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In 1865, the American Civil War comes to an end, and the United States enters the Reconstruction era of postwar rebuilding and industrial development.
In 1868, Japan establishes a more modern, centralized government, and the feudal era, during which dozens of independent states had been at war with one another for hundreds of years, also comes to an end. The samurai class, without masters to serve or battles to fight, is abolished a few years later.
The transcontinental railroad is completed in 1869, connecting the United States from coast to coast. This starts a race between companies to extend miles of track across open land and introduces immigrants and their culture from Asia and the Pacific.
The big expansion of the American West welcomed everyone bold enough to make the journey and strong enough to survive. Many moved to the vast wide-open territory to chase fortunes in gold and silver, while others sought to own land for ranching, farming, and other natural resources. And others just wanted a new life.
It was a time of opportunity and lawlessness, with stories of famous cowboys and gunfighters. But some of those stories have remained untold … until now.
The Samurai Cowboys – Book One:
In the spring of 1870, Cade Wilson is one of three orphans of the American Civil War who are trained in the Way of the Samurai by a warrior from Japan. This warrior trains these young men in the samurai weapons of war and the code they live by.
For six years, as honor-bound servants to their Benefactor, the three samurai cowboys combined deadly new skills with the way of the West (the gun) to ruthlessly increase and defend their master’s landholdings. But the plan to take control of the New Mexico Territory before the expansion of the railroad to California was about to change … when Cade decides he wants out.
**Award Winning Debut Novel: Best Historical Fiction / Western [Silver – BookFest Fall 2023]**
The Samurai Cowboys – Book Two:
Cade Wilson is a troubled man with a price on his head, and he’s haunted by his past and the blood on his hands.
As Viper, he was one of three orphans trained in the Way of the Samurai, and honor-bound to fight for their Benefactor. Then Cade experienced love and a glimpse of the normal life he so desperately wants outside of eternal servitude.
He turned his back on his Benefactor and tried to escape, but it brought swift retribution as some allegiances cannot be undone.
To be free, Cade will need to face deadly bounty hunters and survive the journey to confront his former master––and he discovers he’s not the only one with a wounded heart in search of redemption.
**Best Historical Fiction / Western [Silver – BookFest Spring 2024]**
The Samurai Cowboys – Book Three
The cold, dark months of winter have passed, and Cade Wilson knows the fight for his freedom is not over.
Presumed dead after a devastating train explosion in Colorado, Cade has retreated into the shadows while secretly training a new student in the Way of the Samurai. But an enemy from Cade’s past believes he is still alive and threatened the family he loves to force him out of hiding.
Cade warns his friends of the danger surrounding him, and that an army of shadow riders and his former master will fight to the death to defend their Benefactor. But he won’t have to stand alone at the crossroads, as his soul and the future of a town hang in the balance.
**Best Historical Fiction / Western [Silver – BookFest Spring 2025]**
Way of the Dragon: The Samurai Cowboys Saga
Scheduled Release: TBD
Nate Wagner is an independent author with an overactive imagination and an affinity for westerns, science fiction, thrillers and horror. He currently has new books in the works and aspires to publish a dozen matinee novels in these blended genres.
Wagner is a Navy veteran, and spent over twenty years in marketing and advertising before self-publishing fiction. He wrote The Samurai Cowboys trilogy during the pandemic to inspire his teenage son to read, and these debut manuscripts became an award-winning series and a passion for developing ideas, characters, and stories.
Founder of Creative Refinery LLC, Wagner resides in Arizona, and he enjoys touring local book stores and festivals to meet other writers, readers, and fans.
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