Huck Finn & Tom Sawyer Among the Indians

Adventures of Tom and Huck #5

by Mark Twain, Lee Nelson

Sequel to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn begun by Mark Twain in 1885, finished by 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 sat 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. The 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. It is 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 facing a gunfight and hangman’s noose in Sacramento, California. Said Lee Nelson: “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.”

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Westerns, Humor

277 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 1884

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.

Reviews

[Kenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lee Nelson is no Mark Twain.

[WJEP · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mark Twain DNF, but I regrettably did. You shouldn't. Read the original unfinished version Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians: And Other Unfinished Stories.

I deliberately went into this blind. I had no idea where Twain stopped and Nelson started. I'm not a snoot. I didn't want to presumptively dismiss Nelsons effort: "How dare he!" I took me about 30 pages past the switch to be sure that something was abominably wrong.

Nelson does an embarrassingly lazy job of mimicking Twain's writing style. Nelson is humorless (to be fair, Twain is a hard act to follow.) Nelson chicken-heartedly cancels Jim's nickname.

The biggest giveaway was how Nelson subverted Twain's main theme:

"book Injuns and real Injuns is different."

Twain makes Tom, Huck, and Jim learn this lesson the hard way. I don't know where Nelson heard out about the Sioux's magnanimity when it comes to race-relations, but I bet it was book-learning.

[Ob-jonny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a much more serious book about Huck and Tom compared to the earlier books. It seems to be the sequel to "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and it takes place afterward when they are closer to being grown-ups. It is a similar caliber of a book compared to the Huck Finn, but it was never finished for some reason so it was not published at the time of writing. That is probably why nobody really knows about it. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was a kids book, and Huck Finn was a more serious book that had commentary on slavery and interactions between white and black people. Huck and Tom among the Indians is even more hard edged and is kind of dark at times. There is commentary regarding the interaction between whites, indians, and battles with the mormons. Life in the west around 1850 was pretty harsh and this harsh reality is reflected in this book. It was a struggle for survival and people were killing each other. It teaches you about history and what life was like in the west back then for ordinary people. It's interesting to read about the type of food people ate and stuff they brought along while traveling in wagon trains at that time. It showed the type of people you were likely to run into back then out in that wild area (in what would later become Nebraska and Wyoming, at the time not part of the United States). The characters are complex. There are good and bad sides to Tom, Jim, the indians, mormons, Army people, and other random people roaming around. This book seems very realistic and is totally different than Tom Sawyer Abroad, and Tom Sawyer Detective. It's a very entertaining book. Huckleberry's perspective and commentary on situations and the vocabulary he uses is hilarious at times.

[Natasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was begun by Mark Twain, but about the last 3/4 of it were written by Lee Nelson. Nelson evidently made absolutely no attempt to mimic Twain's writing style or take the story where Twain was leading. It is awful. The only reason why I finished it was because I peeked at the ending and was mortified to see where he'd taken the three leading characters. I was incredulous as to how he could have reached that point so I read the book to find out how he got there. It was neither satisfying nor believable.

[RoseMerrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

At the point when Mark Twain stopped writing and Lee Nelson started writing, the whole book went downhill.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I never knew that Mark Twain hadn't finished any books. Not sure why I didn't think of that though, several other authors hadn't. Likewise, I wasn't sure how much the individual authors had written. I am grateful that Twain had been able to introduce the thought that Peggy was still worthy of Huck's love in spite of some other happenings. Much of what transpired there cemented in my mind that Huck was by far the superior character in my book. Lee Nelson faithfully carried that on and largely kept the same feeling to the book. I tend to think that Twain would have ended this story with a successful rescue of Peggy from the Indians, but I really enjoyed Nelson's story too and hope to read more by him.

[Nathaniel Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee Nelson did a captivating job of finishing Mark Twain’s unfinished sequel to Huckleberry Finn - 117 years after it was begun in 1885!

Here he effortlessly captures Twain’s writing style and tone, so much so that it isn’t easy distinguished where Twain started and Nelson picked up the story (midway through chapter 9 if you must know).

I was apprehensive that the book would not capture the essence of Twain’s work, however I absolutely adored the subsequent adventures and maturity of Huck’s journey from boy to young man. It is equally dark and yet hopeful like the original works. I enjoyed this more than the recent retelling of Huck Finn (James) by Percival Everett.

