The Kent Family Chronicles (also known as The American Bicentennial Series) is a series of eight

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s by John Jakes written for Lyle Engel of Book Creations, Inc. to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. The books became best sellers, with no novel in the series selling fewer than 3.5 million copies.Mary Ellen Jones
"John Jakes"
''Dictionary of Midwestern Literature,'' pp. 286-288 With '' The Rebels,'' ''

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were ...

,'' and ''

The Furies The Erinyes ( ; sing. Erinys ; grc, Ἐρινύες, pl. of ), also known as the Furies, and the Eumenides, were female chthonic deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes them ...

,'' Jakes became the first author to have three books on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list in a single year, 1975.Kay Kipling
"The John Jakes Chronicles"
''Sarasota Magazine,'' November 2006. The books feature different members of the Kent family, connecting them with historical events at the time of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. The first novel begins just before the American Revolution, with Frenchman Phillipe Charboneau, who travels to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and later to the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

, changing his name to Philip Kent along the way and meeting several key figures of the Revolution, including the Marquis de Lafayette,

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

Samuel Adams Samuel Adams ( – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and ...

, Paul Revere,

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot movement in Boston during the early days of the American Revolution, ...

, and others. The saga ends some generations later in 1890, with the death of Gideon Kent in ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American historical drama, period spy fiction, spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX (TV channel), FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg ...

.'' The series was originally intended to continue until 1976, covering 200 years.Mary Ellen Jones
"Part Two: The Kent Family Chronicles
''John Jakes: A Critical Companion,'' Greenwood Press, 1996, p. 29. The first two novels in the series were made into telefilms in 1978 and 1979, both starring

Andrew Stevens Herman Andrew Stevens (born June 10, 1955) is an American executive, film producer, director and actor. Early life Stevens was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the only child of actress Stella Stevens and her former husband Noble Herman Stephens. Ca ...

as Philip Kent, with the third adapted as a 1979 telefilm starring

Randolph Mantooth Randolph Mantooth (born Randy DeRoy Mantooth, September 19, 1945) is an American actor who has worked in television, documentaries, theater, and film for more than 40 years. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he was discovere ...

as the son, Abraham Kent. "Operation Prime Time" premiered in syndication with the first of these.

Novels

* '' The Bastard'' (1974) * '' The Rebels'' (1975) * ''

'' (1975) * ''The Furies'' (1976) * ''The Titans'' (1976) * ''The Warriors'' (1977) * ''The Lawless'' (1978) * ''The Americans'' (1979)

Footnotes

External links

John Jakes Official Homepage''The Bastard''
on IMDb
''The Rebels''
on IMDb
''The Seekers''
on IMDb Family saga novels Novels by John Jakes American historical novels Novels set during the American Civil War Fictional families 1970s novels United States Bicentennial {{AmericanCivilWar-novel-stub