Captures, disguises, chases, and daring escapes, all set against a backdrop of war: this is the stirring adventure story you've been looking for

Description

Set against the backdrop of colonial America and the French and Indian war, The Last of the Mohicans is a tale of adventure and danger. In western New York, Colonel Munro fights to defend his British fort from the French army. Munro has two daughters, Alice and Cora, who set out to visit their father despite the tumultuous atmosphere. They are guided through the treacherous forest by an army major and an Indian from the Huron tribe named Magua. On the way, they encounter a white scout traveling with two other Indians, who happen to be the last surviving members from the Mohican tribe. They inform Alice and Cora that their guide Magua is a traitor who has been leading them in the wrong direction. In the ensuing conflict, Magua and his Huron allies kidnap the girls, but the Mohican Indians and their scout manage to avoid capture. Terrified, Alice and Cora learn that Magua harbors deep resentments against their father Munro and wants to seek revenge, but the Mohicans rescue the girls just in time. They continue their dangerous journey through the dark forest, sneak through the French army lines, and finally reunite with their father. But their troubles are not behind them, and the explosive conclusion reveals disturbing truths about race, war, and identity in early America.

About the Author

Although he was born shortly after the United States declared independence from Britain, James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) was fascinated by early pre-colonial days in America. Born in New Jersey to a large family, Cooper was the son of Cooperstown founder and politician William Cooper. As a young man, Cooper briefly attended college, but left school to become a sailor, seeking a life of adventure. Cooper set out on a merchant ship and later joined the Navy, eventually returning to New York to raise a family and work on a farm. Cooper soon became a regular presence in New York City, writing many of his most famous novels of historical adventure during this stage of his life. To this day, Cooper is regarded as a key American author, known equally for the important nonfiction works that accompany his classic novels The Deerslayer and The Last of the Mohicans.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

It is believed that the scene of this tale, and most of the information necessary to understand its allusions, are rendered sufficiently obvious to the reader in the text itself, or in the accompanying notes. Still there is so much obscurity in the Indian traditions, and so much confusion in the ...