My only gripe is that there were a few loose ends/story points/plot holes left unanswered. Notably:

Jim not mentioning his wife and daughter back home and instead falling in love with squaw and choosing to be a tribe chief (never to return home).

Tom and Huck running off and leaving poor Aunt Sally and widow Douglas again without thinking to check in on them or even send a bloody letter. Those poor women!

A thrilling read nevertheless and it deserves more reviews and reads!

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book because I love Mark Twain's stories.

Unfortunatly Mark Twain only penned the first 62 pages of this 277 page book. In a way the fact that he wrote so little of the book is kind of a relief because that means that Mr. Twain had nothing to do with any of the horrible events that take place in this book.

Mark Twain wrote his Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn books for children but I would not let a child read this book. I don't doubt that most of the events are historically acurate but Mark twain knew that Rape, Child Molesting, Murder, Scalping, and Poligamy are not subjects that you write about in childrens books.

Also Lee Nelson (The author who wrote the other 215 pages) makes no mention of the events from the books "Tom Sawyer Abroad" and "Tom Sawyer Detective."

In conclusion only read this if you have read all of Mark Twains original Tom & Huck novels, You are over 18 and you just can't contain your morbid curiosity.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was supposed to be a children's book, I thought. But with all of the graphic violence in it, I wouldn't recommend it for a child--or for anyone.

The part Mark Twain wrote was great. The part Lee Nelson wrote wasn't.

One of my biggest gripes was that it looked like Nelson wrote his part of the book (which was the majority of it)in "modern" English and then went back and added s's to all of the verbs--I looks, I thinks. I don't think he even tried to use the "real" dialect of Tom and Huck.

And I didn't need all of the horrible details of the Indians killing the white people, nor did I need the constant talk about Peggy getting raped--by the Indians and then the mountain men--and I got tired of Huck's undying love for Peggy. All of the fun of Twain's books disappeared and Huck and Tom turned into totally different people.

Well, I could go on and on, but I just didn't like this book at all, and I usually like Lee Nelson's books.

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I'll be recommending this one.

[Clay Greer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mark Twain abandoned this story for a reason. It is flat and uninteresting.

[Gable Roth · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seems that Mark Twain didn't really organize his sequels very well. It is clear that Huck Finn happened after Tom Sawyer but the three novels following that (Abroad, Detective, and this one) are all clearly after Huck Finn but it is not clear if one was intended to go before the other. They all just happen at some time after Huck Finn and they don't seem to reference each other. So it is kind of a choose your own adventure trilogy. You can choose which story is the true third story in the installment. Personally, I choose Tom Sawyer Detective, because Abroad is more sci-fi than anything else and this one wasn't finished by Twain and what was finished is so off the wall that I cannot really classify it as being part of the other books at all, even though the publishing company approved Lee Nelson finishing the story and went ahead and published what he had written.

There is so much to say about this book. I am not sure if I can capture all of my thoughts on the matter. I will start with what I liked. I did like how Lee Nelson's story was more cohesive and not quite as random as Twain is in his story telling. Even in Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Twain's storytelling can be hard to follow at times. The other thing I did enjoy was the fact that Huck did grow over the course of the story. I really didn't like Tom Sawyer Abroad, partly because of how Huck was portrayed as an idiot and treated unkindly by Tom. In this book Huck grows into a man and learns some serious life lessons. I know that Mark Twain would have taken this story in a different direction and I cannot promise that he would have allowed Huck to grow as much as Lee Nelson did. So I am grateful for that.

However, that is the only good that I can see in this book. The rest of it, starting with the 62 pages written by Twain is not so good. First off I am reminded of a line from the movie The Croods 2 where Thunk says; "This show's for older kids!" This book is definitely geared toward an older audience than Twain's other works. And it wasn't Lee Nelson that took it in that direction. Even before Twain stopped writing he told of a band of Native American's that killed an entire family and the details weren't horribly gruesome but they were not lacking in detail either. Not to mention that he hinted strongly that Peggy would be sexually assaulted if she were taken by the Natives. Lee Nelson follows that direction in his continuation of the story with more killings and more sexual assault. Not just by the Native's but by trappers and Army Sargent's with little boys! I repeat, this book is NOT FOR CHILDREN! My biggest issue with the name and the way Lee Nelson continued the story is he never fully made it clear that there are some Natives that are good and some that are not so good. At the time Twain wrote his portion of this story I think most people in the United States thought they were blood-thirsty savages. But Lee Nelson had the chance to redeem that line of thinking by clearly stating that they are people just like everyone else and some of them make good choices and some of them make bad choices but that you can't judge the whole group by the actions of a few.

