Forge and Foundry is a richly detailed historical novel set in colonial America during the years leading up to the French and Indian War. Inspired by true events and real figures, it follows Scots-Irish trader and gunsmith John Fraser as he struggles to maintain his independence-and his life-on the contested frontier of Pennsylvania, where British ambition, French expansion, and Indigenous sovereignty collide.
It is 1750, and tensions simmer in the Ohio Country. French forces are encroaching upon the Ohio Valley, while British colonists-backed by the Ohio Company-push west with surveyors, treaties, and trade goods. Fraser, stationed at Venango for a decade, finds himself caught in a widening storm. From fragile peace councils at Logstown to the doomed construction of Fort Prince George and the fall of Fort Duquesne, Fraser witnesses the unraveling of diplomacy and the rise of war. Along the way, Fraser navigates complex relationships with Native allies, including the young Lenape scout Shikwinèt and the enigmatic Elachtoniket, while also crossing paths with historical figures such as George Washington, William Trent, Tanacharison the Half-King, Christopher Gist, and Andrew Montour. As the frontier erupts in violence, Fraser is drawn into brutal skirmishes, political maneuvering, and a reckoning with his own past.
With sweeping scope and emotional depth, Forge and Foundry explores themes of survival, loyalty, identity, and the cost of empire. For fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, and Ken Follett, this novel offers an immersive journey into a pivotal but often overlooked chapter in American history.
