Shadows by Night
Zach Ellenberger
Independently Published, 2025
ISBN-13: 979-8343983807
Ebook, 164 ppg.
According to what we learned in school and from nonfiction books, life on the prairie was hard in the old days. We learned about the constant battles between US soldiers and the white man against the Native Americans living on their land. What we hardly ever got to learn about was any incidents of “revenge” the natives may have sought after the white man who stole their lands.
Well, readers will get to read about it here! In Shadows by Night by Zach Ellenberger, we follow the Noble family as they trek across country to land they have laid claim to which once belonged to a Native American tribe. In fact, the father in this family, Elijah, was one of the soldiers who participated in the merciless slaughter of the tribe that had lived on that land. What he and his soldiers don’t know is that a group of those natives escaped, later creating a supernatural force of creatures hell-bent on revenge.
Adam Noble is the only survivor of that tribe that died by the hands of Elijah’s army (as far as he knows). His name is not really Adam, but that is the name which the Noble parents gave to him when they took him in as a young child. Typical of many Western families at that time, they basically “whitewashed” Adam, stripping him of his name, his language, his heritage, culture, language and even clothes that he knew as part of the tribe and raised him as the “white way.” They gave him a Christian name, raised him in the Christian faith and threw upon his young shoulders the responsibilities and lifestyle of the way they lived. All of this made Adam forget who he was, so of course, he is confused when other people question his relation to the Nobles or treat him like he is a native.
The natives are called “savages” in the story, but I refuse to identify Native Americans by this term. In fact, reading this story made my blood boil, as I have Native American blood and I am well aware of the atrocities many, many Native American tribes faced at the hands of the white man. It’s no wonder that they soon grew to hate each other and showed no mercy in choosing to kill each other.
One thing I love about reading Zach Ellenberger’s books is the attention to detail and historical research that he brings to his stories. We normally don’t get to fully absorb ourselves in the way things were back in the day, but in reading this story, it felt like I was really there. I actually felt the same hardships the families endured as they tried to eke out a life on the prairie. I also appreciated how the portrayal of the US Army’s takeover over the lands the natives once lived on was so true-to-life.
But this story does capture a sad fact of history: How many Native American children were taken from their families and basically “whitewashed.” In fact, there was a whole orphanage dedicated to taking in Native American children absconded from their tribes and raised as white, having to wear the same clothes, speak the same language and live the same way white people did.
Even so, the bigger part of this story is the terrors which the Noble family faces upon settling in on their land. Even before they have a house built, danger strikes. The horrors inflicted on this family come from a mysterious source and they can only fight this evil without even knowing what they are fighting, or why.
Shadows by Night is a fascinating, riveting historical horror novel that was hard to put down. This story drew me in from the very beginning. Brimming with historical fiction, terrifying horrors and captivating suspense, this novel provides a gripping story of retribution and redemption.
Five stars
Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
