What Became of a Lost Colony - an Editorial Review for "A Strange and Terrible Wonder"

Book Blurb:

Eleanor Dare, daughter of Roanoke's Governor John White, has no choice but to accompany her overly ambitious husband Ananias and her idealist, yet inexperienced father to England's new colony.  Manteo of Croatoan wants nothing more than to cast off his association with the English and return home. Haunted by memories of an unexplainable event, he sets out to find the truth about what was brought to Roanoke by the English two years before as a weapon against the Spanish.

Based on real people who vanished from history, Eleanor and Manteo form a taboo friendship as they work against unseen forces to end the violent and otherworldly attacks upon the settlement. In the midst of this survival scenario, both Eleanor and Manteo—once powerless and marginalized in England, emerge as unlikely leaders of the ravaged colony.

Blending 16th century science, occult, and the impacts of early colonialism, A Strange and Terrible Wonder reimagines what became of the Lost Colony.

Book Buy Link: https://us.amazon.com/dp/B0HFM4B6WT

Author Bio:

Nichole Louise (MFA Creative Writing, Rosemont College) is a historical fiction writer and book reviewer. She has published short stories and articles, most notably in the Journal of the American Revolution. Raven Rock, a prequel to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, was recognized by Writer's Digest, the Historical Fiction Company, and the CIBAs.

Editorial Review:

Title: A Strange and Terrible Wonder

Author: Nicole Louise

Rating: 4.2

“A Strange and Terrible Wonder: A novel of the Lost Colony of Roanoke” by Nichole Louise is a book that follows men who abandon God for occult power. But its heart is Eleanor’s journey from victim to survivor, even as she learns that she cannot rely on men to save her. In the early chapters, the reader encounters history, a history in which something terrible happened..

“The roar of the storm is so powerful now that the congregants shift with discomfort… The doors are thrown open as if by a blast of gunpowder. Lashing wind explodes down the nave, spraying hot rain onto the necks and backs of the congregants who dare not turn from the cross… The child clutches tightly to his mother when… another flash of fire, the child sees it— they all see it: a great black dog with one ember glowing eye running with incredible haste.”

Here, an unnatural beast akin to a demonic force, attacks people in a church. There is no summoner visible or a human agent controlling it, which makes the reader wonder whether it is random, or if there’s a purpose to it. For now, the reader shares in the terror of the congregants, even as they yearn to know whether the beast deliberately leaves witnesses, and if so, why.

““Ye know I have prayed for such a day.” “Is it safe?” He blinks. She knows very well it is not, but she has asked him nonetheless to make the point. “Cannot ye send for us after the colony is established?” His grip tightens on her hands… As his wife, she has already done many things for him. Most of all, she has placed her very body in mortal danger twice over to bear his children.”

The passage introduces Eleanor and her husband Ananias. Just like the congregants, one gets the sense that Eleanor is trapped in her marriage, a marriage where she is being acted upon by a man who makes major decisions for her. Her father has been appointed governor of the City of Raleigh and her husband sees that as his path to elevation to a gentleman’s status. The reader who encouters this excerpt with the prologue in mind only hopes that evil doesn’t find Eleanor. But they already know that evil doesn’t need an invitation.

“”Eleanor, there has been a vote.” “But my father would never—” His hand closes over hers, and her mouth snaps shut. “I knew ye would not take this well,” he sighs, patting her hand. “Ye still have your husband. I promise I will not go anywhere.” He smiles. She pulls her hand away and wipes a tear welling in her eye. His gaze darkens with a mixture of frustration and annoyance.”

This moment presents what the reader feared for- a point where Ananias uses his machinations to take what he wants and make Eleanor pay the price. The moment is a catalyst that establishes why she has to become her own protector, and why she has to save others because no one else will. The reader however remembers the existence of a beast- one that cannot be controlled or reasoned with. She cannot save anyone while it hunts. But first she must free herself from the “human beasts” who surround her.

Nichole Louise excels in using subtext to show the gap between what characters say, and what they actually mean. “Do this one for me” means “I’m demanding this.” “Ye still have a husband” means “You have no one else.” These phrases make the reader “hear” the tension beneath the words, and understand the insidious control that masquerades as care. Louise is equally skilled in portraying the patriarchy of the era and its devastating consequences. But what stands out is the underdog nature of the women, women who remain undefeated and whose victory, as hard-won as it is, comes at a terrible cost.

“A Strange and Terrible Wonder: A novel of the Lost Colony of Roanoke” speaks to the horrors of patriarchy’s ambitions created during the era, and additionally, the women who had to clean up the mess and find a way to go on. Louise’s historical accuracy is exceptional as is her take on what happened to the Lost Colony. Her answer, which revolves around a fictional horror, is both gripping and thought-provoking. The mystery is one which researchers have offered many theories about. Louise doesn’t pretend to have solved it, but rather, she offers a creative, imaginative answer. Her work requires slow reading for you to feel the weight of the history, and for you to understand the emotional weight of her protagonist’s journey, from victim to survivor.

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