Eclipse : A Novel of Lewis and Clark

by Wheeler, Richard S.

• ISBN13: 9780765308764
• ISBN10: 0765308762
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-09-01
• Publisher: Forge Books

Summary

Lewis and Clark: forever paired for their epochal first crossing of the continent in 1804-1806, darlings of the young republic, and the pride of Thomas Jefferson because they made his dream of a nation between two oceans come true. Lewis and Clark: two great but very different men. Plain-spoken William Clark, enjoys the triumphs and acclaim of the expedition, marries his childhood sweetheart, and settles in St. Louis as superintendent of the nation's Indian affairs. His black manservant, York, who accompanied the expedition, forces Clark to confront the very nature of slavery and question the society that condoned it. Meriwether Lewis, a man of fierce courage and brilliant intellect, returns from the Pacific a changed man. Something terrible has happened to him, something insidious, a disease with no name that erodes his health, threatens to destroy his mind--and his honor. In "Eclipse, Richard S. Wheeler has written a tour de force novel, an exploration of triumph and tragedy told in the authentically rendered voices of the two greatest American explorers. Moreover, Wheeler provides a solution--dark in its ramifications--to one of the greatest mysteries in American history: the terrible and unexplained death of Meriwether Lewis, age thirty-five, in the wilderness of the Natchez Trace of Tennessee in October, 1809.

Author Biography

Richard S. Wheeler has written over fifty novels and several short stories. He has won four Spur Awards and the Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement in the field of western literature.

He lives in the literary and film community of Livingston, Montana, and is married to Professor Sue Hart, of Montana State University-Billings. Before turning to fiction he was a newsman and book editor. He has raised horses and been a wrangler at an Arizona dude ranch.

Table of Contents

“A riveting novel by [a] master storyteller.” –The Denver Post

“Eclipse is a wonderful biographical fiction . . . vividly described.” –Midwest Book Review

“Wheeler plays historical detective, providing a fictional account of one of the most intriguing mysteries in American history. A riveting re-creation of the tragic final years of an American legend.” --Booklist

“[Wheeler] has forever branded Western literature with his presence. [His] characters . . . are not the people who win every showdown. . . . Instead [they] struggle for their lives, and often their souls.” –True West

“A riveting novel by [a] master storyteller. . . . Wheeler brings readers a stunningly told and hitherto incomplete story of the tragic, final chapter in the life of Meriwether Lewis, one of American history’s most famous and lasting characters.” –The Denver Post

“[Eclipse] captures the feeling, the spirit and danger of [Lewis and Clark’s] accomplishment.” –Deseret News

“Eclipse is a thought-provoking novel that provides the reader with a convincing, yet startling resolution to an enigmatic piece of American history. Wheeler . . . has afforded historians and strong topic for debate, and provided readers with an even more intriguing tale.” –Readwest.com

“At last the waiting is over. Dick Wheeler . . . has finally written a novel about Lewis and Clark . . . [and he] has once again created a magnificent novel that is compelling reading.” –Roundup Magazine

“Long on psychological realism, the book should be appreciated by lovers of Western history and lore.” –Publishers Weekly