I must admit that I was surprised to find out that Lee Nelson belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints like myself. I didn't think that he would use that to heavily influence his portion of the story. They should have changed the title to Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Mormon Pioneers because that is who they mostly interact with. At first, I thought there would just be one or two casual mentions of the Handcart Pioneers and such but it is like a sequel to The Work and The Glory series by placing fictional characters in some major events in Church History. With that being said, if this book were not a sequel to Tom Sawyer and if it had different characters I likely would have given it at least a 3 star review and maybe higher. The story telling was good and I am OK with historical fiction relating to Church History, I just didn't think it belonged in the Tom Sawyer story. I know that Mark Twain did not think highly of this church and I know that he would not have written the story in this way.

However, as I said earlier, Lee Nelson did get approval from the copywrite holders and they allowed the book to be published even with all of those bits in there. I would say that they would be the best ones to make that decision and I guess they were ok with it. They must not have had too many offers from people to finish this story.

Finally, as I said earlier, I think the ONLY sequel that is worth reading is Tom Sawyer Detective. Read that one and pretend the others don't exist.

[Team]

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" has been banned and challenged multiple times since its publication in 1884, primarily due to its use of racial slurs and the portrayal of African American characters. Early bans, like the one in Concord, Massachusetts in 1885, cited the book's "coarse language" and deeming it "trash," while later challenges focused on the book's use of the N-word and the perceived stereotyping of Jim.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Early Bans (1885):
Concord, Massachusetts banned the book for its "coarse language" and deemed it "suitable only for the slums," essentially arguing it was trash.
Modern Challenges:
The book's continued use of racial slurs, particularly the N-word, and the portrayal of Jim as a stereotypical, passive, and superstitious African American, have led to ongoing challenges and bans, often in schools.
Arguments Against the Book:
Critics argue that the book promotes harmful stereotypes and reinforces racial prejudice, particularly through Jim's characterization.
Arguments for the Book:
Some argue that the book is a valuable exploration of race, highlighting the hypocrisy of the era and its characters' evolving understandings of morality. They also argue that the book's raw language and stereotypes are a necessary reflection of the time period, not an endorsement of such views.
-https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv...

[Hank Pharis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a worthy successor to Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn. I have always strongly preferred the Adventures of Tom Sawyer over Huckleberry Finn. But if that's not heretical enough I actually enjoyed this story more than Huckleberry Finn! Twain actually only wrote the first fourth of this book but more than 100 years later Nelson picked up where he left off. I know many Twain purists have hammered his effort but I really appreciated how Huck comes to age, becomes a hero and marries.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Lee Nelson finished this final Huck and Tom story left only partially written by the late Mark Twain. As a little girl I didn't love Johnny Tremain, Spiderman, or Charlie from the Chocolate factory; I loved Huckleberry Finn. Maybe this story doesn't end the way Mr.Twain had in mind, but it certainly ended well enough to satisfy me. Thank you Lee Nelson.

[Eithan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool book for young adults that has some wit (as Twain usually has) in it.
For me it ran alongside the story of Lonesome Dove (similar storylines & i just loved that book so it reminds me of it) but for children/young people (without the gore, hardships etc)

[Ely Penner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but not necessarily for the young or faint of heart, as it deals with the terrors of the American Indians, their battles, tortures, gang rape, etc. This book in itself is great, but it doesn't feel like the same characters from the original Tom Sawter and Huck Finn books.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

I marked it as read but I'm not about to "read" a book with so many errors. Not cute, not authentic--just fabricated. ugh

[Michael Hutchings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Huck Finn. Not so crazy about Mark Twain.

