by Taylor Brown
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To my parents, who always believed I could walk the paths I chose, even when it must have scared the hell out of them, and who have been there to listen during the darker hours of this journey. God does not make better parents.
To Heather, big sister, who is hero and mentor, noble and strong, unafraid of the true word or hard road. We are there for each other, always, and it is one of the greatest blessings in my life. And to Rick, who believed in a young English major—thank you, brother.
To Christopher Rhodes, who is not only the best agent in the whole world, but a fine man and an incredible friend.
To Whit Dawson and Ben Galland, who are my brothers, deeper than any blood. You have been my anchors, my rocks, and taught me so much. I love you both. Here’s to many more “research trips” on the river.
To Jason Frye, who has always blessed me with a bent ear and steady editorial hand. I am so grateful for you. You writers, I cannot recommend Jason’s editing enough. Run to him, now.
To Majsan Böstrom, who believed in this story early, with faith and fire—who just seemed to know. Thank you. I’m very lucky the world made us friends.
To George Witte and Sara Thwaite and Jessica Lawrence of St. Martin’s Press, who are the stuff of dreams for a young writer—brilliant and giving and wise, with big muscle and bigger hearts. Thank you for your faith in me. I’m honored, every day, to work with you, and I hope to do you proud.
To Wiley Cash, whose advice and wisdom have been invaluable. Rarely do your heroes turn out to be such fine people. I’m speechless with gratitude. Just … thank you. A thousand times.
To Peter Maguire, who has been so generous in sharing his experiences, his wisdom, and his kitchen. You took me seriously long before there was any reason to, and I will always be grateful for that.
To Scott Juall, Ph.D., for lending his overwhelming expertise on the subject of Fort Caroline, sixteenth-century French, and the most creative of French insults. Truly, it felt something like destiny when we connected, and I am so incredibly grateful. It has been an honor and a pleasure, my friend.
To Brad Williams, formerly of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, for the gift of your stories, and to Howell Boone, captain of Miss Bertha, for the gift of yours. It is people like you, willing to give a young writer your time and words, who make a book like this possible.
To Chelsea Hopkins and Tara Muenz, for your kindness and cartographic assistance, and to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Georgia Environmental Protection Division for providing the underlying maps of the river—and everything else you do. Thank you.
To Kristen and Waylon, I have not forgotten your faith. Though you are far, I thump my heart now and again, thanking the universe for the influence you had on my life. I am a better man for it.
To Emily Smith and Beth Staples, who have been so welcoming and kind with me—I’m honored to call you my friends.
To Steph Post and Leah Angstman and Ashley Warlick, for your unbelievable kindness and support over the years. I can’t thank you enough. And to my soul-brother, Kent Wascom, and his wife, Alise—I wanted to write books so I could know people like you.
To everyone at the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, and all the indie booksellers across the nation whom I’ve had the honor and pleasure of meeting—thank you, all of you, for putting books and readers together, and making dreams like mine a reality.
Also by Taylor Brown
Fallen Land
In the Season of Blood & Gold
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Taylor Brown grew up on the Georgia coast. He has lived in Buenos Aires, San Francisco, and the mountains of western North Carolina. His fiction has appeared in more than twenty publications, he is the recipient of the Montana Prize in Fiction, and he has been a finalist in both the Machigonne Fiction Contest and the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. The bestselling Fallen Land (2016), a Southern Independent Booksellers Association selection, was his first novel; The River of Kings is his second. He lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
St. Martin’s Press ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE RIVER OF KINGS. Copyright © 2017 by Taylor Brown. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Maps by Environmental Protection Division, Georgia DNR
Cartographers: Tara Muenz and Taylor Brown
Reproductions of Jacques Le Moyne’s sixteenth-century illustrations courtesy of Special & Digital Collections, Tampa Library, University of South Florida
Title page photograph courtesy of Freeimages.com / Chris Winfield
Cover design by Danielle Christopher
Cover photographs: river © Skip Brown / Getty Images; kayaker © Llaszlo / Shutterstock.com; trees © Earl Semadeni / Shutterstock.com; illustration of Native Americans public domain
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Brown, Taylor, 1982– author.
Title: The river of kings: a novel / Taylor Brown.
Description: First Edition.|New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016044294|ISBN 9781250111753 (hardcover)|ISBN 9781250111760 (e-book)
Subjects:|BISAC: FICTION / Literary.|FICTION / Historical.
Classification: LCC PS3602.R722894 R58 2017|DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016044294
e-ISBN 9781250111760
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact your local bookseller or the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: March 2017
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Maps
Epigraph
Book I
1. Altamaha River, Day 1
2. New France, June 1564
3. Altamaha River, Day 1
4. Sapelo Sound, March 1975
5. Altamaha River, Day 1
6. Fort Caroline, 1564
7. Darien, Georgia, 1975
8. Altamaha River, Day 1
9. Fort Caroline, 1564
10. Altamaha River, 1975
11. Altamaha River, Day 1
12. Fort Caroline, August 1564
13. Altamaha River, Day 1
14. Darien, Georgia, 1982
15. Fort Caroline, August 1564
16. Altamaha River, Day 2
17. Fort Caroline, August 1564
18. Darien, Georgia, 1987
19. Miller Lake, Day 2
20. Fort Caroline, November 1564
21. Altamaha River, Day 2
22. Fort Caroline, November 1564
23. Sapelo Sound, Georgia, 1992
24. Altamaha River, Day 2
25. Fort Caroline, November 1564
Book II
26. Altamaha River, Day 3
27. New France, February 1565
28. Darien, Georgia, 1993
29. Altamaha River, Day 3
30. New France, March 1565
31. Crooked Lake, Day 3
32. New France, March 1565
33. Crooked Lake, Day 3
34. Darien, Georgia, 1993
35. Fort Caroline, March 1565
36. Altamaha River, Da
y 3
37. Fort Caroline, March 1565
38. Altamaha River, Day 3
39. Fort Caroline, April 1565
40. Altamaha River, Day 4
41. Altamaha River, 1996
42. Fort Caroline, May 1565
43. Altamaha River, Day 4
Book III
44. Fort Caroline, May 1565
45. Altamaha River, 1996
46. Altamaha River, Day 4
47. New France, June 1565
48. Altamaha River, 1996
49. Altamaha River, Day 4
50. Fort Caroline, July 1565
51. Lewis Island, Day 4
52. Altamaha River, 2001
53. Fort Caroline, July 1565
54. Altamaha River, Day 5
55. Fort Caroline, August 1565
56. Altamaha River, Day 5
57. Fort Caroline, September 1565
58. Altamaha River, Day 5
59. McIntosh County, 2001
60. Altamaha River, Day 5
61. Fort Caroline, September 1565
62. Altamaha River, Day 5
63. New France, September 1565
64. Altamaha River, Day 5
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Also by Taylor Brown
About the Author
Copyright
