When Finn is orphaned by Johan Kopf, the infamous Totenkopf and Hessian mercenary, he soon finds himself in the frontier wilds that range from Pennsylvania to Nova Scotia in the late 1750s. There, he is caught up in a bloody conflict that is raging between Great Britain and France, and he joins the first special operations unit in history, the notorious Rogers Rangers in Fort Edward, New York. Under the command of Major Robert Rogers, Finn is set on countless daring raids and covert missions against the French. Throughout numerous conflicts, battles, and skirmishes, Finn not only struggles for survival with his family of battle brothers, but also his own loneliness that has resulted from losing the love of his life, Rosie. He finds out that the whole borderland is in turmoil as growing numbers of settlers, transportees and profiteers arrive, increasing pressure on the mighty Iroquois nation. Fortunately, Finn has help from his band of underdog friends, Olaudah "Gus" Equiano, a freed slave; Marcus Fronto, an eccentric wanderer turned Finn's mentor; and Daniel Nimham, a fierce Wappinger warrior; and beautiful, but perplexing Catherina Brett. Ultimately, however, Finn realizes that if he is to survive this war and keep his sanity intact, he is going to have to learn to grow both on and off the field in a world gone mad. And that's a journey that only he can make.

Even those waging the fiercest battles just hew to hard fast rules that separate the soldier from the savage. And when a man's home is destroyed beyond restoration, it's up to him alone to forge a code and carve a new place to live in peace. The Rule of Ranging 1: Eclipse of the Midnight Sun is the epic action-adventure drama by Timothy M. Kestrel that follows the fearless Finn on a journey paved with bloodthirsty aggressors, mysterious women, and the rough terrain of a fledgling America. Both grave and uplifting, it's an absorbing flight of fancy and derring-do. Set in the eighteen century, Kestrel's story is a work of historic fiction that relives the most perilous days of the French & Indian War. The story begins in Finland, just as a young boy named Finn witnesses the complete annihilation of his home village, as well as the brutal killing of his family by marauding Russians. He barely manages to escape, chased by a merciless Hessian mercenary, Johan Kopf, nicknamed Totenkopf. Following his dying mother's wish to find a mysterious woman named Columbia, Finn's course takes him across the Atlantic. He befriends a slave, Gus, and buys his freedom. On their travels in this brave new world called America, the two make their way through the majestic Hudson Valley in New York, and soon encounter Marcus Fronto, a curious vagrant and philosophical mentor; Daniel Nimham, a fierce Wappinger chief and warrior; and beautiful Catherina Brett. They join forces with Robert Rogers Rangers, and fight against the French at Fort Edward, New York, during the Hudson River campaign in the 1750s. Action-packed and rigorously researched, the story offers a rare vantage of a crucial time in this country's coming of age that is at once funny, heartbreaking, illuminating, and thrilling. Mining the depths of love, freedom, greed, and loyalty, it's a page-turning, heart-pounding read that is at once scholarly and scintillating - steeped in history with a death-defying hero for the ages.

When Finn is orphaned by Johan Kopf, the infamous Totenkopf and Hessian mercenary, he soon finds himself in the frontier wilds that range from Pennsylvania to Nova Scotia in the late 1750s. There, he is caught up in a bloody conflict that is raging between Great Britain and France, and he joins the first special operations unit in history, the notorious Rogers Rangers in Fort Edward, New York. Under the command of Major Robert Rogers, Finn is set on countless daring raids and covert missions against the French. Throughout numerous conflicts, battles, and skirmishes, Finn not only struggles for survival with his family of battle brothers, but also his own loneliness that has resulted from losing the love of his life, Rosie. He finds out that the whole borderland is in turmoil as growing numbers of settlers, transportees and profiteers arrive, increasing pressure on the mighty Iroquois nation. Fortunately, Finn has help from his band of underdog friends, Olaudah "Gus" Equiano, a freed slave; Marcus Fronto, an eccentric wanderer turned Finn's mentor; and Daniel Nimham, a fierce Wappinger warrior; and beautiful, but perplexing Catherina Brett. Ultimately, however, Finn realizes that if he is to survive this war and keep his sanity intact, he is going to have to learn to grow both on and off the field in a world gone mad. And that's a journey that only he can make.

Even those waging the fiercest battles just hew to hard fast rules that separate the soldier from the savage. And when a man's home is destroyed beyond restoration, it's up to him alone to forge a code and carve a new place to live in peace. The Rule of Ranging 1: Eclipse of the Midnight Sun is the epic action-adventure drama by Timothy M. Kestrel that follows the fearless Finn on a journey paved with bloodthirsty aggressors, mysterious women, and the rough terrain of a fledgling America. Both grave and uplifting, it's an absorbing flight of fancy and derring-do. Set in the eighteen century, Kestrel's story is a work of historic fiction that relives the most perilous days of the French & Indian War. The story begins in Finland, just as a young boy named Finn witnesses the complete annihilation of his home village, as well as the brutal killing of his family by marauding Russians. He barely manages to escape, chased by a merciless Hessian mercenary, Johan Kopf, nicknamed Totenkopf. Following his dying mother's wish to find a mysterious woman named Columbia, Finn's course takes him across the Atlantic. He befriends a slave, Gus, and buys his freedom. On their travels in this brave new world called America, the two make their way through the majestic Hudson Valley in New York, and soon encounter Marcus Fronto, a curious vagrant and philosophical mentor; Daniel Nimham, a fierce Wappinger chief and warrior; and beautiful Catherina Brett. They join forces with Robert Rogers Rangers, and fight against the French at Fort Edward, New York, during the Hudson River campaign in the 1750s. Action-packed and rigorously researched, the story offers a rare vantage of a crucial time in this country's coming of age that is at once funny, heartbreaking, illuminating, and thrilling. Mining the depths of love, freedom, greed, and loyalty, it's a page-turning, heart-pounding read that is at once scholarly and scintillating - steeped in history with a death-defying hero for the ages.