While making rational demands of Sir John A. Macdonald, Riel seemed increasingly overtaken by a messianic mission. His controversial execution by the Canadian government in 1885 still reverberates today. Boyden, with his powerful narrative skill, creates an unforgettable portrait of two seminal Canadian figures who helped shape the country.

Joseph Boyden's first novel, Three Day Road, was selected for the Today Show Book Club, won the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, the CBA Libris Fiction Book of the Year Award, the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award, and the McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award, and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction. His second novel, Through Black Spruce, was awarded the Scotiabank Giller Prize and named the Canadian Booksellers Association Fiction Book of the Year; it also earned him the CBA’s Author of the Year Award. His most recent novel, The Orenda, won Canada Reads and was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award for Fiction. Boyden divides his time between Northern Ontario and Louisiana.

Joseph Boyden's profile page

“[The series is] entertaining, literary and informative.” —The National Post/ Canwest

“The books would be a lovely addition to any library . . . they’re accessible and ready to be read by all.” —The Nova Scotian (Sunday Herald)