Dark Territory

Hunter’s epic tale of Rhisiart Dafydd, soldier, philosopher, and adventurer, opens in 1630, when he’s a five-year-old boy in Wales. The action moves forward to 1656, when Rhisiart, a Roundhead serving in Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army, meets Col. John Powel in London. Powel persuades Rhisiart to go to America in search of Richard Morgan Jones, the leader of New Jerusalem, a Calvinist sect of Welsh settlers. Powel wants him to find out whether Jones has succeeded in establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Rhisiart’s journey to America ends in shipwreck, but he’s rescued and healed by Native Americans before he eventually finds New Jerusalem with its many strange customs and secrets. Flashbacks to Rhisiart’s childhood cover the death of his parents, his apprenticeship as a blacksmith, and his dual immersion in religion and war. Rhisiart’s highs (offered a minister’s position) and lows (imprisoned) tax his talents to the utmost in this unusual but intriguing slice of Colonial American history. (Apr.)