Huck & Tom Among the Indians, PB

By Mark Twain and Lee Nelson

Book Overview

Mark Twain's long-lost novel comes to life in a wonderful collaboration with legendary Western writer Lee Nelson

In 1885 while The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was becoming one of the best-selling American classics of modern times, Mark Twain began this sequel in which Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer and Jim head west on the trail of two white girls kidnapped by Sioux warriors, learning the hard way that "book Injuns and real Injuns ain't the same." Fifteen thousand words into the work, Twain stopped in the middle of a sentence, never to go back; the unfinished story sitting on dusty shelves for more than a hundred years until The University of California cut a deal with Utah author Lee Nelson to finish it.

This story, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians, is the first new book with Mark Twain's name on it in nearly a hundred years, with readers saying they can't tell where Twain stops and Nelson begins: a story of adventure, wit and wisdom with Tom and Huck seeking true love while tramping through hostile Indian country, befriending Bill Hickman and Porter Rockwell, stealing from the United States Army, then on to face a gunfight and hangman's noose in Sacramento, California.

Join Huck and Tom on another exciting adventure that readers say they can't distinguish where Twain leaves off and Nelson begins

Author's Note: I discovered Mark Twain's unfinished story Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians when it was published in Life Magazine in 1968. I was in the Brigham Young University barbershop, reading part of the story before my haircut, and I read the rest afterward.

I was enthralled, hanging on every word as Huck, Tom and Jim joined up with the Mills family on the Platte River. A group of Sioux Indians befriended the family, then suddenly slaughtered the parents and older boys, and kidnapped the two girls and Jim. Huck and Tom joined forces with mountain man Brace Johnson to follow the Indians and rescue the girls. As they approached the Indian camp, getting ready for a daring rescue, the story suddenly ended, right in the middle of a sentence. I was so disappointed. Although Mark Twain wrote and published a number of books and stories after 1885, he never finished this one.

Early in 2002, while watching a documentary on Mark Twain on a local PBS station, I remembered reading the Among the Indians story in the barbershop. By this time I had published a dozen historical novels with settings on the American frontier, and realized I was probably as qualified as any other living author to finish the work begun by Twain. A little research on the web led me to those who controlled the copyright-The Mark Twain Foundation and the University of California Press. Contact was made, approval was granted, a contract was drawn up, and the following story is the result.

I have no idea how Twain intended to finish the story, and I reason that he didn't know either, or he would have done it. I just hope that wherever he is, he enjoys my conclusion as much as I enjoyed his beginning.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1599555220
• ISBN13: 9781599555225
• Release Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Council Press
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Written by American literary legend Mark Twain

Huck Finn & Tom Sawyer Among The Indians presents a manuscript, written by American literary legend Mark Twain, written as a sequel to his classic novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" but which was left unfinished - in the middle of a climactic confrontation, no less. Long after Mark Twain's passing, ardent fan and scholar Lee Nelson gained approval of the Mark Twain Foundation (who were the legal holders of the copyright to Mark Twain's unfinished work), and finished the story with a flavor and a style as close to the feel of the original author, as well as an abiding hope that Mark Twain himself would approve even if modern-day literary scholars did not. The result is a fantastic adventure story, that revisits Huck, Tom, and Jim - when a group of Sioux Indians commits murder and kidnaping, Huck and Tom must mount a rescue to save the surviving victims, including Jim himself. Huck Finn & Tom Sawyer Among The Indians is an absolute "must-read" for anyone who enjoyed Mark Twain's original Huckleberry Finn classic.

Wow! A NEW Mark Twain work? Awesome

Lee Nelson seems to channel Mark Twain in this riveting story of further adventures of Huck and Tom. Had I not known that a second author (in modern times) penned the majority of the book, I would not have noticed; it feels like Twain all the way. I had to specifically follow the reference to identify where Twain ended and Nelson began. This book is full of adventure, discovery, romance, friendships and loyalty, and it deepened my enthusiasm and respect for Mark Twain. It also introduced me to another great author, Lee Nelson.I challenge you to read this book without looking for the division, and I dare you to find a break between Twain and Nelson. This book could be included in an official Twain study. Huck Finn lives!