Discover the story of Hawaii James Michener Never Told
"Exceptional...Mesmerizing...Eye-Opening"
Nighttime 1748. Hawai‘i Island (the Big Island), North Kohala...
A child is born in a grass house. Outside, a raging storm muffles his first cries. Soldiers are hunting him. Their king has ordered his death because a priest has prophesied that the infant will become a “slayer of chiefs.” But he is spirited away to a remote valley before the soldiers can find him. He will become Hawaii’s greatest warrior.
When strange, pale visitors come from beyond the horizon, and other Hawaiians mistake their leader for one of their gods—returned to them in fulfillment of a prophecy—he’ll recognize these newcomers as men. He’ll use their guns and steel to defeat a succession of rivals for rule of the Big Island, and then the rest of the island chain, ending centuries of fratricidal warfare, and founding the Kingdom of Hawaii.
He is Hawaii's chief of war, Kamehameha the Great.
Critical praise for Once There Was Fire
Original, exceptional, entertaining, and with a meticulously detailed attention to historical accuracy to enhance an inherently fascinating work of creative fiction, "Once There Was Fire" by Stephen Shender will hold a particular appeal to readers with an interest in biographical and historical fiction set in the context of Hawaiian history...
Midwest Book Review
"Overall, this novel should gratify historians and general readers alike....A thoughtful, well-written work that breathes new life into past personalities and events."
Kirkus Reviews
"The descriptions of phenomenal storytellers, feast makers, drinking contests, blood bonds, sacrifices of prisoners, polygamous relationships, remarkable physical prowess in sport and war, military strategies that guarantee success or failure, and so much more fill these pages into what one can only call a mesmerizing saga."
An "eye-opening chronicle of the Hawaiian kingdom."
About the author
Stephen Shender
During a professional writing career spanning 30 years, Stephen Shender worked successively as a congressional press aide in Washington, D.C., a newspaper reporter and editor on California's Central Coast (Monterey and Santa Cruz counties), a political speechwriter in Washington, D.C., a corporate speechwriter in Los Angeles, a marketing communications writer in Silicon Valley, and a freelancer before retiring in 2003. He discovered the story of Kamehameha the Great during his first visit to the "Big Island" of Hawai'i in July, 2004, and began writing Once There Was Fire the following November. Twelve years, 20 days later, he finally had a book.
Explore the book
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