''The Seekers'' is a
historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
written by
John Jakes
John William Jakes (born March 31, 1932) is an American writer, best known for American historical and speculative fiction. His Civil War trilogy, ''North and South'', has sold millions of copies worldwide. He is also the author of The Kent Famil ...
and originally published in 1975. It is book three in a series known as
the Kent Family Chronicles The Kent Family Chronicles (also known as The American Bicentennial Series) is a series of eight novels by John Jakes written for Lyle Engel of Book Creations, Inc. to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the Uni ...
or the American Bicentennial Series. The novel mixes fictional characters with historical events and figures, as it narrates the story of the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
from 1794 through 1814. In 1979, the novel was made into a
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
by
Operation Prime Time
Operation Prime Time (OPT) was a consortium of American independent television stations to develop prime time programming for independent stations. OPT and its spin-off syndication company, Television Program Enterprises (TPE), were formed by A ...
and premiered on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
on July 8, 1979.
Plot summary
The story begins in 1794, at the
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their British allies, against the nascent United States ...
, in the
Northwest Territory
The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...
. Abraham Kent, the son of Philip Kent and Anne Ware, leads a cavalry charge in the battle, but misses a chance to kill
Tecumseh
Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...
.
Two years later, Abraham marries his stepsister, Elizabeth Fletcher, and they purchase a tract of land on the
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accesse ...
, near Fort Hamilton, where begins farming corn. They have a son, Jared Adam, born in 1798. Elizabeth does not enjoy their new life and they plan to move to a more populated area. Just before the move, Elizabeth is killed by a
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
Indian. Abraham, distraught, sells the farm and makes his way back to Boston with Jared to learn that his father Philip has recently died.
Abraham meets his half-brother Gilbert and takes a job in the family business, the Kent and Son printers, but the trauma of Elizabeth's death makes him unsuccessful. Abraham decides to leave, but when he tries to take his son with him, his sister-in-law, Harriet, refuses. Abraham pushes her down the stairs, causing her to go into premature labor. Gilbert expels Abraham from his house without Jared, and Harriet gives birth to a daughter, Amanda. Abraham is never seen again.
Jared is raised by Gilbert and Harriet and when he comes of age, he enlists in the U.S. Navy and serves in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
. During his service, Jared fends off the homosexual advances of a superior officer, Lieutenant Hamilton Stovall.
Gilbert Kent dies of a seizure and Harriet remarries. Her second husband, Andrew Piggott, is a compulsive gambler and womaniser who loses the publishing firm to Lt. Stovall in a game of craps. Jared sets fire to the firm and attempts to kill Stovall, instead shooting an associate of his. Jared and his cousin Amanda flee.
While in
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, near
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, Amanda is raped and abducted by William Blackthorn. Jared tracks down Blackthorn and shoots him dead. With his dying breath, Blackthorn tells Jared he sold Amanda to fur traders going up the
Missouri River. Jared serves ninety days in jail for disturbing the peace. While in jail, he is visited by Elijah Weatherby. Weatherby, a fur trader, had witnessed Blackthorn's death and he was impressed by Jared. He tells Jared he is going to Indian country to trade and needs a partner. Jared accepts the offer, and they commence their journey in November 1814. The story ends without Jared and Amanda being reunited, but the reader learns that Amanda is alive and was sold by fur traders to an American Indian.
Adaptation
In 1979, the novel was made into a television film by
Operation Prime Time
Operation Prime Time (OPT) was a consortium of American independent television stations to develop prime time programming for independent stations. OPT and its spin-off syndication company, Television Program Enterprises (TPE), were formed by A ...
and premiered on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
on July 8 and 9, 1979.
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 ...
starred as Abraham Kent.
The film’s plot differs from the novel. For instance, as foreseen by Gilbert Kent, his brother Abraham dies in a Boston alley but not before reuniting with his son Jared, who is oblivious to his identity. The film’s ending also differs from the book, in that Jared and Amanda (now married to an Indian while discouraging war with the Tribes) are reunited briefly before each goes their separate ways.
See also
*
*
List of films about the American Revolution
This is a list of films and TV films about the American Revolution.
* 1776, or ''The Hessian Renegades'' – 1909 film by D.W. Griffith
* ''1776'' – 1972 film based on the 1969 Broadway musical production, starring William Daniels, H ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seekers, The
1975 American novels
American historical novels
Novels by John Jakes
American novels adapted into films