The Year of the Hangman - Trey Stevens

The book that I chose was The Year of the Hangman is an alternate history novel about the American Revolution by Gary Blackwood. It takes place during the year of 1777 which characters think looks like gallows, hence The Year of the Hangman. The story follows the main character Creighton Brown, a wealthy English boy, who is abducted and sent to the colonies in an alternate history where the colonists lost the American Revolution. Creighton “was half carried, half dragged from the porch and off into the night” for a voyage to the colonies (14). On the ship, Creighton is confused angry for his predicament. To make matters worse, he learns that it was his own mother who arranged the whole thing. Apparently she could not contain Creighton’s behavior and decided that his uncle, Colonel Gower in the colony of Carolina, could raise him better. At this point Creighton has decided that he will try his very best to be sent back to the colonies, and to him this means seriously bad behavior. Creighton makes it to Charlestown, where his uncle is stationed. He is escorted to his uncle by Lieutenant Hale, the man who has taken care of him for the voyage, whom Creighton considers a good man and a friend. When there, Creighton lies and tells his uncle that it was his own choice to come to colonies, in hopes that this would make it easier for him to return to England. This is the point in the novel where the story really starts to pick up. Apparently, Gower is to be made lieutenant governor of  West Florida, so he and take a voyage there on the very same ship that brought him to the colonies. On the way,[ they are attacked by what appear to be pirates, but are really American Patriots, who seize the ship and capture the Colonel and Lieutenant Hale. Only through Gower’s quick thinking does Creighton not get captured. He is act as a servant of Gower’s in hopes that the Patriots would not ransom him. The plan in fact works as Creighton is “freed” by the Patriots who turn out to be Benedict Arnold and very large boy named Peter. The prisoners and Creighton are taken to New Orleans, the Patriots headquarters. Now for a large portion of the novel it is simply Creighton acclimatizing to these new people and Ideas in the Patriot city.

Creighton is taken to the home of Benjamin Franklin, for he needs a place to stay. There he meets Sophie, Franklin’s French speaking servant, and Benjamin Franklin himself. These new people and the this new environment overwhelm Creighton who still wants to return home. So he decides to sneakily visit Gower in the prison to find a way out of Louisiana and back to England. Gower tells him to spy for it would be far more useful and to bring him a pistol. If he could escape they could, along with Hale return to English territory and have information on the Patriots as well. Creighton reluctantly does as he is told. Creighton listens and learns from the Patriots of New Orleans and he even begins working in Benjamin Franklin’s print shop. He even learns that his dead father, who he believes was killed by patriots, actually helped save them from a massacre in Carolina. This is the beginning of Creighton’s new view on the English.  All the while he spies on them. Greatest of all his discoveries, he finds out that Benjamin Franklin prints a secret Patriot newspaper called The Liberty Tree and that it is written in code. He deduces that it is translated by use if an almanac that only an American would carry. With his information and a recently acquired pistol Creighton frees Hale, and Gower who betrays him. Gower takes his information, hits him over the head leaves him for the patriots, ordering Hale to leave him behind. When he awakens Creighton rethinks his already shifting views on the English.

This occurs throughout the novel however at this point hs views are almost completely shifted to that of the Patriots. He sees the English as aggressive an uncaring for the rights of their people. When Creighton believes he has found peace in New Orleans, the printing shop is attacked by English-hired arsonists. In the ensuing confrontation and destruction of the shop, Benjamin Franklin is killed. With the death of his mentor Creighton is now in support of the patriots. The patriots now want revenge. They are organizing an attack with their allied forces from Spain to hit a major English base. To have this plan work they set up misdirection. Benedict Arnold, Peter, and Creighton travel to Florida where they are to convince the officials there that they are traitors and wish to divulge information to them. Information that is of course false and will send the English to the wrong locations for the attack. During this time Creighton comes to learn that Gower is in fact the official that they need to convince. By doing so, Creighton is even given another code to decipher. He finds that it tells the location of the captured General Washington. As he tries to get the information to Arnold he learns that he has entered a duel with Gower. The duel is fought and Gower is the loser. Needing to escape for having just killed the Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Arnold and Creighton head to the prison where they believe Washington is being held. Once there they are captured due to the fact that they were trying to release a dead prisoner. The prisoner that is really there is in fact Creighton’s own father whom was actually saved by Gower and sent to prison instead of the Gallows. Creighton, Arnold, and his father escape thanks to Peter and return to New Orleans. Thus begins the end of the novel. Arnold launches the attack which turns out to be a colossal failure. Creighton’s father recovers from prison. Creighton, after the events of the novel,  has to rethink his entire way of life, in addition to beginning work in the newly rebuilt print shop.

Creighton realizes that his views on life are aligned with the patriots a theme which has seemingly been in the air for the entire novel. Creighton now has a new perspective on people. In the beginning, he was brash and unkind, now he has learned to be more compassionate and accepting of others. And finally, most important of all Creighton views war differently. He once saw it as a game where one side loses and one side wins. Now he knows the horrors on both sides. He takes Ben Franklin’s words about how “there never was a good war, or a bad peace” (254). The name of the year 1777, The Year of the Hangman, meant little to Creighton before. He knew people died in conflicts, he just never thought of the people as people. Now he sees the years title as a warning of the horrors of war and conflict between men. Having grown in many ways Creighton is not a boy “playing games” now. “[not] any longer” (257).

The Author Gary Blackwood has written previous alternate history before The Year of the Hangman. Which include The Shakespeare Stealer and Shakespeare’s scribe. Both of which have been critically acclaimed. He has even written a theatrical adaptation of The Shakespeare Stealer for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.  So the qualification to write this novel is there. he is praised by critics and worked with the Kennedy Center.

Overall, I really enjoyed the novel. It was interesting to see the Revolution’s ideas from the perspective of an Englishman. It is never usually seen as a violent, evil conflict so the perspective was refreshing. Most important of all was how the world would have been like, had the Americans lost. The Patriots were forced into hiding and the grip of the English on the colonies got tighter. The book’s pacing was slow at points, but the new perspectives on history kept me interested to keep reading despite it. The characters were great. Each historical character felt fully fleshed out. Each had their own strong, developed views. Especially Ben Franklin and Benedict Arnold. Now as an informational historical text, this should not be your first choice. It is of course alternate history, events happening differently than they actually did. Now for an interesting historically themed text this book is perfect. I would recommend the novel as a casual read, but not for a history assignment.