Kindle Edition Amazon K. C. Fusaro Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Amazon Type: Fiction Pages: 344 Copyright: Dec.18, 2020 ISBN-13: 9798678796370 Price: $2.99 (eBook) in 1775, fate conspires to place a London courier in the midst of the first battle of the American Revolution.  1774. New England on the cusp of Rebellion.  Boston seethes under Crown retribution for the tea incident a year earlier. Redcoats and Americans, countrymen in name only, drink vast amounts of cheap rum and aspire to kill each other.   Into this maelstrom steps expatriate Joethan Wolfe, courier for the rich and powerful of London. Wolfe is a bravo and a rake according to his particular friend, Benjamin Franklin, but it's a devotion to honor that motivates Wolfe to leave London and sail for the colonies. After fourteen years away, nothing in America is as remembered, although it may be the ironically named Prudence, a childhood playmate grown into a beautiful and fiery insurrectionist, that may be most problematic.   From Long Island, through the slave fields of Connecticut, to the seat of British power in Boston, Wolfe negotiates a dangerous tightrope between rebels and the Crown; until the tightrope becomes a noose dragging him into a bloody rebellion. It's a conflict he has no stake in and wants no part of, but there is no turning back, only survival.   The Death of the Age of Reason is book 1 of the Captain Sedition saga. Excerpt April, 1774. Marylebone dueling ground, West London. The Fool wanted to take a blade. It was the only explanation. He’d already been pinked once, a skillfully measured thrust that drew blood but caused no serious hurt. Honor had been satisfied, but the fool refused to quit. If he had any sense he would concede, and thank whatever God he prayed to that his rival had sworn not to hurt him. Twice. Once to The Doctor. Once to the woman. It was her fault. Everyone thought the duel was over stolen letters of an embarrassing political nature but they were wrong. It was about the woman. She was there watching of course. Lydia Grieves was hardly the type to sit home quietly while two men fought over her. By her own admission it was a scene too precious to resist. Joethan Wolfe—the fool’s adversary—was the least surprised man in England when she came barreling down the road in a hired carriage just as the affair commenced.

Rose Auburn Reviews
Set in the late eighteenth century, Captain Sedition: The Death of the Age of Reason introduces the reader to London courier Joethan Wolfe. When he receives news that his estranged father has been arrested for smuggling in America, Joethan knows he has to discover the truth and sets sail. However, the America he finds as a man is a very different country from the land he left as a boy…
Captain Sedition is a beautifully involving historical fiction and Fusaro seems to write from within the age rather than about it. It’s a staggeringly good reconstruction of an era which ensures the reader feels deeply acquainted with the period, characters, and action.
The book is littered with the most wonderful historical details and foibles of language which never become stagey or overshadow an excellent narrative that is intelligently constructed to provide many a twist, turn, and red herring. Notwithstanding, the plot never veers from its ultimate goal or becomes unduly complex, maintaining momentum and enjoyability throughout.
Complementing the story is a cast of richly observed and brilliantly depicted characters that veer from the grotesque to the humorous, but are never overdone or superfluous. Elijah Cummins was a particularly standout in a field of rustically convincing vignettes which are a joy to read, and enhanced by the individual authenticity of their dialogue.
However, the star of the novel is undoubtedly Joethan. Suave, sophisticated but with hints of emotional vulnerability that immediately endear him to the reader. He is immensely likeable and attractively enigmatic as he finds himself unwittingly involved in various conspiracies and colourful intrigues, all of which he navigates with a touch of urbane amusement.
From the excellent opening, Fusaro’s prose is reassuringly good. He is an incredibly accomplished and naturally clever author who writes with consummate verve and enthusiasm. He never loses sight of the story while ensuring it demonstrates his range. Personally, I was heavily reminded of Dickens albeit with sharper focus.
Further, Fusaro has managed to weave a thread of subtle, playful humour through the novel guaranteeing that content and context never become too dense or dry. It’s a fairly long novel but paced with utmost consideration and fluidity making it a book in which to fully immerse yourself.
Sumptuous, sweeping, and vividly entertaining; Captain Sedition: The Death of the Age of Reason is absolutely first-class, and a must-read treat for fans of historical fiction.


Indies Today - Best Historical Fiction 2021
Have you ever been away from home for a while, just to return and find that things have changed? For Joethan Wolfe, after more than a decade away from home, he finds that it is virtually unrecognizable, if America can even be considered his home. On a personal journey to help his long estranged father, Wolfe heads overseas to Boston, hoping to resolve some long standing issues.
Unable to avoid the growing unrest, he lands in the
center of a heated conflict, despite his aversion to
politics and his ambivalence for either side. As Wolfe
navigates a tense political landscape, he must be
cautious about which side of the line in the sand he walks on. His desire to get his father out of trouble motivates him, propelling him throughout New England and around every side of the war.
A brilliant work of historical fiction, Kerry Fusaro masterfully integrates a captivating tale with the tragic realities of war in Captain Sedition. Enhanced by the rich 18th century vernacular and prevailing ideologies of the day, Fusaroʼs work feels like an authentic glimpse into the lives of our ancestors. While Wolfe is the main figure, Ben Franklinʼs character early on really steals the show and adds a touch of heart. Extrapolation of known ideas about Franklin, such as his frugal nature and his vegetarian lifestyle, add much to the first few chapters of this vivid story. If youʼre not a history expert, surely the timeframe in this book will stir a few memories from school textbooks, but with so much more life and vibrancy than you ever knew! Packed with intriguing characters and a riveting plot, Captain Sedition: The Death of the Age of Reason is a well-rounded and honest piece of war fiction.

Anastasia Styles, U.K.
For me, the single greatest achievement of this book was having an all-action hero who nevertheless didn’t feel like a Gary-Stu author insert. Objectively, Wolfe has many of the qualities of a Gary-Stu, but it didn’t feel that way.

As for the potential as an author insert, any well-written protagonist is likely to bleed into the author as the author bleeds into them, so the critical part is that it not be insufferably so, as is all too often the case. Happily, here, Fusaro wrote with skill with the story and its characters at the heart of his writing, not getting distracted in increasingly fantastical wish-fulfilment as so many do.

Another feather in Fusaro’s cap here is the smoothly-written dialogue that felt both natural and era-appropriate; a lot of authors struggle with those individually, let alone together.

I’m no expert on the history of the secession of the American colonies from the British Empire, so I can’t speak authoritatively regards historical accuracy, but I will say that I noted no obvious anachronisms or important historical deviations, and certainly my experience as a reader was one of being drawn in and kept there without my suspension of disbelief being un-suspended.

So ultimately this book is part adventure, part historical exploration, and part escapism, and I’m here for all of that. I look forward to reading more from Fusaro!