[Jacob Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and intresting

[Mark Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing to find this sequel to Huck's adventures on the Mississippi, and although not completed by Twain i wouldnt a knowed but a coupla times.

[Gr1972 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5

[Mark Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Tom and Huck stories, they are the best. This one has some surprising twists and turns.

[Rachel Bloome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Forked Radish]

Note: Rating and review are only for the first 9 chapters penned by Twain ending with "We struck out on this trail, and followed it a couple of days".

[Syd Crosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I'm actually done with the series. Very excited to read James.

[Julieta Fritata · Rating 1 out of 5]

The one star I have given this is for the early part written by Mark Twain; it is as wonderful as the rest of his tales of Tom and Huck's adventures. As for Nelson's part in it, it is laughably bad. The man has only the shallowest understanding of the character of Huckleberry Finn, and his portrayal of the boy is a disgrace. He makes absolutely no effort to capture Huck's manner of expressing himself, and the thoughts he puts into Huck's head are no sort of reflections anyone acquainted with the character could imagine him having. The magic, the reality and surreality of Twain's America is lost entirely. Virtually every sentence is a bland account of what Huck is seeing, thinking or doing - I uses the chamberpot, I sees Jim getting angry with the mean man. I have no issue with the brutal content of Nelson's story in itself - Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn's other adventures also document violent and unhappy events, and Twain remarked himself that they were not children's books as he had initially intended, and only adults would read them. It is his terrible writing and his total loss of the essential nature of any of Twain's leading characters that make me hate this book. It is always interesting to see where someone else imagines Huckleberry Finn ending up - Nick Cave's song 'Saint Huck' is another peculiar imagining of that boy's future, which also strays from where I predict he may find himself. That is not a problem to me either. But the story Nelson has written is not Huckleberry Finn's story, it is that of another boy entirely and not one who has been able to capture my interest in the slightest. I do not recommend anyone who wants to read about Huckleberry Finn to go further than the last word in this novel written by Mr. Twain.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teenager, I read and enjoyed Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. One day, my Dad gave me a copy of Life Magazine containing the unfinished manuscript of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians. I read just enough to find out Mark Twain had never finished it, and the story just stopped abruptly. About 40 years later, I found out that Lee Nelson had finished the book and I was excited to read it. I first wanted to reread Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, which I recently did to my total delight. They were better than I remembered. I discovered that Twain had also written Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer, Detective. I obtained these two short books from the library and read them. I was disappointed in both of them: Tom Sawyer Abroad was strange, disjointed, and ended so abruptly I wondered if Twain had just gotten bored and quit so he could get paid something for it. Tom Sawyer, Detective was not much better.

Overall, I enjoyed ...Among the Indians immensely more than the two short Tom Sawyer books, but not as much as Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. Nelson did an admirable job at finishing it. I'm sure Mark Twain turned over in his grave at the direction Nelson took his story, but that's Twain's tough luck for not finishing it. By the end of the book, I was caught up by it and very interested to see how it would end. I wasn't disappointed. There were some humorous lines and interesting events. I'm grateful to Lee Nelson for tackling the task. I enjoyed it.

[Zana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might not have read this if I had realized just how much of it is essentially fan fiction -- a writer finishing a story that a master abandoned. And that would have been a shame, because Lee Nelson's portion of the book (ie, most of the book) far outshines Mr. Clemens's beginning. I really like the way in which he paints every person as whole, complex people with strengths and flaws that fit or don't fit with the other characters' strengths and flaws.

Also, it is a Huck Finn Grows Up story without being moralizing or twee. My only quibble is that there is a piece of the narrative that buys into the belief that for a boy to become a man, he must learn to kill, which is annoyingly simplistic and the author could have done better. And amazingly for a book about the Wild West and Indians and Mormons and former slaves, it is not Full of Fail. It has some problematic elements, and it addresses those elements pretty much head on 95% of the time, which I really appreciated.

[Heather Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book probably because the beginning 60 pages is only a rough draft (the part written by Mark Twain). By about 100 pages in I really started enjoying it. Lee Nelson actually writes quite a bit like Mark Twain. I definitely wouldn't put this in a classics category like Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer, but it was a fun read. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Huck Finn and the rough Bill Hickman. If Huck had gone west and met the Indians and the Mormons, I'm sure this is how it would have happened.