Three young revolutionaries buck the establishment — in an exciting story that closely parallels where it’s at today …
So sayeth the cover of this amazing television tie-in novel based on the popular (canceled after one 15 episode season) Screen Gems — ABC-TV series. ABC thought it would be a good idea to write something that would interest the radicalized 1960s youth (in 1970), but they couldn’t write something set in the 1960s. Too soon and all that. So they set it during the revolutionary war, with a small group of young patriots fighting the good fight against the British. Undercover. Not only do they work against the enemy British, they must contend with the collaborationist older generation of colonists.
The Hedgerow Incident isn’t (so far as I know) based on any particular episode. The flamboyant son of the town mayor Jeremy Larkin, freed black blacksmith Isak Poole, and chubby pharmacist Henry Abington travel to a nearby town where the British are storing supply barrels with a very small contingent of British troops guarding them. Their mission, find out what’s in the barrels and if they are important destroy them.
The important conflict isn’t between the rebels and the British. It’s between the young rebels and the establishment types in the town of Hedgerow. They don’t want any trouble with the British. If they help, the British will retaliate. So even though they sympathize with the patriots, they want them to go away.
Moral of the story is all well and good, but the writing sucks. Big time. You mean General Lafayette can’t spare any men to secure a major gunpowder (ooops, spoiled that) depot even when his siege of the British in another location depends on it? He’s going to let three not very bright 20 somethings who have no plan wing it? So rather than burn the town (first ringing the church bells so no one dies) and being sure, these guys decide to persuade the townspeople to help? Seems like a little bit of wishful thinking on the part of the producers. If only our own radicals would just sit down and talk with the older generation everything would be all fine!
Mostly, I read the book because I suspected it wouldn’t be very good and I could rip on it in good conscience. Sometimes I just need to be contrary and mean.
By the way, that’s a young Louis Gossett, Jr. as Isak Poole on the cover.
Title: The Hedgerow Incident
Author: William Johnston
Series: The Young Rebels; 1
Imprint / publisher: Ace / Charter Communications
Format: Mass market paperback
Length: 157 p.
Publication date: 1970
